In February 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government released data that showed that the number of Nigerians who immigrated to Canada had tripled from the year before. This places Nigeria second only to India among the leading countries with successful Canada Express Entry applications. Right now, Nigeria is the fourth-leading source country of new immigrants to Canada, behind India, China, and the Philippines. In 2019, about 12,595 Nigerians got Canadian permanent resident permits. Similarly, about 11,985 pursued their education in Canada.
Data shows that the following categories of people have the highest and easiest immigration to Canada:
- a foreign skilled worker/artisan
- an international student
- a skilled professional or
- a person sponsored by a family member who is a Canadian permanent resident or citizen.
Why is Canada Looking for Immigrants?
Canada has one of the highest immigration rates of any country. The flood of new arrivals – which stood at more than 300,000 per year before the pandemic – was slowed by health-related travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the resumption of immigration into the country this year has seen an increase in the number of immigrants. In June 2021 alone, Canada recorded 35000 PR immigrants into the country.
The rationale behind Canada’s encouragement of immigration is laid out on a government website (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/campaigns/immigration-matters/track-record.html), which says, “Immigrants contribute to our economy, not only by filling gaps in our labor force and paying taxes but also by spending money on goods, housing, and transportation.”
Canadian cities and rural areas depend on immigrants to keep their populations growing and to support their labour markets. Canada also has an aging population, and without a robust system of immigration, Canada’s economy will be threatened because productivity would reduce due to a large number of aged people. Fortunately, Canada embraced immigration and that has allowed them to maintain a large proportion of the population in prime working age, between 25 and 54.
Canada aims to welcome more than 1.2 million newcomers between 2021 and 2023: 401,000 newcomers in 2021, another 411,000 in 2022, and 421,000 in 2023.
Why are Nigerians trooping to Canada?
Canada has many immigration policies which are favorable to Nigerians. Canada offers employments opportunities in sectors that are appealing to Nigerians. Nigerians in Canada enjoy a higher quality of life with better job and education opportunities and not to mention free healthcare. The cost of living in Canada is cheaper than in most other first-world countries. We have an article that extensively exhausted reasons Nigerians choose Canada above other countries for immigration (link)
Likelihood of success to immigrate to Canada from Nigeria
The Covid-19 pandemic last year brought a temporal halt to the immigration of Nigerians to Canada. However, the year 2019 showed an immense number of Nigerian immigrants to Canada irrespective of the reasons for relocating. Over 12,000 Nigerians immigrated legally to Canada in 2019. The number of Nigerians issued permanent resident permits has tripled since 2015.
Canada presently has no limit on the number of people who can apply for a visa, as long as an immigrant passes the requirements contained in their policies. These policies seem to be very favorable to Nigerians. The growth rate outstrips some of Canada’s biggest sources of immigrants. For instance, this includes India, China, and the Philippines.
How much money do you need to relocate to Canada?
Generally speaking, as an individual applicant, you would need approximately $15,500 CAD to immigrate to Canada. Couples would need around $21,000 CAD while families with children will require between $25,000 to $30,000 CAD.
More so, the amount of money you need to immigrate to Canada depends on the size of your family, and the type of immigration program you apply for. It further involves settlement funds, visa processing fees, the collection of required documents and even bringing your pet over. You need approximately $12,960 (over N6.5 million) as a single applicant and you can add $3,492 (about N1.8M) per dependent family member even if they don’t move to Canada with you.
Options For Immigrating To Canada From Nigeria?
There are many ways in which Nigerians can immigrate to Canada. However, we have stated broadly the surest and likely ways immigration to the North American country is done. Broadly, the options are:
Through Express Entry
The Express Entry is the most popular, fastest & leading immigration path for skilled Nigerian workers who want to live and work in Canada. The application process takes just six months to achieve. This is also referred to as Federal Economic Class. The Express Entry System has three main categories, i.e.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program: this is for skilled workers applying for PR visa, who don’t have any prior job offer from Canada. Currently, there is a total of 347 occupations applicable under the FSWP.
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
- Canadian Experience Class
The goal of the Express Entry is to get an ITA for permanent residency. This works according to a points-based assessment known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
How Can You Get an ITA?
Express Entry applicants are scored against criteria such as their age, years of work experience, language proficiency, level of education, etc. The highest-scoring candidates are sent ITAs during bi-weekly Express Entry draw rounds.
One of the best ways to increase a CRS score is to get a job offer, which can be worth 200 or 50 points depending on the skill level. Achieving a provincial nomination that’s equal to 600 CRS points is a good way of increasing your chances of getting an ITA.
Achieve a Provincial Nomination
Early in 2021, Canada announced it is welcoming between 64,000-81,500 immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Canada is extremely large with 13 provinces and territories of which 11 manage their provincial immigration programs; there are about 80 programs between the participating provinces.
A program in a particular province is usually different from that of another province, including the criteria used. For example, the New Brunswick Provincial Nomination Program (NBPNP) welcomes skilled and intermediate skilled foreign workers with a special emphasis on truck drivers and Francophones. If you achieve a provincial nomination you can apply for permanent residency in Canada from Nigeria, and settle in the province that nominated you.
