Nigerian students are finding it more difficult to gain admission into tertiary institutions in Canada as some institutions have begun to cap the number of applications coming to their campuses.
According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), study permit approvals increased between 2019 and 2023.
Nigerian student approvals went from 2,788 in 2019 to 23,930 in 2023 (over 758 percent) and more than doubled between 2022 and 2023.
While talking to Global News about the unprecedented increase, Jill Provoe of Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) said: “We have more students from Nigeria at NSCC than any other country. So we do welcome them, but given an increase of 400 per cent over five years, we’re seeing more and more students coming our way without doing any international recruitment.”
According to Global News discoveries at the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), there are many factors why a particular country would be capped.
And this made African students including Nigerians finding it more difficult to get into Canadian post-secondary institutions.
In a statement, Mary Butler, president of the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) explained that when setting strategic enrolment targets for countries of citizenship, the college considers factors like programme availability, visa processing times and approval rates, under-represented regions, diversity of the study body, and so on.
Butler said: “We are reviewing our enrolment strategies, admissions processes, and student services to ensure we are well-positioned for continued responsible and sustainable enrolment that supports our students, staff, and communities.”
International students coming to the Maritimes from select parts of Africa are being stopped at the door, according to the Nigerian-Canadian Association of New Brunswick.
During an interview with Global News, Adebayo Ogunleye, President of the Nigerian-Canadian Association of New Brunswick revealed that students from Nigeria have been unfairly treated compared with students from other countries in Canada.
Ogunleye disclosed that students who had their applications approved by New Brunswick Community College had letters sent back months later telling them they would not be attending school for the academic year because they were not on campus in time.
He said: “NBCC gave an initial deadline of December. They wouldn’t be able to wait for the students anymore, and their applications had been revoked.
“Many of the students had been waiting for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to return visa applications. He said students were told that the college had met its cap, thus revoking some applications.”
In the same vein, Zack Power stated that some institutions in the Maritimes have started capping the number of applications coming to their campus from specific countries.
According to Jill Provoe, the NSCC received nearly 6,000 applications from Nigeria alone for the 2024 academic year.
