Nigerian Family Faces Deportation from Canada Over Fake Admission Documents Used to Obtain Study Visa,Work Permit

By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde 

In a move to enforce immigration rules, a Nigerian student, Lola Akinlade, is facing deportation from Canada after being found to have used a fake acceptance letter to obtain a study visa and work permit, violating the country's immigration regulations

Akinlade, who earned a diploma in Social Services from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019, recounted her troubling experience to CBC News on Thursday. 

She revealed that she was unaware the acceptance letter provided by an agent for the University of Regina in 2016 was fake until she was contacted by the IRCC a few weeks before graduating from her new institution. 

Her husband, Samson Akinlade, and their eight-year-old son, David, who were born in Nigeria, joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018 but have since lost their temporary resident status. 

Their younger son, born in Canada in 2021, has Canadian citizenship but does not have medical coverage due to his parents' status. 

The mother of two described feelings as a mix of joy and anxiety upon receiving her diploma, realizing she had unknowingly relied on a fraudulent document to obtain her study permit. 

"I was devastated. That was the beginning of my trauma," she said.

In her interview with the Canadian news outlet, Akinlade explained, "When the IRCC contacted me, I requested them to re-examine my case, arguing that I was a victim of a 'rogue agent' who supplied me with a fake acceptance letter to the Canadian school. 'Please review my file. I just want this to be resolved.'"

Akinlade recounted that her journey to study in Canada began in 2015 while she was employed as a medical sales representative at a pharmaceutical company in Lagos, holding a business administration degree from a Nigerian University. 

She met a man at her office who claimed to be an immigration consultant and offered to help her become an international student by applying for a master's degree in business administration. 

Akinlade noted that she did not specify a particular University to the agent, only expressing her desire to study at a reputable Canadian institution.

She recounted providing the agent with necessary documents such as her passport and University transcripts, along with a payment. 

Months later, he returned with a Canadian study permit, plane tickets, and an acceptance letter from the University of Regina. 

"I flew to Canada in late December 2016, anticipating the start of classes in January 2017. However, during a stop in Winnipeg en route to Regina, the agent called me to inform me that the University had no available spaces and that I would need to be placed on a waitlist," she lamented. 

Upon arriving in Canada, she began independently searching for a new school and program while staying with relatives in Winnipeg. 

Eventually, she was accepted into the Social Services program at Nova Scotia Community College, starting in September 2017. She chose social services because it aligned well with her previous experience in the medical field.

Akinlade did not contact the University of Regina directly until two years later, after receiving a letter from the IRCC indicating the acceptance letter was fraudulent. 

"When I got the IRCC letter, I was initially skeptical, thinking it might be a mistake, So, I reached out to the University of Regina immediately. That was when I discovered the truth," she said. 

When CBC contacted the agent, Babatunde Isiaq Adegoke, he admitted to providing Akinlade with the acceptance letter but claimed it came from a company in Ejigbo, Lagos State, called Success Academy Education (CBC) Consult, which he had hired.

CBC exchanged text messages with Adegoke, who claimed he assisted Akinlade with her application process for entering Canada. However, he denied ever telling her that she would need to go on a waitlist at the University of Regina. 

In March 2023, an IRCC officer informed Akinlade that the department believed she was aware the document was fake "on the balance of probabilities." 

"We've been surviving on our savings, and I don't know how long we can keep this up," she said. "It's really, really hard," she added.

Akinlade who rrveaked she is devasted has  lost her study permit in Canada due to the fake letter and was denied both a postgraduate work permit and a temporary resident permit.