Nigerian Students Are Key Contributors To Canada’s Academic Growth.

By Caroline Ameh

The influx of Nigerian international students in Canada is experiencing a noteworthy surge. With a substantial growth rate, Nigerian students are key contributors to Canada’s academic growth in Canada.

2019 saw slightly over 3,000 Nigerian nationals given student visas by Canada. This number astonishingly doubles by 2021 and then by 2022. Nigerians are now the nation’s fastest-growing student group as a result of the spike in enrolment of international students. This pattern indicates the growing popularity of Canada among Nigerian students as a top choice for further education.

ApplyBoard has released an article delving into student mobility patterns for Nigerian students. The article highlights noteworthy insights on this subject.

• In the first half of 2023, nearly 18,000 study permits were granted to Nigerians in Canada, surpassing all other countries except India.
• Nigerians became Canada’s fastest-growing international student population from January to June 2023, witnessing a 44% increase in study permits compared to the entire year of 2022.
• Study permit approval rates for Nigerians rose to just under 40% in the first six months of 2023, more than doubling the rates observed in 2020.
• Nigerian students exhibit a more even distribution across Canada, with Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick each contributing over 5% of study permits issued from January to June 2023.

Nigerian students key contributors to Canada’s academic growth – Study permit approval rates for Nigerians

Canada processed a significant number of Nigerian applications for student visas between 2017 and 2019, coming in second only to China and India. Even still, the percentage of study permits approved fell below 20%, meaning that only a tiny proportion of Nigerian students were able to continue their education in Canada.

By 2023, approval rates are almost twice as high. Over 43,000 study visa applications from Nigerian students were filed in the first half of the year. They could emerge as Canada’s second-largest inbound student group as a result of this spike.

Approval rates heavily influence the number of Nigerian students coming to Canada. According to a survey by ApplyBoard, 74% of Nigerian study permit denials in 2021 and 2022 were attributed to financial constraints.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration reviewed the Canadian government in response to criticism last year regarding low rates of student visa approval for African students. The study included recommendations meant to improve the equity and openness of the procedure for approving study permits. Notably, since the outbreak began, approval ratings for African nations have increased.

Study destinations of Nigerian students in Canada

During the first half of 2023, eight out of ten Canadian provinces awarded more study permits to Nigerian students compared to the whole of 2022. Nova Scotia is the third-highest after British Columbia and Ontario in terms of study permit issuance, having grown by more than twice the amount compared to the entire year 2022.

British Columbia and Ontario remained popular study locations, even though Nigerians were spread more evenly among provinces than the average concentration. Between them, Ontario and British Columbia accounted for over 63% of all study permits granted to Nigerians in the first half of 2023, together with the prairie provinces and Atlantic Canada. This stands in contrast to the almost 84% of students from all origin nations who chose to study in these two regions.

What significance do Nigerian students hold for Canada’s international education sector?

Canada has granted study permits to over 6,500 Nigerian students in the first half of 2023, surpassing the record for the entire previous year. ApplyBoard highlights the significance of the Nigerian student population in maintaining the international education sector in other provinces, hence adding to the general benefit of Canada, in the context of the current trend of international students leaning towards studying in Ontario.

Furthermore, Canada has an opportunity as a result of the United Kingdom’s recent statement that it will prohibit the majority of international students from bringing dependents. This action gives Canada, the main rival for Nigerian students, a significant recruiting advantage that will allow it to continue drawing in historically high numbers of Nigerian students.

Individuals from Nigeria who have obtained permanent residency in Canada

Nigeria ranked fourth among the top nations of origin for new permanent residents in Canada in 2022. The top three places were occupied by Afghanistan, China, and India. With 22,085 new permanent residents from Nigeria in 2022, Canada welcomed more than 5% of all permanent residents in the nation.

The ability to apply for the Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) after completing their academic program is a big benefit for overseas students studying in Canada. One of the main advantages of studying school in Canada is that this opportunity increases their chances of getting permanent residence in the nation.

After graduating from a Canadian DLI, international students’ main means of obtaining employment in Canada is through Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs). PGWP holders have the freedom to work for any Canadian employer of their choice for a maximum of three years, as it functions as an open work permit.

The job experience obtained with a PGWP is very beneficial to those who want to become Permanent Resident. Many of Canada’s avenues for permanent residence specifically value candidates with Canadian job experience. Notably, “nearly three-quarters of all PGWP holders successfully transition to permanent residency within five years of obtaining their PGWP,” per data from Statistics Canada.