Rano
VIP
Toronto, July 7
Thirty-five-year-old Arshpreet is not the first or the only woman to have been duped by men more interested in migrating from Punjab. She is only the latest in a long line of such women.
When she headed for Pearson International Airport in her wheelchair -- polio in her childhood had crippled her -- to receive her spouse sponsored by her, she had no inkling that she had been cheated into a wedding.
Her ‘husband’ from Punjab never emerged from the airport. He did have the courtesy to call her though and inform of the desertion. Like others before him, Ashpreet’s husband, armed with the Canadian immigration visa, took another international flight to a country that welcomes people with Canadian visa.
Arshpreet works in a bank in Brampton in Ontario. She first got in touch with Manjit Sahi(30), over the telephone. Exchange of photographs and emails for two years convinced the 35-year-old Arshpreet that she had indeed found the love of her life in Manjit.
She traveled to India in 2008 to get married. On return, she sponsored Manjit to get him in Canada. It took her all of two years and considerable expense to complete all formalities and convince Canadian immigration of her husband’s credentials.
It’s a growing trend in which both men and women from Punjab are disappearing from airports on reaching Canada. Although there are strong and separate associations in Canada to prevent exploitation of both brides and bridegrooms by immigration seekers, the racket continues unabated.
Early this year, the longest serving Indian-Canadian Member of House of Commons Gurbax Singh Malhi, strongly pleaded for some legislation to check misuse of the family or marriage clauses for immigration.
Recently, Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason Kenny also hinted at tightening the laws concerning immigration for spouses. The issue was also raised by some of the Punjabi Canadian MPs during their interaction with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at the end of G20 summit in Toronto last month. Ruby Dhalla also took up the issue with the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal for a law governing “fraudulent” marriages.
Toronto Police and immigration authorities have made no progress in the Arshpreet case. All that she now wants is for other women to escape her harrowing experience.
Thirty-five-year-old Arshpreet is not the first or the only woman to have been duped by men more interested in migrating from Punjab. She is only the latest in a long line of such women.
When she headed for Pearson International Airport in her wheelchair -- polio in her childhood had crippled her -- to receive her spouse sponsored by her, she had no inkling that she had been cheated into a wedding.
Her ‘husband’ from Punjab never emerged from the airport. He did have the courtesy to call her though and inform of the desertion. Like others before him, Ashpreet’s husband, armed with the Canadian immigration visa, took another international flight to a country that welcomes people with Canadian visa.
Arshpreet works in a bank in Brampton in Ontario. She first got in touch with Manjit Sahi(30), over the telephone. Exchange of photographs and emails for two years convinced the 35-year-old Arshpreet that she had indeed found the love of her life in Manjit.
She traveled to India in 2008 to get married. On return, she sponsored Manjit to get him in Canada. It took her all of two years and considerable expense to complete all formalities and convince Canadian immigration of her husband’s credentials.
It’s a growing trend in which both men and women from Punjab are disappearing from airports on reaching Canada. Although there are strong and separate associations in Canada to prevent exploitation of both brides and bridegrooms by immigration seekers, the racket continues unabated.
Early this year, the longest serving Indian-Canadian Member of House of Commons Gurbax Singh Malhi, strongly pleaded for some legislation to check misuse of the family or marriage clauses for immigration.
Recently, Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason Kenny also hinted at tightening the laws concerning immigration for spouses. The issue was also raised by some of the Punjabi Canadian MPs during their interaction with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at the end of G20 summit in Toronto last month. Ruby Dhalla also took up the issue with the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal for a law governing “fraudulent” marriages.
Toronto Police and immigration authorities have made no progress in the Arshpreet case. All that she now wants is for other women to escape her harrowing experience.
