Beware of fraudsters, Canadian Government does not issue visas through lottery

Claim: A message on WhatsApp is imploring Nigerians to apply for the 2021/2022 Canadian visa lottery online with the claim that it is the quickest way for all foreigners interested in immigrating legally to live, study and work in Canada.

The viral message circulating on WhatsApp  persuading Nigerians to apply for a purported Canadian visa lottery online is fake, as the Canadian government has no association with the website, and it does not issue visas through a lottery.

Full Text

A WhatsApp message is currently urging Nigerians to apply for the 2021/2022 Canadian Visa Lottery online with the claim that it is the quickest and most convenient way for all foreigners interested in immigrating legally to live, study and work in Canada.

The text reads: CANADA Visa Lottery Application Form 2021/2022 Is Out 

The CANADIAN Visa Lottery online Application Form 2021/2022 registration exercise which is the quickest way for all Foreigners interested in immigrating legally to live, Study and work in CANADA.

The Resident Card Lottery Program also known as Visa Lottery program is a chance for 45,000 people from all over the world to become permanent and legal residents of the CANADA, meaning that they can live. work and study in CANADA.

Interested Applicants are to visit Online Registration Portal

The Winners Will Be Drawn From Random Selection And There Is No Cost To Register.

Check Eligibility and Apply here: 

https://tinyurl.com/CANADA-immigration2022”

Verification

Keyword search revealed that the massage has been in circulation since 2018; as such, the High Commission of Canada to Nigeria published a disclaimer on its Facebook page warning Nigerians to disregard any fraudulent message because of one impersonator who listed an incorrect phone number online that may appear when one searches for the Commission on Google.

Further search showed that the online portal as claimed by the message is completely different from the official portal of the commission.

A check on the Canada visa website specified that Canada does not have a Canadian Visa Lottery. It appealed to immigrants to stop paying attention to fraudulent messages because the Government of Canada does not issue visas through a lottery, noting that the promised application form does not exist.

“Please note that Canadavisa.com is in no way associated with those websites, which are misleading because the Government of Canada does not issue visas through a lottery, and the promised application form does not exist,” it explained.

Conclusion 

The viral message circulating on WhatsApp  persuading Nigerians to apply for a purported Canadian visa lottery online is fake, as the Canadian government has no association with the website, and it does not issue visas through a lottery.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the 2021 Kwame Karikari Fact-checking Fellowship partnership with JAY 101.9 FM Jos to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.