Canada and China will work together to stop immigration fraud, which often costs Chinese emigrants their life savings and leaves them as slaves to organized crime gangs on both sides of the Pacific, Canada' s Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney said in a news teleconference Thursday.

Kenney, who just finished visits to Hong Kong and Beijing, said he received strong support from Chinese authorities, and met with Chinese Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu for more than an hour during his stay in Beijing.

"The challenge for us is to simply put on the agenda at the national level, what is going on," Kenney told the media in Canada. "One of the things I raised with them that I think is very troubling is the connection between this kind of immigration fraud and human trafficking."

Kenney said China agreed to appoint one police official to work with Canadian authorities to solve the problem. As well, Chinese and Canadian officials have formed a working group to find ways of combating the practice.

The Canadian minister said Chinese hoping to emigrate to Canada and other countries often pay up to 60,000 U.S. dollars to gangs that promise to get them into their new country, either with forged documents or by smuggling. Many of those who agree to pay the gangs end up owing them much of the money and are forced to work for the gangs to pay their debt.

"Many of these people do not have 60,000 U.S. dollars to spend. They are signing an undertaking to pay that money back when they come to Canada. Their families in China are also under the thumbs of these criminal networks," Kenney said.

Kenney said the money is often wasted, as Canadian officials are becoming more skilled at spotting fake documents and bogus marriages. He said some gangs use the same apartment backdrops for all of their photographs of supposed brides and grooms, and make the same mistake on all their forged documents.

Still, he said, the time spent looking over fraudulent immigration documents could be better spent helping legitimate applicants get into Canada more quickly.

Kenney said he was happy with the reception he received in Hong Kong and Beijing, noting "China is an enormous country with 1.3 billion people. It is a challenge for us to put on the national agenda what is going on."

Kenney, during his 10-day tour of Asia and Australia, announced he has appointed Ward Elcock, former head of the Canadian security Intelligence Service, to work with Asian governments to find ways of cracking down on criminal gangs that pose as "immigration consultants" .

As well, Elcock will try to determine ways of ending the trafficking of migrants, mostly Tamils from Sri Lanka, into Canada in freight ships.

However, he stressed, the Canadian government wants more Chinese students, visitors and permanent immigrants.

He told reporters Canadian authorities in Beijing can now process a visitor visa in 24 hours, despite seeing a massive rise in Chinese tourism to Canada this year. Kenney said Chinese visitor visa applicants were up 50 per cent this year, even before the official implementation of Approved Destination Status in June.

The Canadian government recently made an agreement with community colleges in Canada to greatly increase the number of Chinese students coming to Canada for English language training.

He said his government wants to develop a smooth system that would encourage Chinese students to come to Canada for a year of language lessons, then apply for spaces in Canadian universities and colleges.

After they graduate, they would be able to work in Canada for a year on a permit, then apply for permanent residency status. Kenney noted Canadian universities and trade colleges are eager for more Chinese students.