Japa: Canada rejects 1596 Nigerian asylum applications

Japa people

Canada has denied 1,596 asylum claims filed by Nigerians so far in 2025, fresh data from the Immigration and Refugee Board show.

Sunday PUNCH reports that the figures, updated to August 21, indicate that Nigerian nationals filed 3,548 claims so far this year, of which 2,292 were accepted.

This puts the acceptance rate at about 65 per cent, higher than in previous years when rejections cumulatively amounted to over 13,000.

An analysis by Maple Crest Law, a Canadian immigration practice, earlier estimated 3,455 Nigerian claims in early 2025, placing the country among the top sources of asylum seekers alongside Mexico, India, Haiti and Colombia.

Violence from Boko Haram, combined with economic instability, fuelled the departures, the report says.

Ontario and Alberta currently host the largest numbers of asylum seekers.

The IMRB grants refugee protection in Canada if the RPD satisfactorily confirms that an applicant or claimant meets the United Nations definition of a convention refugee, “which has been incorporated into Canadian law, or that the applicant is a person in need of protection.” Punch