Nigeria was the fourth-leading source country of immigrants to Canada in 2024 with a total of 12,600 Nigerians becoming permanent residents in that year alone. As a permanent resident of Canada, you can live and work anywhere in the country and benefit from access to free healthcare and social services plus enjoy an excellent quality of life filled with more amenities and job opportunities.
So, how do you immigrate to Canada from Nigeria in 2024 and beyond? The first step is to decide where you want to live in Canada and then find a visa program that’s right for you. Below, the top five most popular ways you can come to Canada from Nigeria!
How Canadian Immigration Works
Canada has over 100 visa and immigration options available and some of these programs are points-based and selects the highest-scoring candidates for permanent residency in Canada while others are employer-driven, which means you must arrange employment in Canada as the main requirement. What’s more, Nigerians with Canadian work experience and education qualify for even more immigration programs!
Why are Nigerians so successful in moving to Canada? Well, it may have a lot to do with their proficiency in English, hard-working nature, and higher education. Find out if you can immigrate to Canada, and for which program you qualify with our comprehensive evaluation.
5 Ways to Move to Canada from Nigeria in 2024
1. Get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) through Express Entry
The Express Entry system is the leading immigration path for skilled Nigerian workers who want to live and work in Canada. The goal is to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency through the Express Entry that works according to a points-based grid 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 as well as the level of education among other criteria. The highest-scoring candidates are sent ITAs during bi-weekly Express Entry draw rounds. You can do a few other things to improve your score like get a job offer in Canada or achieve a provincial nomination that’s equal to 600 CRS points! Find out more about this below.
How Long Does it Take to Process Express Entry Applications?
Express Entry is one of the fastest ways to immigrate to Canada from Nigeria with application processing times of just six months!
2. Achieve a Provincial Nomination (PN)
Where do you want to live in Canada? Canada is extremely large with 13 provinces and territories of which 11 manage their own provincial immigration programs. There are about 80 programs between the participating provinces! Canada aims to welcome between 64,000-81,500 immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) in 2024.
If you achieve a provincial nomination you can apply for permanent residency in Canada from Nigeria, and settle in the province that nominated you.
How Does the Provincial Nominee Program Work?
The PNPs are designed based on the economic needs of the province or territory. 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. It’s good to keep in mind that some PNPs require applicants to either have work experience, education, or valid job offers in their jurisdictions.
You can directly apply to a PNP or you can send an expression of interest to the province looking for someone with your skills through your Express Entry profile.
3. Study in Canada to Qualify for a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)
Studying in Canada with a student visa does not directly lead to permanent residency but it’s an effective stepping stone that can greatly improve your chances of success when you graduate! As mentioned previously, obtaining a Canadian qualification like a certificate, diploma, or degree counts in your favor because it weighs more than foreign credentials on your immigration application.
To top it off, if you study an eligible program that’s longer than eight months in Canada you could qualify for a Post-Graduate Work Permit that allows you to stay on and work anywhere in the country to gain work experience after your studies. Canadian work experience plus education is the ideal formula to achieving permanent residency in Canada from Nigeria.
Looking for an affordable way to study in Canada? Speak to our student advisors for inexpensive short courses that are also PGWP approved.
4. Work in Canada as a Farmworker or Caregiver
Canada has an ongoing demand for farmworkers and caregivers and welcomes foreign workers in these occupations to work in Canada through special work permit programs. Canada is the second-largest country in the world with an equally large agriculture sector that employs approximately 2.3 million people of which a majority are seasonal foreign farm workers. On the other hand, Canada has a rapidly aging population in need of care and assistance.
The great news is that your time working in Canada can lead to a permanent future in the Great North. If you have been working in the country in an eligible farming or caregiving position then you can apply to immigrate to Canada from Nigeria through the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot and the Home Care Provider Pilot. All you need is about one to two years of work experience in Canada and a permanent job offer from your employer.
5. Obtain a Job Offer from a Designated Employer in Atlantic Canada
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) is an employer-driven program that you can apply for to move to Canada from Nigeria and settle in one of the Atlantic provinces that include; New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The main requirement is to obtain a job offer from a designated employer in one of the provinces. Find a list of designated employers below:
List of Designated Employers
- Prince Edward Island;
- Newfoundland and Labrador;
- Nova Scotia; and
- New Brunswick.
How Much Does it Cost to Immigrate to Canada from Nigeria?
The permanent resident federal processing fee is $1,325. You may also need settlement funds if you don’t have a job lined up in Canada. You need approximately $12,960 as a single applicant and you can add an additional $3,492 per dependent family member even if they don’t move to Canada with you. Learn more about what it costs to move to Canada from Nigeria here.
