Immigration officials from the UK, Australia and Canadacame together in Chandigarh last Tuesday to warn would-be immigrants of “the dangers of being misled by unscrupulous immigration agents”. This comes in the backdrop of a growing number of illegal immigrants being deported from these countries.
A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), released in 2010, hit the panic button. Titled “Smuggling of Migrants from India to Europe and in Particular to UK: A Study on Punjab and Haryana“, the report has found that every year more than 20,000 young men from Punjab attempt irregular immigration.
What is even more alarming is that the pattern of irregular immigration from India is spreading to other states such as Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The UNODC study found that of 47% cases of irregular immigration related to Europe, a fourth were related to the UK.
Agents Beware
One of the main reasons for fraud is that some potential migrants do not have the option of legal migration due to lack of opportunities for skilled immigration. Further, there is a proliferation of agents and sub-agents in rural and semi-urban regions of Punjab, who facilitate irregular immigration.
The UK has now joined forces with Canada and Australia to educate and warn prospective immigrants of the dangers of irregular and illegal immigration. One of the most important messages that comes out of this joint initiative is: stay away from unscrupulous immigration agents.
“We have been working together with the UK Border Agency, Australian Department of Immigration as well as the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services and Immigration New Zealand for some time now. It helps us share information and also work together with the Indian authorities to combat immigration fraud in India.
Our message to the applicants from sensitive regions such as Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat is to avoid getting duped by unscrupulous agents. There is a lot of information available on our websites and Canada has a system of registered and authorised immigration consultants for those who need help,” says Sidney Frank, Canada’s area director for immigration in South Asia.
Fraud Does not Pay
More and more people are immigrating to countries such as Australia and Canada every year. Fraud is a serious offence and can lead to severe penalties in India and travel bans to various countries. “There is an increase in the number of visa applicants from India both for skilled categories and students. Our effort at co-operating with other countries is mainly aimed at cracking down on illegal and unscrupulous agents here,” says Jose Alvarez, regional director of South Asia of the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Work permits for skilled immigrants require a lot of documentation and frauds through these routes are difficult. “Student visas and family immigrations are commonly misused categories. Sham marriages and adoptions are also common misuses. Some countries have found that education and corporate documents provided to obtain employment visas too are sometimes fake,” says Mumbai-based immigration lawyer Poorvi Chothani.
Gullible Victims
While the foreign missions in India are concerned over irregular immigration, a larger solution lies in steps taken by the Indian government to curb illegal immigration at the source. Under the Emigration Act, there are provisions of a Protector General of Emigrants (PGE) at the centre and Protector of Emigrants (POE) at the state level to grant emigration clearances and help intending emigrants.
“They are bound to ensure that no person functions as a recruiting agent without a registration certificate and that no employer conducts recruitments for foreign employment without a valid permit issued by the POE. The POE must protect and aid all intending emigrants with advice and support,” says Chandigarh-based immigration lawyer Ranjit Malhotra.
However, the Act is flouted with impunity and there’s no redressal or remedy, he adds. Agents and sub-agents lure their victims with advertisements in newspapers, gaudy display signboards and promises of a good life in foreign countries. “There is no regulation, rule, policy or law to check unethical and misleading advertisements. The innocent victims are only too gullible,” Malhotra concludes.
