Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) approved asylum for approximately 1,467 Nigerians who sought refugee protection between January 2023 and March 2024.
This brings the total number of Nigerian asylum seekers accepted by Canada to 11,370 from 2012 to the first quarter of 2024, according to data from the IRB’s Refugee Protection Division.
The Board grants refugee status in Canada if it determines that an applicant meets the United Nations’ definition of a Convention refugee or is deemed a person in need of protection under Canadian law.
The 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees defines a refugee as someone with a credible fear of persecution based on factors such as race, nationality, religion, political beliefs, or membership in a particular social group.
This can include sexual orientation, gender identity, being a woman, or living with HIV/AIDS.
To be granted protection in Canada, asylum seekers must provide evidence that they face a genuine risk of torture, loss of life, or cruel and unusual treatment if they are returned to their country of origin.
Typically, claims for protection are initiated when individuals notify the Border Services Agency at a Canadian port of entry or report to an immigration officer upon arrival.
According to the IRB, from January 2023 to March 2024, 589 Nigerian asylum claims were denied, bringing the total number of rejections since January 2013 to over 12,600.
Historical data shows varying numbers of Nigerians granted asylum each year, with 20 accepted in 2012, gradually increasing to 1,733 in 2019.
In recent years, the numbers have remained substantial, with 1,534 approvals in 2020, 2,302 in 2021, and 1,315 in 2022. For 2023, 1,086 Nigerians were granted protection, and 381 were approved in the first quarter of 2024.
