Nigeria, Canada move to tackle visa delays for Nigerian students

Nigeria and Canada have agreed to strengthen cooperation on visa processing delays affecting Nigerians, particularly students, and to expand their air transport agreement in a push that could deliver direct flights between both countries.

The issues came up at a meeting between officials of Nigeria's Ministry of Interior and the Canadian High Commission, according to a statement signed by the ministry's Head of Media, Mrs Mary Ali.

Students Stranded by Study Permit Delays

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Magdalene Ajani, who represented the minister at the meeting with Canada's Charge d'Affaires, David Sproule, said visa delays had continued to affect Nigerians, especially students.

Ajani noted that some Nigerian students had been unable to travel to Canada in time to begin their academic programmes because of delays in obtaining study permits, despite having their visa applications approved. She called for sustained dialogue and stronger cooperation between both governments to address the challenges and improve the migration process.

Direct Flights in View

The meeting also focused on expanding the Nigeria-Canada Air Transport Agreement (ATA). The proposed expansion is expected to eliminate the need for passengers travelling between Nigeria and Canada to connect through Europe or the United States.

Both sides expressed optimism that direct air links would make travel easier while strengthening trade, business and other commercial ties between Nigeria and Canada.

Migration Management Framework

Migration management was another key issue, including plans to establish a Standard Operating Procedure between Nigerian authorities and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The framework is expected to guide the removal of people who no longer have legal status in Canada.

Ajani assured the Canadian delegation that Nigeria would appoint relevant officials to work with their Canadian counterparts and help establish a joint working group to move the process forward.

Sproule acknowledged Nigeria's concerns about visa delays, describing the issue as a significant pressure point in the relationship between both countries. He assured the Nigerian delegation that the concerns would be communicated to the relevant Canadian immigration authorities, with the aim of improving processing times and ensuring that Nigeria receives appropriate attention within Canada's visa-processing system.

For Nigerian students and travellers, faster study permit processing and possible direct routes would cut both time and cost. Direct flights would remove the Europe or US connection currently required, easing the burden on families paying for multi-leg tickets and on businesses moving staff between the two markets.