Nearly 1,000 Nigerians in Canada’s Deportation Pipeline as Enforcement Accelerates

Official data from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reveals that 974 Nigerians are currently under “removal in progress” orders, placing Nigeria as the fifth-highest source country for impending deportations. This development occurs as Canada intensifies its immigration enforcement to its most aggressive level in over ten years, removing nearly 400 foreign nationals each week.

Scale and Context of Nigerian Deportations

The CBSA figures highlight Nigeria as the sole African nation within the top ten nationalities facing removal from Canada. While deportations of Nigerians have fluctuated in recent years—from 339 in 2019 down to 199 in 2022—the 2025 fiscal year saw a significant spike. Within just ten months, 366 Nigerians were deported, marking an eight percent increase over the 2019 total and signaling a renewed enforcement focus.

This increase aligns with a broader federal push. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year alone, Canada removed 18,048 individuals at a cost of approximately $78 million. The CBSA is mandated by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to execute removal orders against individuals deemed inadmissible. Grounds for removal include criminality, security threats, misrepresentation, non-compliance with immigration regulations, and violations of human or international rights.

Compliance and Broader Implications

The rise in Nigerians facing deportation follows reports of compliance issues within the international student program. Previous data indicated that out of 30,920 Nigerian students granted Canadian study permits in early 2024, 3,902 were reported as non-compliant for failing to enroll at their designated institutions. Such instances of misrepresentation or rule violation directly contribute to the agency’s enforcement inventory.

As the CBSA continues its elevated enforcement activities, the nearly one thousand Nigerians in the removal pipeline represent a significant portion of its caseload. The situation underscores the critical importance of strict adherence to Canadian immigration laws and the severe consequences of non-compliance, whether through misrepresentation, violation of status conditions, or criminality.