A Nigerian lady identified as Dominique Anekwe, has become a Canadian citizen after living in the North American nation for seven years.
She celebrated her citizenship status in a post on LinkedIn while narrating how she found herself in Canada.
Anekwe said she left Nigeria in 2015 on a student visa and initially planned to return to her home country.
But a cousin advised her stay in Canada because there are endless opportunities over there. Anekwe took his advise and applied for work permit which was granted.
Her words; ”I came into Canada young and alone in 2015 on a student visa, uncertain of what the future held for me but hopeful. I never really paid much attention to the immigration opportunities my Canadian education would afford me. Towards the end of my master’s degree, I was going to go back home to Nigeria but my cousin talked me out of what would have been a poor decision on my part.
He sat me down and gave me a serious pep talk which opened my eyes to the endless possibilities that Canada offers and eventually made me discard the plan to move back to Nigeria after my degree.
I got my work permit in 2017, then went on to become a permanent resident in 2018. Getting that PR was the golden key I needed to change my career and start from the scratch. This has been one of the best decisions I have made till date.
I applied to become a Canadian citizen having met and satisfied all the necessary requirements in January, 2021. I wrote and passed the citizenship test in January, 2022. Then came the long wait to take the oath of Canadian citizenship.
Finally in June 2022, seven years after I first got into Canada as an international student, I was approved by the IRCC and officially sworn in as a Canadian Citizen! That day was the happiest day of my life in the last 7 years!! The best part about being a citizen is that I can finally vote for the first time ever since I was born. Also, I can now travel to 185 countries visa-free. Travelling the world is a hobby I have always dreamed of and now I can finally do that with ease.
