Canada Removes 366 Nigerians as Nearly 1000 Face Imminent Deportation

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Canadian immigration authorities deported 366 Nigerian nationals between January and October 2025, marking a sharp escalation in enforcement activity and the country’s most aggressive removal drive in over ten years.

Records from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) also show that an additional 974 Nigerians are currently classified as “removal in progress,” meaning they are awaiting deportation from the country.

The figures, updated as of November 25, 2025, placed Nigeria ninth among the top 10 countries whose citizens were deported from Canada during the period. Nigeria also ranked fifth on the list of countries with the highest number of pending removals.

Historical data indicate that deportations of Nigerians from Canada have varied significantly over time. In 2019, 339 Nigerians were removed, before the figure declined to 302 in 2020, 242 in 2021, and 199 in 2022. Nigeria did not appear among the top 10 deported nationalities in 2023 and 2024.

However, 2025 marked a resurgence, with 366 Nigerians deported within just 10 months—representing an eight per cent increase compared to the 2019 total.

This development aligns with Canada’s intensified immigration enforcement, as the CBSA now deports close to 400 foreign nationals every week, the highest removal rate recorded in more than a decade.

During the 2024–2025 fiscal year alone, Canadian authorities deported 18,048 individuals at an estimated cost of $78 million.

Under Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the CBSA is required to remove foreign nationals who are subject to enforceable removal orders. Reasons for deportation include security threats, criminal offences, organised crime involvement, health-related grounds, financial inadmissibility, misrepresentation, and violations of immigration regulations.

CBSA data further reveal that approximately 83 per cent of those deported are failed refugee claimants whose asylum applications were denied, while cases involving criminal activity account for about four per cent of removals.

Canadian immigration law recognises three categories of removal orders: departure orders, which mandate exit within 30 days; exclusion orders, which prevent re-entry for one to five years; and deportation orders, which impose a permanent ban unless special permission is granted.

An analysis of the 2025 data shows that Nigeria is the only African country among the top 10 nationalities deported from Canada this year. Other African nations were grouped under “remaining nationals,” collectively accounting for 6,233 removals.

The countries with the highest deportation numbers in 2025 were Mexico (3,972), India (2,831), Haiti (2,012), Colombia (737), Romania (672), the United States (656), Venezuela (562), China (385), Nigeria (366), and Pakistan (359).

Nigeria also stood out in the removal-in-progress category, again emerging as the only African country in the top 10, with 974 individuals awaiting deportation.

Earlier, President of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, Aisling Bondy, cautioned that deportation figures could rise further if proposed border legislation becomes law.

“One provision in that bill would permanently bar many people from ever filing a refugee claim in Canada,” she warned.

Despite the surge in deportations, Canada continues to attract Nigerians seeking education, employment, and improved living conditions. The 2021 Canadian census showed that more than 40,000 Nigerians migrated to Canada between 2016 and 2021, making them the largest African immigrant group and the fifth-largest recent immigrant population overall.

Figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also reveal that 6,600 Nigerians secured permanent residency in the first four months of 2024 alone, ranking fourth behind India, the Philippines, and China.

Between 2005 and 2024, at least 71,459 Nigerians became Canadian citizens, placing Nigeria tenth among the leading countries of origin for new citizens.

Canada’s ageing workforce and persistent labour shortages continue to fuel demand for skilled Nigerian professionals and international students.