Growth in Nigerian immigration to Canada

Canada has become the global hub for immigrants all across the world because of the country’s welcoming approach. Nigerians have started immigrating to Canada at triple the earlier rate as compared to previous years. It is likely that the numbers will go further up once the coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

Nigeria was named the fourth-leading source of new immigrants to Canada in 2019. It is placed after India, China, and the Philippines. Last year, 2,600 Nigerians secured permanent residence in the country. This figure marked a tripling of the Nigerian immigration rate to Canada when compared to 2015.

Most Nigerians come to Canada as economic class immigrants, and then they become a part of the Express Entry pool. This is because the Canadian Express Entry system is largely responsible for managing all economic class immigration applications. About 65% of Nigerian immigrants managed to secure permanent resident status in Canada through the Express Entry in 2019. In fact, Nigeria was the third-leading source country when it came to the number of invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residence that was issued under Express Entry last year.

Why do Nigerians immigrate to Canada?

There are a number of reasons why Nigerian immigration to Canada has seen such a dramatic rise. Nigeria’s economic growth slowed down since the fall in global oil prices back in the year 2014. Up till that point, Nigeria’s economy was experiencing a 5 percent growth every year. However, the growth reduced to around 2 percent annually after 2014. Nigerian professionals, in their hunt for better professional opportunities, began to immigrate to countries with stable and fast-growing economies such as Canada.

Nigerians find Canada particularly attractive because the country offers many economic opportunities in industries that are favored by Nigerian professionals. These include oil and gas, healthcare, and STEM-related fields in general.