Canada Deports Nigerian Student Over Fake Admission

Lola Akinlade

Canada Revokes Nigerian Student's Visa Over Admission Scam

Nigerian student caught in admission fraud, forced to leave Canada...

Nigerian student Lola Akinlade faces deportation from Canada after using a fake acceptance letter to secure a study visa and work permit, causing her and her family to lose their immigration status and face uncertainty.

Lola Akinlade, a Nigerian student, has been ordered to leave Canada by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) due to a fake acceptance letter used to secure a study visa and work permit.

Akinlade, who graduated with a diploma in Social Services from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019, shared her bittersweet emotions on July 1. She revealed that she only discovered the University of Regina acceptance letter, provided by an agent in 2016, was fraudulent when IRCC contacted her just weeks before her graduation.

As she received her diploma, Akinlade felt a mix of joy and anxiety, knowing she had used a fake document to obtain her study permit. The mother of two expressed her emotional turmoil, grappling with the consequences of her actions.

Lola Akinlade's pursuit of studying in Canada began in 2015 while working as a medical sales representative in Lagos, where she held a business administration degree from a Nigerian university.

Akinlade met an immigration consultant at her workplace who offered to help her become an international student, applying for a master's degree in business administration. She didn't specify a university, just a desire to attend a reputable Canadian institution.

Akinlade provided the agent with her passport, university transcript, and payment. Months later, the agent delivered a study permit, plane tickets, and an acceptance letter from the University of Regina, seemingly making her dream a reality.

She added, “I was devastated. That was the start of my trauma.”

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” she said.

“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, Akinlade took initiative to explore new educational opportunities, eventually finding a program that suited her interests. She stayed with relatives in Winnipeg until she was accepted into the Social Services program at Nova Scotia Community College, which she started in September 2017.

Akinlade chose Social Services because it built upon her prior experience in the medical field, allowing her to leverage her existing skills. Interestingly, she didn't directly contact the University of Regina until two years later, when she received a letter from IRCC revealing that her acceptance letter was fraudulent.

“I was skeptical after receiving the IRCC letter, thinking it might be a misunderstanding or something,” she said. “So, I immediately contacted the University of Regina, that was when I learned the truth,” she added.

When CBC reached out to the agent, Babatunde Isiaq Adegoke, he acknowledged providing Akinlade with the acceptance letter, but claimed it was obtained from Success Academy Education Consult, a company based in Ejigbo, Lagos State, which he had subcontracted.

Adegoke, in text messages with CBC, admitted to guiding Akinlade through the Canadian immigration process, but shifted responsibility for the fraudulent acceptance letter to the third-party company he had hired.

Adegoke denied informing Akinlade that she would be placed on a waitlist at the University of Regina, further distancing himself from the fraudulent activity.

Akinlade's use of the fake acceptance letter had severe consequences: she lost her study permit, and her subsequent applications for a postgraduate work permit and temporary resident permit were rejected. In March 2023, IRCC stated that they believed Akinlade was aware the document was fake, leading to further complications.

Akinlade's family, including her husband Samson and their eight-year-old son David, who joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018, have also been affected, losing their temporary resident status due to the fallout from the fraudulent document.

The couple's younger son, born in Canada in 2021, holds Canadian citizenship; however, he is currently without medical coverage due to his parents' uncertain immigration status.

“We've been surviving on our savings, and I don't know how long we can continue doing that, It's really hard,” she added.