A Ghanaian Lady travelling to Canada over the weekend could not board her scheduled flight as her identity “changed” during routine immigration checks at the Kotoka International Airport, MyNewsGh.com has filed.
The traveller whose first name on Passport was given as Abigail showed up at the Kotoka International Airport Terminal Three travelling to Canada.
MyNewsGh.com has redacted details of the surnames to allow for ongoing investigations.
When asked by officials what her name was, the suspect traveller said she was “Ayishetu…” which is not the name on her passport, as her passport said she was called Abigail.
Upon checks of her documents by Immigration and National Security officials at the Airport, it was discovered the Canadia visa appeared to have been tempered with.
Sources told MyNewsGh.com the lady traveller forgot her new identity of Abigail but rather said she was Ayishetu before realizing she made a mistake.
She later reportedly explain to officials she had legally changed her from Ayishetu to Abigail before embarking on the trip hence her forgetfulness.
Checks from the Embassy of Canada in Ghana showed the visa was issued originally to the said Abigail with the corresponding passport Number all genuine.
However, the image of Abigail on the passport was swapped for Ayishetu to enable her travel to Canada.
Ayishetu has been detained and assisting investigations.
Canada has said it is experiencing a surge of asylum claims at domestic airports.
From January through September 2023, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) processed 26,585 asylum claims at airports, representing a 54 per cent increase from 2022’s total of 17,165.
Most of this year’s claims, 17,080 in total, were made at airports in Quebec. Another 8,735 were made in Ontario, 430 in British Columbia, 320 in Alberta and 15 in Nova Scotia.
In contrast with this trend, CBSA agents as of the end of September had processed just over half the number of applications, 24,570, at land ports compared to 2022’s total of 46,065. The number of asylum seekers intercepted by the RCMP between ports of entry has dropped in 2023 as well, totalling 14,140 as of September compared to 39,540 as of the end of December 2022.
Mynewsgh.com
