A Canadian judge has ordered the deportation of a 29-year-old Nigerian man who married a 79-year-old Canadian woman, Doreen Johnson, to gain permanent residency in Canada.
The couple married in January 2020, and the man arrived in Canada three years later, in February 2023. Shortly after, Ms. Johnson applied to sponsor him for permanent residency as her spouse. However, Canadian immigration authorities began to suspect the marriage was not genuine.
In a decision made on March 4, 2024, and later amended on March 28, the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) rejected the sponsorship application. The panel found that the marriage was done mainly to gain immigration benefits.
During an interview with the Nigerian man in 2023, a visa officer noticed several red flags. He could not answer basic questions about his wife, such as details about her medical history, or the number of children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren she had — despite being married for over three years.
Officials described the marriage as a “poverty alleviation scheme,” suggesting the man used the relationship as a way to escape hardship in Nigeria.
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Ms. Johnson challenged the IAD’s decision in the Federal Court in Ottawa. But on April 14, 2025, Justice Mandy Aylen dismissed her request for a judicial review.
Justice Aylen wrote, “I am not satisfied that the applicant has established any basis for the court’s intervention. Accordingly, the application for judicial review shall be dismissed.”
The judge also stressed that even if a marriage becomes real over time, it is still considered invalid for immigration if it started just to gain legal status in Canada.
“Importantly, a marriage entered into for the purpose of acquiring a status or privilege will be flawed even if it subsequently becomes genuine,” Justice Aylen said.
She added that the more evidence showing a couple is seeking immigration status, the less likely the marriage is genuine.
With the court’s final decision, the Nigerian man will now be deported back to his home country.