12,595 Nigerians migrated to Canada in 2019, making the fourth-highest newcomers to the North American country, according to a CIC news - a Canadian Immigration Newsletter.
In the last three years, Nigeria citizens continued to migrate to Canada to seek greener pastures and ranked among the top countries by admissions under the Canadian Express Entry.
The report states that Canada set another record by welcoming 341,000 newcomers in 2019.
India remains top on the immigrants list to Canada, with about 86,000 Indians, who became permanent residents in 2019, accounting for 25% of all newcomers to Canada.
Giving a breakdown of the figures, 58% of the newcomers entered through economic class, 27% arrived based on family sponsorship, and the remaining 15% were under the refugee class.
According to the newsletter, Ontario is the top destination for newcomers, welcoming 45% of total newcomers, followed by British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.
Quoting the 2019-2021 Immigration Levels Plan of Canada, the government gives room for more immigrants this year.
Despite the inflow of Nigerians through the Canadian Express Entry, the country also has the highest pending refugee protection claims in Canada with 10,839 cases as of June 2019, according to a figure on the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) website.
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: news@pulselive.co.ke
