Lola Akinlade’s dreams of studying and living in Canada were shattered when a fake acceptance letter led to immigration issues and heartbreak.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has instructed Nigerian student Lola Akinlade to leave Canada due to a fake acceptance letter.
She used this document to obtain a study visa and work permit.
Akinlade graduated with a diploma in Social Services from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019.
Fraudulent Canada Visa From Agent
She shared her experience with CBC News on Thursday.
She was unaware the acceptance letter from the University of Regina in 2016 was fake until IRCC contacted her before graduation.
Upon receiving her diploma, Akinlade felt both happiness and anxiety, realizing she had used a fraudulent document to secure her study permit.
She said: “I was devastated. That was the beginning of my trauma.”
In her interview with CBC News, Akinlade asked IRCC to re-examine her case, claiming she was a victim of a rogue agent who provided the fake letter.
She said: “Please review my file. I just want this to be resolved.”
The process to study in Canada began for Akinlade in 2015, while working as a medical sales representative in Lagos, with a business degree from a Nigerian university.
She met a man at her office who posed as an immigration consultant and offered to guide her through the process of applying for a master’s degree in business administration in Canada.
Akinlade didn’t specify a university, only requesting to study at a reputable Canadian institution.
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She gave the agent documents, payment, and later received a study permit, plane tickets, and an acceptance letter from the University of Regina.
Unaware Of The Visa Scam
She flew to Canada in December 2016, expecting to start classes in January 2017.
However, she was stopped in Winnipeg and told by the agent there were no spaces at the university, placing her on a waitlist.
After arriving in Canada, Akinlade searched independently for a new school and program.
She stayed with relatives in Winnipeg and enrolled at Nova Scotia Community College in September 2017.
She chose social services because it aligned with her medical background.
Akinlade did not contact the University of Regina until two years later, when she learned from IRCC that the acceptance letter was fake.
Akinade Lost Their Permit In Canada
Meanwhile, when CBC contacted the agent, Babatunde Isiaq Adegoke, he confirmed providing Akinlade with the acceptance letter.
But he said it was supplied by a company located in Ejigbo, Lagos State, called Success Academy Education Consult, which he had hired.
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CBC exchanged text messages with Adegoke, who stated that he guided Akinlade through the process of applying to enter Canada.
However, he denied telling Akinlade that she would have to go on a waitlist at the University of Regina.
Akinlade lost her study permit in Canada due to a fake letter and was denied when she attempted to apply for a postgraduate work permit and a temporary resident permit.
In March 2023, an IRCC officer wrote to Akinlade, stating that the department believed she knew the document was fake “on the balance of probabilities.”
Her husband, Samson Akinlade, and their eight-year-old Nigerian-born son, David, joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018.
But they have now lost their temporary resident status.
Their younger son, born in Canada in 2021, has Canadian citizenship but lacks medical coverage due to his parents’ status.
