A Twitter user shared the story of how a Nigerian has been deported back to Nigeria from Canada because of the discrepancies found in his visa application. A lot of stories make the rounds on social media of people using unaccredited agents for their visa application process and getting burned. They get could get duped, scammed and lose all their money, they get deported, and some get banned for a couple of years or for life from the countries they applied it. You need to ensure you do your due diligence in your application process journey.
Real life story!
Canada is not even smiling. This happened just this weekend. Dammy came into Canada 2 nights ago from Nigeria but was returned back to Nigeria that same night. Here is the full gist…..
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Dammy used an agent in Nigeria to apply for his admission and visa processing. Everything went well & his visa was approved. His agent told him he could go ahead to book his flight and travel to Canada. He went ahead and booked his flight to Canada, which cost him over ₦1.5m
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
On arriving in Montreal, Canada, Dammy had taken photos and shared with his family & friends to update them that he had landed in Canada. Dammy’s problem started when he got to the immigration officer at the airport, where he was supposed to be issued his study permit.
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
The officer noticed Dammy’s school is in Ontario, but Dammy landed in Montreal. The officer asked Dammy why he landed in Montreal, which isn’t anything strange. New students can land in any province they choose to, for whatever reason, best know to them.
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Maybe the response Dammy gave triggered the officer’s suspicion about Dammy. The officer went ahead to ask Dammy if he was already registered for the winter (January) semester. Unfortunately, Dammy wasn’t registered. The registration deadline for Dammy’s program passed before
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Dammy’s visa got approved, so he didn’t make it in time to enroll. Dammy was supposed to defer his program, which his agent had initiated but did not finalize before asking Dammy to book his fight & enter Canada. Dammy was confused at this point as he was not involved in
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Dammy’s visa got approved, so he didn’t make it in time to enroll. Dammy was supposed to defer his program, which his agent had initiated but did not finalize before asking Dammy to book his fight & enter Canada. Dammy was confused at this point as he was not involved in
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
the process of his admission & visa application process from the onset, so he wasn’t exactly sure of what his agent did or did not do. Now the immigration officer was already suspicious of Dammy, so he pulled Dammy’s visa application on his computer & started to question Dammy.
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
The immigration officer asked Dammy about his employment history. The answer Dammy provided was clearly different from what was on his application. This triggered a big red flag, so Dammy’s case was escalated. Dammy was moved to a waiting room & more officers were involved.
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Dammy made efforts to reach his agent in Nigeria, but it was midnight in Nigeria & his agent was unreachable. He made efforts to reach his school in Ontario, but the school said they can’t help him as he is currently not a registered student in his school.
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
The officers finally made a decision to send Dammy back to Nigeria. He was kept in the waiting room for about 2 hours for the next available return flight to Nigeria. By the time Dammy’s agent wakes up to see Dammy’s missed calls, Dammy would be chilling next to him in Naija😔
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Hopefully, Dammy doesn’t receive a procedural fairness letter to explain why he was unable to defend his employment history at the point of entry. This can be seen as misrepresentation, which can earn Dammy a 5 years ban or affect Dammy’s chances to enter Canada in the future.
— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
Moral lesson:
•Don’t lie in your application so you can defend it anywhere & anytime in case your agent sleeps off like Dammy’s agent
•If you need professional assistance with your Canadian application, use a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCIC) & not an agent.— Mrs O (@JoyChuksO) January 31, 2023
• Be involved in the process whether or not you are using the services of a professional. Remember, this is your application and not theirs.
How Not To Prevent Mistakes During Your Visa Application Process
- Research and do your due diligence during the application. If you are using an agent for your visa application and the entire japa journey process, you need to do your research. Ensure that you are using an accredited agent. Research the university, the country you plan to japa to, and all that is required of you from both the school and the country. All of these include your required documents, your eligibility criteria, necessary date application deadlines and so on.
- Work with an accredited agent. You have to ensure that you are working with an accredited agent for the entire process. You need to vet your agent to be sure they are genuine, not one that will botch up your chances at a better life.
- Ask questions. If anything is even a bit confusing to you, put your shyness and shame to the side and ask questions. Your agent should be able to answer any questions that you might have. If they are reticent about answering your questions or make you feel as though you are doing too much, then it might be time for you to reconsider the relationship and move on to someone more trustworthy.
- Check the agency’s review. As with all goods and services, reviews will go a long way in allaying your fears. Talk to people the agency claims they have worked with, and check reviews about them on social media.