A total of 897 Nigerians were granted asylum in the United States over the past two years, according to the latest data from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
In 2023, U.S. judges approved asylum for 514 Nigerians, while 383 received asylum in 2024, reflecting a 25% decline from the previous year. During the same period, 501 Nigerian asylum applications were denied, with 265 rejections occurring in 2024 and 236 in 2023.
The EOIR publishes this annual report through the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Asylum Decisions by Nationality” portal, which details asylum case outcomes by nationality.
In 2024, Nigeria ranked third in Africa for asylum requests, following Cameroon (527 applications) and Ethiopia (291). Other African nations with notable asylum figures included Ghana (238), Egypt (203), Eritrea (193), Uganda (86), Senegal (99), and Sudan (42). Despite these numbers, African nationals make up a small fraction of the total asylum applications in the U.S., which are largely dominated by Latin American and Eurasian applicants.
On a global scale, Russia recorded the highest number of asylum grants in 2024, with 3,605 approvals, largely attributed to individuals fleeing conscription or opposition to the war in Ukraine. China followed with 2,998 asylum approvals, while Venezuela and Nicaragua saw 2,656 and 2,000 grants, respectively.
Significant numbers of asylum grants were also given to nationals from Central America, including 1,684 Salvadorans, 1,624 Hondurans, 1,592 Guatemalans, 1,007 Cubans, and 751 Mexicans. Mexico led the list for rejections with 3,910 denials, followed by China (903), El Salvador (2,880), Ecuador (2,774), and Peru (2,424).
In related news, the U.K. has received over 22,000 asylum applications from Nigerians, and Canada has denied refugee status to over 13,000 Nigerians in the last 11 years.
Asylum applications in the U.S. are governed by Section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Applicants must demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution due to factors like race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group membership. However, criminal convictions, missed filing deadlines, or issues of “firm resettlement” can complicate asylum claims.
The U.S. asylum process includes two types of cases: “affirmative” cases, submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and “defensive” cases, made when individuals are in removal proceedings. Denied affirmative cases are redirected to immigration courts, where the government may oppose release.
