No fewer than 13,171 Nigerians who sought refugee protection in Canada between January 2013 and December 2024 had their applications rejected, according to official data from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that in 2024 alone, 811 Nigerian applicants were denied asylum, placing Nigeria among the top five countries with the highest number of rejected refugee claims.
The other nations on the list include Mexico (2,954 rejections), India (1,688), Haiti (982), and Colombia (723).
The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the IRB evaluates asylum seekers based on the United Nations’ definition of a Convention refugee, which is incorporated into Canadian law.
Applicants must demonstrate that they face persecution or are in need of protection to be considered for asylum.
If deemed eligible, their cases are referred to the RPD for further review.
A breakdown of the data since 2013 reveals fluctuations in rejection rates. Between 2013 and 2015, a total of 616 Nigerian applicants were denied protection.
The figures increased significantly in subsequent years, with 476 rejections in 2016, 917 in 2017, and 1,777 in 2018.
The peak was recorded in 2019, when 3,951 Nigerians were refused asylum—the highest in over a decade.
Subsequent years saw a gradual decline, with 1,770 denials in 2020, 1,686 in 2021, 728 in 2022, 439 in 2023, and 811 in 2024.
Despite these rejections, 10,580 Nigerians were granted refugee status within the same period, including at least 2,230 successful applications in 2024 alone.
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