In November 2023, Ifeoluwa Ojedokun paid Into Migration, a travel agency, the sum of £5,000 to process a certificate of sponsorship (CoS), which would enable him to secure a job in the United Kingdom, but the company has yet to produce the document or provide Ojedokun with a refund.

He told FIJ that he first contacted Into Migration on Instagram in 2023 to inquire how much the company charged for processing a CoS for dependents and main applicants.

“They told me I would pay £6,500 if I wanted to be the dependent but it would cost me £7,000 if I applied as the main applicant. I went to their office in Victoria Island, and one of their staff members confirmed it. I told her I wanted to apply as a dependent and requested a pounds account I could pay into,” said Ojedokun.

On November 2, Ojedokun’s brother made deposits of £2,500 twice into the pound account provided by Into Migration, totaling £5,000.

These transactions were confirmed by the company, and he was assigned a staff member to help him stay abreast of developments.

He asked the staff how long the process would take and was told four to six weeks. The staff also told him he had a main applicant that Ojedokun could pair with as a dependent.

Ojedokun’s mind was at ease until he saw a memo posted on Into Migration’s social media page in January 2024.

“The memo stated that due to the new UK immigration policy, if they could not process the CoS before March, we [the applicants] would have to choose one of three options. One was to switch to another CoS package, another was to switch to the company’s Canada package, and the last option was to request a refund,” he said.

“I contacted the staff to inquire if switching to another package would incur extra funds, and he said it wouldn’t. I reached out again on March 11 to ask if I could still get the CoS, and that was when he told me I would have to pay for IHS.”

Ojedokun did the calculations and discovered he would have to spend an extra £3,000. He told FIJ he was unwilling to spend more than he had already done and asked the company for a refund.

Into Migration promised him he would get a refund within seven to 21 days, but this period elapsed and he got nothing. He reached out to them, and they asked for more time. This time, they promised it would take six to eight weeks, but Ojedokun still has not received his refund.

“The company’s chairman contacted me and said they were waiting for their accountant to disburse the funds. Later, he asked me if I could receive the money in naira, and I accepted his offer, but with a condition. I told them to pay me using the current exchange rates, but I still haven’t received my refund,” he told FIJ.

The delay in getting a refund is costing Ojedokun his dream. He told FIJ he was anticipating the refund to apply for a master’s degree.

FIJ sent Joel Ibilade Adesokan, the chairman of Into Migration, a text message on Friday, but he has yet to respond. This reporter also called Adesokan on Monday, but he did not respond.