Immigration companies are still breaking the law and are unaware of it

It seems that the government and police have not learned any lessons from the major scandals involving Brijesh Mishra, which landed numerous Punjabi students in legal hot water in Canada, and the latest “Donkey flight” case in Nicaragua. Under their own nose, the immigration businesses are flagrantly breaking the law; some are even doing business without a legitimate license, yet nothing is being done about it.

The Jalandhar Tribune filed a Freedom of Information (RTI) request after receiving complaints about Japnoor Travels, a travel agency with four locations in Jalandhar. The request sought information on the company’s license status, any issued notices, filed FIR, and other relevant facts. The company’s license was found to have expired in July 2023, yet it continues to operate without a renewal.

Additionally, the DC office received information through an RTI that a person by the name of Karanpreet Singh had filed a complaint against this company for operating without a license. In response, on September 19, 2023, the DC office wrote to the Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, requesting an investigation and appropriate action (the Jalandhar Tribune has a copy of this correspondence). Still, nothing has been done about it. The company’s license expired eight months ago, and it is still in operation without supervision or renewal.

The Jalandhar Tribune published a story on Midwest Immigration Consultant in January as well. The company was discovered to continue in operation even after the district government had suspended its license the year before. But in this instance as well, the government did nothing.

Meanwhile, the lady answering the phone told this reporter that she would forward the message when she phoned Japnoor Travels’ headquarters to talk with the company’s owner.

Remarkably, when the office called him back, the caller avoided answering questions about the contents of his license, used profanity, and refused to provide his identity. Rather, he accused the government of not renewing his license, claiming that he had previously submitted an application and was thus qualified to carry on with his operations.

He openly said that the Government of India had given him permission to run the company, that he was unaffected by any accusations made against him, and that he didn’t understand why the government wasn’t renewing his license.

When the event was reported to SDM Jai Inder, he promised to take tough measures against the travel agency and to launch a comprehensive inquiry.

Law enforcement, profound sleep

1,602 registered immigration and travel agencies are part of the district government, according to a list retrieved from the website of the Government of Punjab. Approximately 254 businesses have had their licenses revoked by the government out of the 1,602 registered agents in total. Remarkably, several of these businesses are still active on social media despite having had their licenses revoked, even though an examination revealed that their premises were shuttered. Even their registered office addresses were being used by certain businesses.