Nigeria, Canada Agree Technical Working Group On Visa Delays And Direct Flights

Nigeria and Canada have agreed to establish a small technical working group to keep regular engagement on visa processing delays, air transport expansion and migration management, following a meeting at the Ministry of Interior headquarters in Abuja on 8 September 2026.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, who received the Canadian Chargé d’Affaires, David Sproule, said prolonged Canadian visa and study-permit processing times have affected Nigerians, including students who on occasion could not travel to begin their academic programmes even after their applications were approved. Sproule acknowledged the delays as an important pressure point in the bilateral relationship and said the concerns would be conveyed to the relevant Canadian immigration authorities, with no processing-time target announced at the meeting.

The two sides also discussed the expansion of the Nigeria–Canada Air Transport Agreement, which is expected to make direct flights between the two countries possible and remove the need for passengers to connect through Europe or the United States. The direct-flights push builds on the expanded bilateral aviation framework: Air Canada has separately begun seeking the approvals needed for a proposed Lagos service in 2027, as NaijaTrend reported here.

Migration management featured prominently as well. Nigeria agreed to designate relevant officials to work with the Canada Border Services Agency on a Standard Operating Procedure for the removal of persons without legal status in Canada, a planned administrative process rather than a new deportation operation, and no figures for affected nationals were announced by either side.

The working group is expected to drive the discussions and maintain regular engagement among the relevant Nigerian and Canadian agencies, with visa applicants’ concerns to be given what the ministry described as due and expeditious consideration.

Source: Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation