Canada deports 366 Nigerians, 974 listed for removal

Canada has deported 366 Nigerian nationals between January and October 2025, according to official removal data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The figures show a substantial increase in enforcement actions, marking one of the fastest deportation efforts in over a decade.

An additional 974 Nigerians are currently listed in Canada’s “removal in progress” inventory, meaning they are awaiting deportation.

The latest data, updated as of November 25, 2025, reveals that Nigeria ranked ninth among the top 10 countries whose citizens were deported during the period.

Of those waiting to be removed, Nigerians were fifth on the list.

Historical figures show that deportations of Nigerians have varied over recent years.

In 2019, Canada deported 339 Nigerians, but that number decreased in subsequent years before rising again in 2025 with the current total of 366.

Nigeria had not appeared in the top 10 countries for removals in both 2023 and 2024.

Canada’s intensified deportation campaign is part of a wider immigration crackdown.

The CBSA has been removing nearly 400 foreign nationals every week, the highest weekly rate in more than ten years.

In the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the agency deported 18,048 people, spending roughly $78 million on the process.

Under Canadian immigration law, the CBSA must remove any foreign national with a valid removal order.

People can be deemed inadmissible and subject to deportation for a range of reasons, including criminality, security concerns, human rights violations, misrepresentation, health issues, or failure to comply with immigration rules.

Most individuals being deported — about 83% — are failed refugee claimants whose asylum applications were denied. Only a small share, around 4%, are removed for criminal reasons.

Canada’s government says the tougher removal efforts aim to achieve immigration targets, ease housing shortages, address labour market pressures, and strengthen border security.

It has allocated extra funding — including $30.5 million over three years for removal operations and $1.3 billion toward border security — to support these measures.

Analysts note that Nigeria is the only African country among the top 10 nationalities deported in 2025.

Canada remains a popular destination for Nigerians seeking better economic opportunities.

According to Statistics Canada, more than 40,000 Nigerians moved to Canada between 2016 and 2021, making them one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups from Africa.