Canada’s Deportation Drive Puts Nigerians Back on the Radar
By Naija Enquirer Staff
Canada deported 366 Nigerians between January and October 2025 as part of a broader tightening of immigration enforcement, bringing Nigeria back into the country’s top 10 nationalities for removals.
Data released by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and updated on November 25 also shows that 974 Nigerians are currently listed as “removal in progress,” awaiting deportation.
Nigeria ranked ninth on the 2025 list, making it the only African country to appear individually in the top 10. Other African nationals were grouped under a broader “remaining nationals” category, which accounted for 6,233 removals during the year.
The figures mark a sharp shift from recent years. Nigerian removals declined steadily from 339 in 2019 to 199 in 2022, and Nigeria did not feature among the top 10 in 2023 or 2024. Its return to the list in 2025, with 366 removals recorded within 10 months, represents an increase of about eight per cent compared with 2019.
Overall, Canada removed 18,048 people in the 2024–2025 fiscal year at a cost of approximately $78 million, according to official government data.
Asylum Claims, Border Politics and a Tougher Stance
CBSA figures indicate that the majority of deportations—about 83 per cent—involved failed refugee claimants whose asylum applications were rejected. Cases linked to criminality accounted for roughly four per cent, while the remainder involved immigration status violations.
The Canadian government says the stepped-up removals are aimed at meeting stricter immigration targets and addressing domestic pressures such as housing shortages, labour market challenges and border security concerns.
Ottawa has committed an additional $30.5 million over three years to strengthen removal operations, alongside a broader $1.3 billion investment to enhance border security.
The tougher stance has raised concerns among immigration advocates. Aisling Bondy, president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, has warned that deportations could increase further if Bill C-12—often referred to as the “border bill”—becomes law. She said the legislation includes provisions that could permanently bar some individuals from filing refugee claims in Canada.
Beyond Nigeria, the top countries for removals in 2025 included Mexico, India, Haiti, Colombia, Romania, the United States, Venezuela, China and Pakistan.
A similar pattern appears in the “removal in progress” inventory, where Nigeria again stands out as the only African country in the top 10, alongside India, Mexico, the United States, China and several Latin American and Asian nations.
Together, the figures highlight how Canada’s evolving immigration policies are reshaping deportation trends—and how Nigerians, after a brief lull, have once again become a key focus of enforcement.
