Loose Student Visa Screening Allowed Notorious Foreign Gang to Root in Canada, Secret Intelligence Reveals

Classified Intelligence Highlights Immigration Gaps

A December 2025 classified intelligence report from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reveals that the Bishnoi crime group, an Indian syndicate recently listed by Ottawa as a terrorist organization, has systematically used Canada’s international student visa system to expand its footprint. The document highlights how lenient immigration screening permitted gang leaders and recruits to establish operations inside the country, fueling a surge in violent extortions across Canadian cities.

The gang’s senior figure in Canada, Goldy Brar, initially entered the country in 2017 on a permit to study at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. Brar later applied for refugee status before absconding, ultimately managing local extortion rings and orchestrating high-profile violence, including the June 2023 murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.

Soaring Crime Rates Linked to Permit Holders

Data within the CBSA’s “Tactical Guide” indicates that while national extortion rates fell 10 percent in 2024, extortion charges against Indian nationals jumped 47 percent. Between 2016 and 2024, criminal charges among Indian student permit holders increased by 8,800 percent. The report details that 4,000 Indian citizens on study permits were charged with 17,929 offences between 2019 and 2023, with nearly a third tied to serious or organized crime. In 2024 alone, over 13,040 criminal charges were laid against Indian study visa holders, though officials noted the 2,418 individuals charged comprised just over one percent of the 188,125 Indian students that year.

Former CBSA officer and criminologist Kelly Sundberg criticized the federal government’s “wide-open, honour-based” approach to foreign student admissions, stating it created a recruitment pool of vulnerable youth for overseas criminal networks. Although federal immigration officials capped foreign student visas in late 2024 citing housing constraints, immigration representatives confirmed overall international student permits have dropped 83 percent over two years, with Indian nationals now making up 25 percent of visas compared to a previous 41 percent.

Community Impact and State Connections

The Bishnoi gang’s extortion operations have terrorized South Asian business owners and residents in communities such as Surrey, Edmonton, and Brampton. Gunmen frequently record drive-by shootings of homes and businesses to publish on social media alongside financial demands. Criminology experts note that the strategy seeks to force entire communities into paying a systemic “taxation scheme.” Recently, these extortions expanded beyond Punjabi Sikhs to target broader Indo-Canadian groups.

Canadian authorities also allege links between the crime group and Indian government officials, suggesting diplomats passed details about Canadian critics to the gang to carry out state-linked objectives. Furthermore, federal intelligence notes the gang has begun to fracture following a rift between Brar and jailed leader Lawrence Bishnoi. Despite stepped-up enforcement under the RCMP-led Project SEVA task force, experts warn that many victims remain hesitant to report threats, choosing instead to comply in silence.