‘Largest’ immigration firm on police radar
Chandigarh : Claiming to be the “world’s largest immigration group”, the multi-billion rupee WorldWide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS) here is under the police scanner after it was found the firm was dealing in work permit visas without having a licence for it.
Chandigarh police, which have a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the immigration fraud being played on youth by immigration firms in and around this city, have conducted raids on the sprawling headquarters of the WWICS in Mohali near here and other offices of the firm in recent days.
Police claim to have found that WWICS had been running its business ‘illegally’ since it had no licence from the Protector of Emigrants (POE) since 2008.
But a WWICS spokesman said: “The services provided by WWICS are not under the ambit and not amenable to the provisions of The Emigration Act, 1983. We are working in a transparent manner since 1993 and have built the trust and confidence of the people.”
The first raid on WWICS was at its office here in Sector 22 on Feb 2 along with 19 other immigration firms in the city. The offices of all firms were sealed by police and documents and records taken away for investigations.
“WWICS is a big name in this field. We did our complete homework before raiding their premises. Serious anomalies in their business were found during investigations. They have been fooling people for a long time. Investigations are still being made from their records and the people they have sent abroad without having the licence to do so,” SIT head Anil Joshi said here.
As per the WWICS website, “established in 1993, the WorldWide Immigration Consultancy Services is the world leader in providing Global Resettlement Solutions, which is vouched by more than 80,000 people who have happily settled in their dream destinations like Canada, USA, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand”.
WWICS is a family-run company, owned by B.S. Sandhu, a retired army officer who had himself migrated to Canada before coming back to India to start the immigration business here. His two sons, Devinder Sandhu and Parvinder Sandhu, are directors in the company.
WWICS and its promoters have been in controversies earlier over immigration cases and land dealings. A golf resort set up by the company in a forested area near Chandigarh was declared illegal by the Supreme Court a few years ago. The company is now into education and real estate as well.
WWICS chairman and managing director B.S. Sandhu said earlier in a statement: “WWICS India does not deal in work permits for any country at all and thus does not fall under the purview of labour licence requirement under the Act. The same details have been submitted to the senior superintendent of police, Chandigarh.”
Hundreds of people, especially youth, from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh seek immigration to other countries, especially the US, Canada, Britain, Australia and others, every year.
Scores of immigration firms and agents operate across Punjab and Chandigarh to cater to the immigration demand, both legal and illegal, from the region.
Joshi claimed that the SIT had found “incriminating” evidence against the activities of WWICS in sending youth abroad. “They do not possess any licence and it is in direct contravention of the provisions of the Emigration Act 1983,” Joshi claimed.
WWICS had initially ‘objected’ to the police raids on their offices, saying their activities and business were “legal”. The firm, which has scores of staffers, had failed to provide any licence to the police.
The Chandigarh-based POE, which is under the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, has pointed out that immigration companies prefer to have their offices in Chandigarh.
“The agents are very clever. Using fancy names they open their offices in Chandigarh to lure immigration seekers. Many people think that an immigration company having its office in Chandigarh should be genuine,” POE Paresh Malakar said.