BUSINESS DAY
Canada has landed 10,180 new immigrants from Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy in the first half of 2023, a new data has revealed.
The data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), show that the country recorded 10,180 Permanent Residents (PRs) from Nigeria in H1, a marginal increase of 0.74 percent from 10,105 in the same period of 2022.
“Over the years, Canada has been very open to immigration due to its skill shortages,” Toyyib Adelodun, a UK-based immigration consultant, said.
He said unlike the UK which is easy to enter but takes a long time to become a citizen of the country, Canada is the opposite. “You can still even visit the country while they are processing your PR application.”
A PR in Canada is a status granting someone who is not a Canadian citizen, the right to live and work in the country without any time limit on their stay. It is usually an immigration visa that allows someone to get most social and healthcare benefits that Canadian citizens are entitled to and also get protection under Canadian law.
The IRCC data also revealed that out of the total 263,180 new immigrants list, Africa’s most populous nation ranked fourth behind Philippines (14,450), China (18,760) and India (84,425). The rest of the six countries are Afghanistan (7,670), U.S (6,675), Pakistan (6,355) Eritrea (5,910), France (5,750) and Iran ( 4,840).
Canada’s aging population and lower birth rate has been shrinking its labour force, forcing the country to intensify its efforts to attract large, young and vibrant immigrants by offering immigration-friendly policies.
Last year, the Canadian federal government announced an aggressive plan to take in 500,000 immigrants a year by 2025, with almost 1.5 million new immigrants coming to the country over the next three years. In 2022, the country landed 437,120 PRs, a nearly eight percent increase from the total number of PRs in 2021.
Apart from PRs, India (175,021), Nigeria (43,482) the Philippines (21,902), China (14,975) and Nepal (12,776) were among the top five source countries of new international students coming to Canada, according to IRCC.
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