Lola Akinlade, a Nigerian migrant, and her family are facing deportation from Canada after authorities discovered that her college admission letter, used to enter the country, was fake. The issue came to light just weeks before Akinlade was set to graduate from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019.
The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confronted Akinlade in 2019, questioning the authenticity of the admission letter she used to enter Canada in 2016. The IRCC determined that the document was fake and demanded an explanation from Akinlade.
Akinlade’s husband, Samson, and their eight-year-old son, David, joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018. Due to the revelation, the family has lost their temporary resident status. Their younger son, born in Canada in 2021, does not have medical coverage because of his parents’ uncertain status. The three oldest members of the family have been asked to leave Canada voluntarily and are currently unable to work or attend school.
The family had sold their home in Nigeria to cover the substantial costs of Lola’s education in Canada. Reflecting on the situation, Akinlade expressed her devastation upon realizing she had relied on a fake document for her study permit.
In March 2023, an IRCC officer informed her that the department believed she knew the document was fake “as per balance of probabilities.”
Consequently, she lost her study permit and was denied both a postgraduate work permit and a temporary resident permit.
Akinlade recounted how she fell victim to a scam by a man in Lagos who posed as an immigration consultant. He promised to help her become an international student in Canada by applying for a master’s degree in business administration. Trusting the agent, she handed over her international passport, university transcripts, and a payment.
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After several months, the agent provided her with a study permit, plane tickets, and an acceptance letter to the University of Regina. Akinlade arrived in Canada in late December 2016, intending to start classes in January 2017.
However, en route to the university, the agent informed her that there were no available spaces and she would have to be waitlisted. Consequently, she never contacted the university and began searching for a new school and program.
Two years later, Akinlade received a notice from the IRCC stating that her acceptance letter from the University of Regina was a fake.
“Please look into my file. I just want this to be sorted out,” she pleaded with Canadian authorities
Amanat Sandhu, Akinlade’s lawyer, is filing a humanitarian application to allow the family to stay in Canada. Sandhu noted that her Toronto firm frequently encounters cases involving “rogue agents” who provide false information to immigrants.
“Overall, there’s a lot of people that get into this sticky situation where they trust an agent and then the agent doesn’t perform the way that they’re supposed to,” she said.
Sean Fraser, IRCC Minister, acknowledged the increasing reports of international students and graduates facing deportation due to fraudulent acceptance letters. Fraser assured that international students found to be innocent victims of fraud would not face deportation.