Canada encourages immigration from across the world yearly
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Cananda granted permanent residency (PR) to 18,438 Nigerians between 2018 and 2020, according to latest Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, and more are being encouraged to emigrate to the North American country.
Canada plans to receive 1.2 million immigrants from across the world between 2020 and 2023, in a scheme developed long before the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago that has even increased the need for skilled immigrant labour.
Canada received a record 401,396 immigrants in 2021. It plans to take in 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023.
Nigerians travel out to become citizens in other countries, with Canada the preferred destination – a shift from the United Kingdom and the United States – causing enormous human and intellectual flight from Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigerians had been migrating long before Muhammadu Buhari became President. They are in every country on earth. The difference now is that Buhari’s incompetent and irresponsible nature make it more pressing for citizens to leave the country.
The World Bank disclosed in 2021 that 50 per cent of Nigerians are willing to move abroad to realise their hopes for a better life even if it is through irregular routes.
Nigerians historically went abroad to acquire more education. These days, they travel out to find better life opportunities.
Insecurity, double digit inflation, naira on auto-devaluation are some of the major socioeconomic factors that drive Nigerians overseas, especially to Canada where these metrics are more favourable.
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Emigrees speak for themselves
Miss Adejoke, a practising nurse and student in Canada said the Nigerian education system is below average and is not designed to meet international standards.
“In Nigeria, it is not easy to be a student and work at the same time and be able to pay your bills; in Canada you are able to do all these even as a high school graduate,” she told Nairametrics.
She reiterated that Canada and the US are seen as lands of opportunities and rightly so, as all her expectations for leaving Nigeria have been met in less than five years.
Thomas Abiodun, a financial expert living in Canada, explained that his major reason for leaving Nigeria is to earn a higher income.
“Nigeria’s system is backward and in Canada I have gained access to one of the best infrastructure and transport systems, as well as uninterrupted power supply,” he said.
Nigeria vs Canada
Nigeria’s consumer price index rose 15.4 per cent in November 2021, a 12-month low, dropping from 15.99 per cent in October. Statistics Canada reported that inflation rate surged to an 18-year high of 4.7 per cent in November 2021.
Comparing the Canadian figures to those of Nigeria, it is 10.7 per cent points lower, indicating a significantly varying level of price volatility between the two countries, per reporting by Nairametrics.
The US also recorded a significant spike in inflation to 7 per cent in December 2021, the highest in 40 years, but is nothing compared with Nigeria’s 15.4 per cent.
Inflation rate in Nigeria averaged 11.75 per cent between 2011 and 2020, Canada 1.64 per cent, US 1.73 per cent.
Per capita GDP
Nigeria boasts the largest economy in Africa with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimated at $432.29 billion in 2020, followed by South Africa and Egypt. But Nigeria’s GDP per capita is estimated at $2.09 million – ranking 17th in Africa.
Canada’s GDP is $1.64 trillion, almost four times that of Nigeria. Its GDP per capita is $43.15 million.
Canada’s need of immigrants
Canada is blessed with almost 10 times Nigeria’s landmass and a very small population to occupy it.
Canada’s landmass is 9.98 million km square, Nigeria’s 923,768 km square. Canada is blessed with almost 10 times Nigeria’s landmass but has a population of 38 million – compared with 206 million in Nigeria, which is more than five times greater.
Abundance of land with a small population opens Canada to migrants to spur economic growth.
Canada seeks to welcome over 1.2 million new immigrants between 2020 and 2023 across economic, family, refugee, and humanitarian categories.
Canada’s unemployment rate trickled down from 6 per cent in November 2021 to 5.9 per cent in December 2021 with 55,000 jobs created. Nigeria’s unemployment rate remains at 33.3 per cent.
The Canadian government recently announced that it will employ students for some jobs, especially remote work
“We have a wide variety of jobs from coast to coast, in diverse fields, such as administration, agriculture, communications, enforcement, finance, IT, policy, and many more,” the government said.