7,643 Nigerians Win Refugee Protection In Canada As Asylum Backlog Deepens

By ANITA KNIGHT

CANADA granted refugee protection to 7,643 Nigerians between January 2024 and June 2026, placing Nigeria ahead of other African countries in the number of successful asylum claims recorded during the period.

The figures, published by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), show that Nigerian applicants secured about 6.4 per cent of the 118,656 refugee protection grants made worldwide during the 30 months.

Yet the numbers tell a broader story than successful applications alone. Canadian authorities rejected 3,080 Nigerian claims, while another 1,530 were abandoned or withdrawn. In total, the board finalised 12,253 Nigerian cases during the period.

These outcomes highlight both the scale of Nigeria’s presence in Canada’s asylum system and the demanding process applicants must navigate before securing protection.

Successful Claims Jumped in 2025

The number of Nigerians granted asylum rose considerably in 2025.

Canada approved 2,230 Nigerian claims in 2024. The total then climbed to 3,463 in 2025, representing an increase of about 55 per cent in one year.

Furthermore, the board granted protection to 1,950 Nigerians between January and June 2026. That figure brought the total for the 30-month period to 7,643.

Although the figures establish the scale of successful claims, they do not explain the personal circumstances behind each application. Refugee decisions depend on individual evidence and legal criteria, so the totals alone cannot establish why particular Nigerians sought protection or why their claims succeeded.

Nigeria Outpaces Other African Countries

Nigeria’s lead becomes clearer when the figures are compared with those of other African countries.

In 2025, Uganda recorded 2,089 grants, while Kenya received 1,532 and Ethiopia 1,522. Ghana followed with 1,084 successful claims. Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda recorded 742, 732 and 710 grants respectively.

During the first half of 2026, Nigeria again recorded the highest number among the African countries listed, with 1,950 grants. Kenya had 703, Ghana 603 and Uganda 521. Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded 412, Rwanda 389, Ethiopia 378 and Cameroon 300.

Across the full period, Uganda accumulated 3,943 grants, Kenya 3,888 and Ethiopia 2,982. Ghana recorded 2,000, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo had 1,867, Rwanda 1,699 and Cameroon 1,643.

Taken together, the listed African countries illustrate the continent’s substantial presence among successful applicants. Nigeria’s 7,643 grants accounted for roughly one-fifth of the estimated 35,000 grants attributed to African countries in the supplied figures.

Rejections Show That Approval Is Not Guaranteed

While thousands of Nigerians obtained protection, many others did not.

Canadian authorities rejected 811 Nigerian claims in 2024 and 1,377 in 2025. Another 892 were refused during the first six months of 2026, bringing the total to 3,080.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked next among the African countries listed for refusals, with 1,230. Ghana recorded 885, Kenya 639 and Senegal 595. Angola had 442, while Chad and Cameroon each recorded 343.

In addition to rejected applications, 1,530 Nigerian cases were abandoned or withdrawn during the 30-month period. Such cases form part of the overall workload but should not be treated as equivalent to claims that authorities formally rejected.

The distinction matters because the outcome of an asylum application can affect an individual’s future in Canada. A refusal is a formal decision, while an abandoned or withdrawn case follows a different procedural path.

Backlog Remains a Major Challenge

The volume of pending cases adds another dimension to the figures.

At the end of 2024, the IRB had 19,889 Nigerian claims awaiting decisions. The board finalised 3,249 Nigerian cases during that year, including 2,230 grants and 811 refusals.

In 2025, it finalised 5,039 Nigerian cases. Of these, 3,463 resulted in grants and 1,377 in refusals, while the remainder were abandoned, withdrawn or otherwise resolved.

By 31 December 2025, the number of pending Nigerian cases stood at 21,573. Across all nationalities, the board had 299,614 outstanding claims after receiving 107,802 new referrals during 2025.

The backlog therefore extends well beyond Nigerian applicants. It reflects a wider administrative challenge involving large numbers of claims, the evidence required to assess them and the time needed to determine eligibility for protection.

The Legal Test for Refugee Protection

Canada does not grant refugee protection solely because a person wishes to remain in the country. Instead, the IRB’s Refugee Protection Division assesses whether each eligible applicant meets the legal definition of a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection.

A Convention refugee must establish a well-founded fear of persecution connected to grounds such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Alternatively, a person may qualify for protection if returning home would expose them to risks such as torture, a threat to life or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

Applicants must support their claims with relevant evidence. Moreover, the legal process provides certain avenues for challenging a refusal, including an appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division where permitted and an application for judicial review before the Federal Court. A pre-removal risk assessment may also be available in applicable circumstances.

These procedures are designed to assess individual claims rather than apply a blanket decision to all applicants from a particular country.

What the Figures Reveal—& What They Do Not

The 7,643 grants establish that Nigerian nationals secured a significant share of Canada’s refugee protection decisions during the period. They also show that Nigeria led the African countries listed in successful claims.

However, the statistics should not be interpreted as a direct measure of the number of Nigerians who entered Canada, the total number who applied for asylum or the number who received permanent residence through other immigration routes. Refugee claims and immigration pathways are distinct categories.

Similarly, the figures alone do not identify the specific factors driving Nigerian applications. Establishing those causes would require additional evidence on applicants’ circumstances, the grounds cited in their claims and the reasons recorded in individual decisions.

Even so, the numbers provide a clear picture of the scale of Nigerian participation in Canada’s refugee determination system. Thousands obtained protection, thousands of other cases ended without approval, and tens of thousands of Nigerian claims remained unresolved at the end of 2025.

The broader challenge for Canada is to determine each claim fairly while managing a substantial backlog. For Nigerian applicants, meanwhile, the statistics underline a crucial point: refugee protection depends on satisfying the applicable legal requirements, not merely submitting an application.