Canada has deported 366 Nigerians between January and October 2025 as part of an intensified immigration enforcement campaign, official data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) shows.
The figures also reveal that 974 Nigerians are currently in the “removal in progress” inventory, awaiting deportation. Nigeria ranks ninth among the top 10 nationalities deported from Canada during this period, according to the latest CBSA removals statistics updated on November 25, 2025.
A historical review of deportations shows that Nigerian removals have fluctuated over the years. In 2019, Canada deported 339 Nigerians, dropping to 302 in 2020, 242 in 2021, and 199 in 2022. Nigeria did not feature in the top 10 in 2023 and 2024 but returned to the list in 2025, recording 366 deportations in just 10 months, representing an eight per cent increase compared to 2019.
The data further indicates that the majority—approximately 83 per cent—of Nigerians removed are failed refugee claimants, while criminality accounts for about four per cent of removals.
In total, Canada removed 18,048 people in the 2024–2025 fiscal year, spending roughly $78 million on the process. The government has also allocated an additional $30.5 million over three years to strengthen removal operations and committed $1.3 billion to enhance border security.
Officials say the deportations are part of broader efforts to meet immigration targets and address concerns over housing shortages, labour market pressures, and border security.
However, concerns have been raised about the potential acceleration of deportations if Bill C-12, also known as the “border bill,” is passed. Aisling Bondy, president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, warned that the bill could permanently bar many individuals from filing refugee claims.
Among African nations, Nigeria is the only country featured in the top 10 nationalities deported in 2025. Other African nationals are included under the “remaining nationals” category, which accounted for 6,233 removals in 2025.
The top 10 countries for deportations in 2025 are:
Mexico – 3,972
India – 2,831
Haiti – 2,012
Colombia – 737
Romania – 672
United States – 656
Venezuela – 562
China – 385
Nigeria – 366
Pakistan – 359
Similarly, in the removal-in-progress inventory, Nigeria (974) is the only African country listed in the top 10. The record is led by India (6,515), 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).
