Criminologist Urges Canada to Improve Tracking of Foreign Students
A criminologist emphasizes the need for Canada to enhance tracking of foreign students leaving the country amid rising concerns over human trafficking.
Canada, Indian Law Enforcement, Human Trafficking, Student Visas, Immigration, Donald Trump
OTTAWA: A criminologist is raising some serious points about how Canada tracks foreign students. Kelly Sundberg, who used to work with immigration enforcement, believes we need a better system in place.
He’s not shocked that Indian authorities are looking into connections between Canadian colleges and a human trafficking scheme. This comes after a tragic incident where a family died trying to cross the border from Manitoba to Minnesota last winter.
India’s Enforcement Directorate has found evidence suggesting human trafficking is involved. But, interestingly, neither Public Safety Canada nor the RCMP have commented on these allegations yet.
Sundberg suggests Canada should collect biometric data from international students and link it to their immigration documents. This way, we could easily track when they leave the country.
These discussions come at a time when Canada is changing its immigration policies, including cutting back on student visas. At a recent immigration committee meeting, the Conservatives raised questions about how we keep tabs on international students leaving.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller mentioned that most temporary visa holders, including students, do leave when their visas expire. However, he acknowledged there’s still work to be done to address asylum claims from these students.
On top of that, the issue of illegal border crossings is straining Canada-U.S. relations, especially with Donald Trump’s return to the political scene. He’s hinted at imposing tariffs on Canadian goods if we don’t step up our efforts to tackle these crossings and the flow of illegal drugs.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press, with contributions from Dylan Robertson.