Canada: S. Sudanese student faces deportation for ‘lying’

April 23, 2016 (JUBA) – A South Sudanese student is being held in Canada and could face deportation after he was discovered to be 10 years older than his classmates.

Jonathan Nicola, 29, the Mirror reported, lied about his age when he arrived on a student visa from South Sudan before enrolling in a school in Windsor, Ontario.

“He claimed to be 16 and starred for the school basketball team but has now been exposed and is facing deportation,” the newspaper reported in its Sunday edition.

Nicola was reportedly caught out by his own fingerprint after he attempted to apply for another visa.

“Border agency officials were alerted to his deception after his thumb print linked back to another application made in 1986, and strangely enough the dates just didn’t add up,” it adds.

The court in Canada, on hearing Nicola’s case, reportedly ruled that he posed a flight risk and remains behind bars.

Canada’s border agency said Nicola, who plays basketball, could be deported as he misrepresented himself when he applied for his student visa. He is currently in custody in Windsor and faces a date with an immigration review board on Tuesday.

(ST)