Death of 28-Year-Old Indian Migrant in Canada Raises Concerns Over Exploitation

Simranjeet Singh, 28, was reported dead in a train-related incident in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area on October 23, 2026. His relatives say unpaid trucking wages and immigration uncertainty shadowed his time there. The details remain unsettled.

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Later accounts described the death as a suspected suicide. Those allegations do not establish that work or immigration problems caused it.

His family says he came to Canada on an employer-specific work permit arranged through the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process. They allege the employer named in his documents was not operating and sent no representative to meet him at the airport in British Columbia.

The family’s allegations include job fraud and wage theft. Neither has been independently established.

The circumstances and timing remain unsettled

Singh was from Patti in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district and had worked in trucking. Accounts place the train incident in different locations and describe different dates.

An earlier account says he left home on October 31 and places the death in Brampton. Later accounts say he travelled toward a railway station in Mississauga on October 23, and place the incident in the Greater Toronto Area. The precise date and location remain unclear.

The reported incident has been described as suspected suicide, not a confirmed finding. No evidence establishes a cause of death or connects it to the family’s allegations.

His family says the promised job never materialized

According to relatives, the employer listed in Singh’s work documents was not operating in Canada. They say no company representative met him when he arrived in British Columbia, and he initially stayed with a friend before moving to the Greater Toronto Area.

He later obtained a truck driver’s licence and worked for a transport company. Relatives allege that the company owed him approximately CAD 15,000 in wages. They say it later paid only CAD 2,000 to CAD 3,000, leaving wages outstanding.

His family reportedly borrowed more than Rs 25 lakh to finance his migration. Relatives say the debt was difficult to repay on his earnings. After leaving the trucking job, he worked for an e-commerce company in Ottawa for several months, then returned to the Greater Toronto Area for another trucking assignment.

The family’s account describes employment and financial difficulties. It does not independently establish the allegations against the employers.

The family learned after his death the claim was reportedly rejected

Relatives say an immigration lawyer submitted a refugee protection claim for Singh, and they initially thought it was still being processed. They say they learned after his death that the claim had reportedly been rejected.

The family also alleges the lawyer did not share important updates and requested more money when Singh sought information. They say he was told his immigration status had expired. His legal status at the time of death remains unclear.

Friends and relatives said Singh had kept much of his financial and emotional distress from his parents, who had borrowed money to support his move. His family learned more about those difficulties after his death. That account does not establish a cause.

Friends are raising funds in Punjab after his last rites in Canada

Singh’s last rites were performed in Canada. Friends and relatives are raising funds for his family in Punjab.