Canada granted asylum to 3,463 Nigerians in 2025, but 21,573 applications were still pending at year-end, new data from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada shows.
Nigerians filed 6,765 asylum claims in 2025. Of 5,039 cases concluded, 3,463 were approved, 1,377 rejected, 46 abandoned, and 153 withdrawn or closed on other grounds.
That puts the approval rate for Nigerian applicants at about 68%, a sharp rise from previous years.
The 21,573 unresolved Nigerian cases form part of a wider backlog. Canada received 107,802 asylum claims from all nationalities in 2025. Only 50,067 were decided — 14,619 approved, 7,944 rejected.
Nigeria now ranks among Canada’s top source countries for asylum seekers, alongside India, Haiti, Iran and Mexico.
Under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, Canada’s Refugee Protection Division grants asylum to people with a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or social group, or risk of torture if returned home.
Claims can be filed at airports, land borders, or from inside Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or the Canada Border Services Agency screens for eligibility before the board reviews evidence. Successful claimants get protected status and may apply for permanent residency; failed claimants face deportation.
The board linked the surge to global instability and displacement but noted new claims fell 64% in early 2026 compared to early 2024.
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