Canada Deports 366 Nigerians as Nearly 1,000 Face Removal

Canada deported 366 Nigerian nationals between January and October 2025, as immigration enforcement activities accelerated to levels not recorded in more than a decade, according to official figures reviewed over the weekend.

Data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) removals programme show that an additional 974 Nigerians are currently classified as “removal in progress,” meaning they are awaiting deportation. The figures were last updated on November 25, 2025.

Nigeria ranked ninth among the 10 countries with the highest number of deportations during the period and placed fifth on the list of nationalities with the largest number of pending removals.

A review of past records indicates that deportations of Nigerians from Canada have varied over the years. In 2019, 339 Nigerians were removed, followed by 302 in 2020, 242 in 2021 and 199 in 2022. Nigeria did not feature among the top 10 deported nationalities in 2023 and 2024 but returned to the list in 2025, with 366 removals recorded within the first 10 months of the year – representing an eight per cent increase compared with 2019.

The rise in removals comes amid a broader enforcement drive by Canadian authorities. The CBSA is now deporting close to 400 foreign nationals every week, the highest weekly rate in over 10 years. During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, Canada removed 18,048 individuals, at an estimated cost of $78m.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the CBSA is legally mandated to remove any foreign national subject to an enforceable removal order. Individuals may be declared inadmissible for reasons including security concerns, violations of human or international rights, criminal offences, organised crime involvement, health or financial issues, misrepresentation, or failure to comply with immigration laws.

Official data indicate that failed refugee claimants account for the majority of deportations, making up about 83 per cent of all removals, while cases linked to criminality represent roughly four per cent.

Canadian immigration law outlines three types of removal orders. Departure orders require individuals to leave Canada within 30 days. Exclusion orders bar re-entry for a period ranging from one to five years. Deportation orders permanently prohibit return unless special authorisation is granted.

The federal government has said the intensified enforcement measures are part of efforts to align with stricter immigration targets and address pressures related to housing availability, labour market capacity and border security. To support these efforts, Ottawa has allocated an additional $30.5m over three years for removals and committed $1.3bn to strengthening border security.

President of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, Aisling Bondy, has warned that deportation numbers could rise further if Bill C-12, widely referred to as the border bill, becomes law.

“One of the provisions in that bill would permanently bar many people from making a refugee claim in Canada,” Bondy said.

An analysis of CBSA records shows that Nigeria is the only African country listed among the top 10 nationalities deported in 2025. Other African countries are grouped under “remaining nationals,” a category that accounted for 6,233 removals during the year.

Mexico topped the list of deportations in 2025 with 3,972 removals, followed by India (2,831), Haiti (2,012), Colombia (737), Romania (672), the United States (656), Venezuela (562), China (385), Nigeria (366) and Pakistan (359).

A similar trend is reflected in the removal-in-progress data, where Nigeria, with 974 individuals awaiting deportation, is again the only African country in the top 10. India leads that list with 6,515 cases, followed by Mexico (4,650), the United States (1,704), China (1,430), Nigeria (974), Colombia (895), Pakistan (863), Haiti (741), Brazil (650) and Chile (621).

Despite the uptick in deportations, Canada remains a major destination for Nigerians seeking better economic and educational prospects. The 2021 Canadian census showed that more than 40,000 Nigerians migrated to Canada between 2016 and 2021, making them the fifth-largest group of recent immigrants and the largest African migrant community in the country.

Further figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reveal that 6,600 Nigerians became permanent residents in the first four months of 2024 alone, ranking fourth behind India, the Philippines and China. Between 2005 and 2024, a total of 71,459 Nigerians obtained Canadian citizenship, placing Nigeria 10th among countries of origin for new citizens.

Canada’s ageing population and ongoing labour shortages continue to attract skilled Nigerian professionals and students, even as immigration controls and deportation efforts intensify.