Ottawa – Canada rejected 13,171 Nigerian refugee applications from January 2013 to December 2024, according to official data. In 2024, Canada denied 811 Nigerians refugee protection.
Rejection Rates
Nigeria ranks fifth among countries with the most rejected refugee claims by the Refugee Protection Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). Mexico (2,954), India (1,688), Haiti (982), and Colombia (723) also had high rejection numbers.
The IRB grants refugee protection if an applicant meets the United Nations definition of a Convention refugee or is a person needing protection. An officer checks if the claim can go to the IRB. If eligible, the RPD starts the protection process.
From 2013 to 2015, Canada denied protection to 127, 241, and 248 Nigerians, respectively. In 2016, 2017, and 2018, rejections numbered 476, 917, and 1,777, respectively. The year 2019 saw the most rejections, with 3,951 Nigerian applicants denied. From 2020 to 2024, Canada denied protection to 1,770, 1,686, 728, 439, and 811 people, respectively.
Refugee Approvals
Canada granted 10,580 Nigerians refugee status during the same period. At least 2,230 received approval from January to December 2024.
Imaobong Ladipo-Sanusi, executive director of the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation, said economic hardship motivates irregular migration. This, is the number one cause for the rejections. He also stated that many Nigerians do not know the laws, in other countries, for refugee status.
