Canadian MP Michelle Garner on Thursday alleged that India's Lawrence Bishnoi gang exploited Canada's student visa system to establish its criminal network in the country, citing a classified intelligence report shared by Global News.
In a statement posted on X, Garner said the report by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) showed the Bishnoi gang had expanded its operations in Canada by using the country's international student programme.
Liberals Let Crime Gangs Exploit the Student Visa Program
— Michelle Rempel Garner (@MichelleRempel) August 5, 2026
August 5, 2026⁰FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Michelle Rempel Garner, Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration; Arpan Khanna, Conservative Shadow Minister for Justice and Attorney General; and Frank… https://t.co/K47IGA9ti7
"Today, Global News reported on a new devastating yet predictable outcome of the Liberals' complete disregard for Canada's immigration system," Garner wrote.
She added that, “A classified intelligence report by CBSA shows that India's Bishnoi gang has expanded its criminal network into Canada, allegedly instigating high-profile murders, political assasination, and deepening the current extortion crisis. Their way in? Canada's student visa system.”
What Does The CBSA Report Say?
According to the Global News report, the classified CBSA report, titled "The Bishnoi Gang: An Emerging Threat in Canada," was circulated among immigration officers in December 2025 to help tackle the gang's growing presence in the country. The report states that the gang has demonstrated the use of Canada's immigration programmes, particularly student and work permits, for criminal purposes.
The report also claims that Goldy Brar, one of Lawrence Bishnoi's closest associates, entered Canada in 2017 on a student visa, purportedly to attend Thompson Rivers University. However, records cited by Global News say it is unknown whether he ever attended classes. Instead, investigators allege he went on to help expand the Bishnoi gang's operations across Canada.
The CBSA report further stated that investigations have increasingly identified Indian nationals on study permits and work permits as participants in organised criminal activities linked to the Bishnoi gang.
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Garner Urges For Stricter Immigration Enforcement
Quoting the intelligence report, Garner claimed that crimes committed by Indian nationals on student permits increased by 8,800 per cent between 2016 and 2024, with India identified as the top source country of foreign students charged with crimes.
She also shared that between 2019 and 2023, around 4,000 international students were charged with 17,929 criminal offences, with nearly one-third classified as serious or organised crime-related offences.
According to Garner, the report further stated that more than 13,040 criminal charges were laid against international students from India in 2024 alone.
The Canadian MP also referred to Canada's Auditor General's March 2026 report, which criticised weaknesses in the country's immigration screening process. “The Auditor General of Canada, in her March 2026 report, was clear that ‘light touches' and poor follow-up were unsurprisingly not enough to protect Canada's once strong immigration system from fraud, abuse and criminals entering Canada. This advice has clearly fallen on deaf ears,” the MP wrote.
She alleged that despite fraud risk assessments, some applicants were still allowed to obtain student visas and later apply for permanent residency.
Garner has urged stronger immigration enforcement and accused the Liberal government of failing to prevent criminals from entering Canada.
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