The Visa Pipeline: How CBSA's Screening Failures Fueled the Bishnoi Gang's Canadian Expansion
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
A classified intelligence report reveals that Canada's 'honor-based' student visa system became a primary recruitment and entry tool for one of India's most notorious criminal organizations.
As Global News Toronto first reported, a classified intelligence report from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reveals that the Bishnoi gang—one of India's most notorious crime groups—has weaponized Canada's immigration programs to establish a violent operational presence across the country.
At the center of the breach is Goldy Brar, top lieutenant to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Brar entered Canada in 2017 ostensibly to attend Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., though records show it is "unknown" if he ever attended class. Brar is alleged to have instigated an extortion crisis, a political assassination, and high-profile murders while overseeing North American operations. He later filed a refugee claim in February 2019.
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**OPINION: The Cost of Bureaucratic Negligence**
*The transformation of the student visa program into a criminal pipeline is a failure of national security. By operating an "honor-based" system that prioritizes volume over rigorous screening, the Canadian government provided the Bishnoi gang with both leadership and a steady stream of recruits. The resulting violence in South Asian communities is the direct consequence of a policy that ignored risks in favor of bureaucratic convenience.*
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The CBSA's "Tactical Guide," circulated in December 2025, notes the "demonstrated use of Canada's immigration programs for criminal purposes," specifically identifying Indian foreign nationals on study and work permits. Between 2016 and 2024, crimes committed by Indian student permit holders soared by 8,800 per cent, with India ranked as the "top source" country for foreign students charged with crimes.
From 2019 to 2023, 4,000 Indian citizens on study permits were charged with 17,929 offences; one-third (4,920) were serious or organized crime-related, and 97 per cent of those were violent. In 2024, criminal charges against Indian citizens on study visas jumped to over 13,040. Extortion charges for Indian citizens spiked 47 per cent in 2024, even as Canada's overall extortion rate dipped 10 per cent.
Prof. Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist and former CBSA officer, described the "wide-open, honour-based" program as a "perfect storm of nonsensical policy and law," asserting that "Ottawa is 100 per cent to blame." Recent Immigration and Refugee Board hearings have seen suspected Bishnoi members—including gunmen responsible for attacks in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C.—who all entered Canada on student visas.
When questioned, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) did not directly address if the program aided the gang, though a spokesperson noted the international student program was down 83 per cent since two years ago, and Indian nationals now represent a quarter of visas, down from 41 per cent.