Image copyright Western Canada Lottery Corporation Image caption Melhig Melhig, 28, won the lottery twice in five months

An immigrant to Canada is now a multi-millionaire after winning the lottery twice in the span of just five months.

Melhig Melhig, 28, won a total of C$3.5m ($2.7m; £2.1m) in two separate lottery-ticket purchases.

Originally from Africa, he now lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba and says he wants to use the money to go back to school.

"I'm young," he told the Western Canada Lottery Corporation, according to a press release. "You always need to think about how to grow."

He won the lottery the first time in April, taking home C$1.5m. With that money he moved his young family from a flat to a house.

"Everything is new. We have a nice yard, good schools." he said. "We love it."

But lightning struck twice this August, when Mr Melhig won the C$2m jackpot on a C$20 Scratch-n-Win ticket.

He says he wants to put these winnings towards opening his own business, possibly a petrol station or car wash. Then he wants to go to school.

"My main goal is to go to school," he said. "I want to improve my English and communication. And I want to learn something useful, like carpentry."

The lottery did not specify where in Africa Mr Melhig comes from.