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A Nigerian family faces deportation from Canada after it was discovered that Lola Akinlade used a fake university acceptance letter to secure a study and work permit. The family, currently without immigration status, is appealing to Canadian authorities to reconsider their case, citing victimization by a rogue agent.

Lola Akinlade, a Nigerian woman, and her family face deportation from Canada after it was discovered she used a fake university acceptance letter to obtain a study and work permit. Lola, who graduated from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019, claims she was unaware that the letter provided by an agent in Lagos for the University of Regina in 2016 was fraudulent.

A few weeks before graduation, Lola received a letter from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stating that one of the documents used to enter Canada in 2016 was fake. This revelation has left the Akinlade family with no immigration status, making their return to Nigeria uncertain.

Lola expressed her devastation upon learning that she had relied on a fraudulent document. Her case is not unique; since December 2023, IRCC has identified over 9,000 fake acceptance letters through a new screening process for international students.

Lola has urged IRCC to reconsider her case, asserting that she was a victim of a "rogue agent." The agent, Babatunde Isiaq Adegoke, claims he obtained the letter from a company called Success Academy Education Consult, but no such business could be located.

Since losing her study permit, Lola has been denied applications for a post-graduate work permit and a temporary resident permit. Her husband and their son, who joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018, have also lost their temporary resident status. The family is now struggling to survive on their savings.