Prominent Indian media outlet India Today hailed Canada’s relaxed immigration policy as a significant “relief for international students.” 

The article follows remarks by Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, who revealed that international students are not required to provide police checks from their home countries when applying to study in Canada.

This means that applicants are not scrutinized for any criminal history they may have in their home countries. 

Following his comments, India Times reported that “People going to Canada on temporary permits, including on study visas, don’t need police clearance from their home countries,” adding that “This is a relief for international students, of whom people from India form the biggest cohort, amid the recent confusion.”

What confusion?

Miller’s statement seemed to counter his earlier remarks from May 6, where he implied that criminal record checks were a part of the vetting process for international students.

Under oath, however, he clarified that the checks are only concerned with activities that occurred within Canadian borders. His clarification has raised eyebrows—even leading to a Conservative MP calling him a liar—given that many other countries require comprehensive background checks from temporary visa applicants. 

Earlier this month, India’s Foreign Affairs Minister publicly accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country, and criticized Canada’s handling of Sikh separatists.

 “Somebody may have been arrested; the police may have done some investigation. But the fact is (a) number of gangland people, (b) number of people with organized crime links from Punjab, have been made welcome in Canada,” Minister Jaishankar said. 

“These are wanted criminals from India; you have given them visas … and yet you allow them to live there,” he added.