According to new numbers from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), Canada accepted 3,463 asylum applications from Nigerians in 2025. At the end of the year, there were still 21,573 claims that had not been resolved.
The information, which was last updated on February 13 and covers the time from January to December 2025, shows that Nigerians filed 6,765 asylum claims in that year.
Of these, 3,463 were successful, 1,377 were denied, 46 were dropped, and 153 were withdrawn or put under other outcomes. This brought the total number of cases that were finished to 5,039.
The numbers show that about 68 percent of claims were approved, which is an increase from previous years when 2,230 out of 16,267 claims were approved.
With this many applications, Nigeria was one of the top five countries where asylum seekers came from in Canada in 2025, along with India, Haiti, Iran, and Mexico.
The Refugee Protection Division in Canada gives asylum to people who meet the requirements set out in the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. Applicants must show that they have a real fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion, or that they would be tortured or treated inhumanely if they were sent back to their home country.
The IRB said that people can apply for asylum at certain entry points, like airports, land borders, or seaports, or from inside Canada. Before a claim is sent to the board for a decision, officials from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada or the Canada Border Services Agency first check to see if it is valid.
The board said, “The IRB then decides on all valid claims based on the evidence and arguments presented, and in accordance with Canadian law.” It also said that applicants must show that they have a well-founded fear of persecution or serious harm in their home country.
People who are granted protected status can apply for permanent residence, but people whose claims are denied may have to go through removal proceedings.
In 2025, Canada processed 107,802 asylum claims from people from all over the world. Of those, 50,067 were closed. Of these, 14,619 were accepted and 7,944 were turned down.
The IRB said that asylum applications have been steadily rising in recent years because of instability, wars, and more people being forced to leave their homes around the world. But it also said that new claims fell by 64% from January to February 2026 compared to the same time in 2024.
Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia are some of the provinces that currently have the most asylum seekers in Canada.
