974 Nigerians Face Imminent Deportation from Canada Amid Enforcement Surge – No fewer than 974 Nigerians are currently facing imminent deportation from Canada, according to official data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
Canada
The affected individuals fall under the country’s “removal-in-progress” category, signifying that deportation proceedings have commenced but remain inconclusive, pending final arrangements such as travel documents. Between January and October 2025 alone, Canadian authorities deported 366 Nigerians, marking a significant uptick from previous years.
Of these, approximately 83 per cent comprised failed refugee claimants, while criminality accounted for about four per cent of cases. Nigeria emerged as the only African country in Canada’s top 10 nationalities for deportations in 2025, securing ninth position, while ranking fifth among those awaiting removal.
This contrasts sharply with 2023 and 2024, when Nigeria was absent from the top 10 deportation list, though figures reflect an eight per cent rise over the 2019 total of 339 removals.
Canada’s aggressive enforcement drive has seen nearly 400 foreign nationals removed weekly, culminating in 18,048 deportations during the 2024-2025 fiscal year at a cost of about $78 million.
The initiative draws support from an additional $30.5 million for removals and $1.3 billion for border enforcement, aimed at bolstering immigration controls amid pressures on housing, employment, and security.
Canada remains a prime destination for Nigerians outside the United Kingdom and United States, with over 71,000 acquiring citizenship between 2005 and 2024, alongside thousands arriving annually as students, workers, and permanent residents.
Under Canadian law, those issued enforceable removal orders must depart voluntarily or face enforced exit. The CBSA’s nationwide inventory lists 29,542 individuals in removal-in-progress as of late 2025, dominated by failed refugee claims at 15,605 cases. Nigeria’s 974 cases place it behind India (6,515), Mexico (4,650), USA (1,704), and China (1,430).
Immigration lawyers caution that passage of Bill C-12 could escalate deportations by imposing permanent bans on certain refugee claims and curbing late filings.
Authorities attribute the push to restoring system integrity, with non-compliance by refugee claimants driving most inadmissibility findings.
