The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, has revealed that 114 Nigerians who applied for refugee status between January and June 2023 were denied.
Since January 2013, 12,035 Nigerians have been rejected under the system, according to data from the IRBC’s Refugee Protection Division.
The IRB awards refugee protection in Canada if the RPD determines that an applicant or claimant fulfils the UN definition of a convention refugee, “which has been incorporated into Canadian law, or that the applicant is a person in need of protection.”
The 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees defines refugees as individuals who have a well-founded dread of persecution due to their race, nationality, religion, political ideology, or membership in a specific social group. Such social groups can include sexual orientation, gender identity, being female, and HIV/AIDS patients.
However, the document indicated that those requesting asylum in Canada must provide evidence that they face torture, a risk to their life, or the possibility of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment if they are returned to their country of origin.
It was discovered that protection claims are filed when immigrants report to an immigration officer or notify the Border Services Agency at any port of entry upon entering Canada.
“The officer decides whether the claim is eligible to be referred to the IRB. If the claim is eligible, it is sent (‘referred’) to the RPD to start the claim for refugee protection process,” an application guideline by the Refugee Board reads.
However, during the past ten years and six months, the RPD has turned down 12,035 such applications from Nigerians.
According to the breakdown, the new mechanism for deciding refugee protection claims lodged in Canada, which went into effect on December 15, 2012, resulted in the denial of protection for 127, 241, and 248 Nigerians in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively.
Additionally, in 2016, 2017, and 2018 accordingly, 476, 917, and 1,777 claims were turned down.
3,951 Nigerian applicants had their claims rejected in 2019, the greatest number to date. In 2020, 2021, and 2022, 1,770, 1,686, and 728 people had their claims refused, respectively.
Nevertheless, during the time under consideration, 9,783 Nigerians received refugee status. There were 20, 308, 394, and 389 in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. Additionally, in 2016, 389 Nigerians arrived; in 2017, 764; in 2018, 755; and in 2019, 1,733. While in 2020, 2021, and 2022, 1,534, 2,302, and 1,315 individuals, respectively, received protection. In the first half of 2023, protection applications for 289 Nigerians have been approved.
2,198 petitions were still outstanding as of June 2023 since at least 432 people had withdrawn their requests for refugee status.
