In Senegal, a persistent rumor suggests that it is easier to obtain a visa for Canada by applying for asylum once there. When questioned about this, Emmanuel Lussier, Assistant Program Manager for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), denied the allegation.

"No, the answer is no," he replied immediately, this Wednesday, April 8, in the Assiétou Guèye room of the chancery of the Canadian embassy in Dakar, during an information session for media professionals on immigration and the fight against fraud.

According to him, anyone wishing to claim asylum in Canada must present a strong case and defend their claim. Canadian authorities investigate the conditions in the applicant's country of origin, in this case Senegal, and conduct thorough interviews. If the applicant is deemed not credible, they may be removed from Canada.

Appeal mechanisms exist, but in the best-case scenario, the applicant lives in legal uncertainty for years, awaiting a decision and may eventually face deportation.

"It's a perilous, extremely risky process that doesn't always pay off," the source stressed, adding that rejection rates for applications are "quite high."

"So it's not easy at all and not advisable at all," Mr. Lussier concluded on this point.

Regarding the possibility of the embassy conducting an investigation to determine whether a person deserves to be granted a visa in this context, the answer was clear: "No, absolutely not."

It was clarified that it is not the embassy's role to investigate potential asylum claims, as this falls under the jurisdiction of other services once the person is in Canada.

The Canadian embassy in Dakar is concerned with visas that allow entry into Canada: tourist visas, work permits, study permits, and immigration visas. A refugee resettlement program does exist for refugees in Senegal. But generally speaking, "once a person is on Canadian soil, the embassy's mandate is largely over," he noted.