A Nigerian student, Lola Akinlade, has been ordered to leave Canada by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) due to a fraudulent acceptance letter used to obtain her study visa and work permit.
Akinlade, who graduated with a diploma in Social Services from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019, revealed her distressing experience to CBC News.
Unaware that the acceptance letter for the University of Regina, provided by an agent in 2016, was fake, Akinlade was shocked when IRCC contacted her just weeks before her graduation. Despite her achievement, she felt a mix of joy and anxiety, realizing she had relied on a fraudulent document for her study permit. “I was devastated. That was the beginning of my trauma,” she said.
Akinlade pleaded with IRCC to re-examine her case, asserting she was a victim of a rogue agent who supplied the fake acceptance letter. “Please review my file. I just want this to be resolved,” she urged.
Her journey began in 2015 when she worked as a medical sales representative in Lagos, holding a business administration degree from a Nigerian university. She met a man claiming to be an immigration consultant who offered to help her apply for a master’s degree in business administration at a reputable Canadian institution. She provided the agent with her documents and payment, only to later discover the deceit.
The incident highlights the risks of relying on unauthorized agents and the devastating consequences of fraudulent immigration documents.
