By Samuel Ogunsona
August 3, 2024
Canadian immigration authority has asked Nigerian student, Lola Akinlade, to leave the country over a forged admission letter for her visa application.
Akinlade unwittingly obtained a forged document through a visa agent in Nigeria, which led to her securing a study visa and work permit under false pretenses.
Lola Akinlade shared her bitter experience with CBC News
According to her, she graduated with a diploma in Social Services from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019, she then proceeded to further her studies at the University of Regina.
Akinlade said she was unaware that the acceptance letter provided by an agent for the University of Regina was fake until she was contacted by the IRCC a few weeks before her graduation from her new institution.
“I was devastated. That was the beginning of my trauma.” She said.
In an interview with the Canadian news platform, she said, “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’s journey to study in Canada began in 2015, while she was working in Lagos as a medical sales representative. She holds a business administration degree from a Nigerian university.
At her office, she met a self-proclaimed immigration consultant who offered to assist her in becoming an international student. Akinlade shared her desire to attend a reputable Canadian university, without specifying a particular institution. She provided the agent with necessary documents, including her passport and transcripts, and made a payment.
Months later, the agent delivered a study permit, plane tickets, and an acceptance letter from the University of Regina.
“I flew to Canada in late December 2016, expecting to start classes in January 2017. However, I was stopped in Winnipeg en route to Regina when I received a call from the agent, who told me there were no spaces available at the university and that I would have to go on a waitlist.
After arriving in Canada, she explained that she took initiative to explore new educational opportunities and temporarily stayed with relatives in Winnipeg.
She eventually gained acceptance into Nova Scotia Community College’s social services program, starting in September 2017.
Akinlade mentioned that the field aligned with her prior experience in the medical sector. Notably, she didn’t contact the University of Regina until two years later, when she received a letter from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revealing that her initial acceptance letter was fraudulent.
“I was sceptical after receiving the IRCC letter, thinking it might be a misunderstanding or something,” she said. “So, I immediately contacted the University of Regina.
“And that was when I learned the truth,” she added.
However, CBC contacted Akinlade’s visa application agent, Babatunde Isiaq Adegoke, who confirmed providing her with the acceptance letter, but claimed it was obtained from an Educational consult, Success Academy Education Consult, in Lagos, a company he had hired.
In text messages with CBC, Adegoke admitted guiding Akinlade through the Canadian application process but denied telling her she would be waitlisted at the University of Regina.
Akinlade’s study permit was revoked due to the fake letter, and she was denied subsequent applications for a postgraduate work permit and temporary resident permit.
In March 2023, an IRCC officer alleged that Akinlade likely knew the document was fake. As a result, her husband, Samson, and their eight-year-old son, David, who joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018, have lost their temporary resident status.
Their younger son, born in Canada in 2021, holds Canadian citizenship but lacks medical coverage due to his parents’ situation.
