A South Sudanese high school student faces possible deportation from Canada after lying about his age.

Jonathan Nicola said he was 16 when he came to Canada late last year on a student visa - but the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board says he is, in fact, 29.

Nicola's real age was discovered when he applied for a US visa.

A fingerprint scan found he had given 1986 as his year of birth in a previous application.

He was taken into custody on 15 April after the immigration board deemed him to be a flight risk.

It is not clear if a date has been set for a hearing to decide whether he should be allowed to remain in Canada.

Nicola is a student at Catholic Central High School in Windsor, Ontario, near Detroit.

A spokesman declined to comment but he features on the school's website as a member of the basketball team.

A YouTube video reveals he is 6ft 10ins tall and shows him being coached and practising shooting.

In January, an article in the Windsor Star said Nicola came to Canada to escape the violence in his war-torn country.

A Sudanese basketball player with US ties apparently helped him gain entry.