By Ghazali Ibrahim
Canada granted refugee protection to 7,643 Nigerians between January 2024 and June 2026, while rejecting 3,080 applications during the same period, according to data from the country’s Immigration and Refugee Board.
The figures, published on Immigration and Refugee Board’s Refugee Protection Division, obtained on Saturday, October 24, showed that Nigeria recorded the highest number of successful asylum claims among African countries over the 30-month period.
The data showed that 2,230 Nigerians received refugee protection in 2024, while the number rose by 55 per cent to 3,463 in 2025.
Another 1,950 Nigerians were granted protection in the first six months of 2026.
Despite the increase in successful applications, Canadian authorities rejected 3,080 Nigerian claims during the period. A further 1,530 cases were either withdrawn or abandoned, bringing the total number of concluded Nigerian cases to 12,253.
Nigeria also led other African countries in successful asylum applications in 2025, ahead of Uganda, which recorded 2,089 approvals, and Kenya, with 1,532.
Ethiopia recorded 1,522 successful applications, while Ghana had 1,084.
The trend continued in the first half of 2026, when Nigeria’s 1,950 approvals exceeded the figures recorded by other leading African countries.
The report also highlighted a backlog of Nigerian asylum applications in Canada. As of December 31, 2024, 19,889 Nigerian cases were awaiting decisions.
In 2025, Canada concluded 5,039 Nigerian cases, approving 3,463 and rejecting 1,377, while the remaining cases were withdrawn or abandoned.
Globally, Canada concluded 202,878 refugee claims between January 2024 and June 2026, granting protection in 118,656 cases and rejecting 34,546.
Nigeria’s 7,643 approvals accounted for approximately 6.4 per cent of all refugee protection grants recorded worldwide during the period.
Canada’s asylum system assesses whether applicants qualify for refugee protection because of a well-founded fear of persecution or face risks such as torture, threats to life or cruel and unusual treatment if returned to their countries.
Applications are assessed individually by the Immigration and Refugee Board’s Refugee Protection Division.
