Canada works the opposite way round from the UK, and that is the first thing to understand. There is no employer to persuade, no sponsor licence to check and no salary threshold to clear. Canada's main route scores you on your own profile, gives you permanent residence, and then lets you job-hunt as a resident like anyone else.

Which means the question most Nigerians start with — how do I find a Canadian employer to sponsor me — is usually the wrong question. The right ones are narrower and more awkward: can you evidence your money in a form Canada accepts, and can you get your university to release your transcripts.

Those two things stop more qualified Nigerian applicants than the immigration rules ever do. This guide is built around them.

Express Entry: no job offer required

IRCC Express Entry is a pool, not an application. You submit a profile, it is ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System, and IRCC invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence.

Most Nigerian applicants enter through the Federal Skilled Worker program, which needs skilled work experience, language results, a credential assessment and proof of funds — and no Canadian employer whatsoever.

Your score comes from age, education, language ability and experience. Age is the part you cannot influence, and it declines from about thirty, which is the strongest argument for starting now rather than waiting until the file is perfect.

One thing worth hearing if you have had a Canadian study or visitor visa refused: Express Entry is rule-based, not discretionary. The genuineness and intent assessments that produce high refusal rates for Nigerian temporary visa applicants work very differently from a points-ranked permanent residence stream. A previous refusal does not carry the same weight here, though you must disclose it.

The 2025 change you need to know about

Until March 2025, a valid job offer added 50 or 200 CRS points. Those points were removed. A job offer now adds nothing to your score.

This matters in Nigeria more than almost anywhere, because an entire fraud industry grew around it — agents selling “LMIA job offers” for millions of naira to capture those points. That trade is precisely why the points were withdrawn. Anyone still selling you an LMIA for CRS purposes is selling something unlawful that is now also worthless.

Proof of funds: the real Nigerian obstacle

This blocks more Nigerian applicants than any other requirement, and the difficulty is not the amount. It is the form.

You must show roughly CAD 15,000 for a single applicant, more with a spouse or children, updated annually. The rules around it are strict:

The money must be readily available and transferable. Property, land, vehicles, business equity and unsold assets do not count, however valuable. This is where most Nigerian applicants are caught, because a great deal of Nigerian wealth is held in exactly those forms.
It cannot be borrowed. A loan deposited to inflate a balance will be identified, and misrepresentation carries a five-year ban.
Official bank letters are required, on letterhead, showing account numbers, balances, the date each account was opened and the average balance over the past six months. A printed statement is not sufficient on its own.
Six months of history matters. A balance that appears suddenly invites questions. Build it steadily rather than assembling it the week before.

The naira problem is real and worth planning around. The CAD figure is fixed in Canadian dollars, so devaluation raises the naira cost of qualifying without changing anything about you. Two practical consequences: the target is a moving one, so aim comfortably above the published minimum rather than exactly at it; and holding some funds in a domiciliary account makes the evidence cleaner and insulates you from a swing between submitting and being invited.

Check the current figures in IRCC proof of funds requirements before you plan, because they are revised every year.

Documents: start with the slowest thing

Your Nigerian degree must be assessed against the Canadian standard before it scores, usually through World Education Services. The assessment itself is quick. Getting your university to send documents directly is not.

Nigerian institutions are among the slowest in the world at releasing transcripts, and many still require an in-person request or a physical presence at the records office. If you have left the country, this becomes considerably harder. Start it before anything else in this guide — months before you expect to apply.

Alongside it, assemble:

WAEC or NECO results, with the verification details intact so they can be confirmed at source.
NYSC discharge certificate, or the exemption or exclusion certificate where it applies. Frequently requested and frequently mislaid.
Nigeria Police Force character certificate. Obtainable online, and required for the application.
Employment references with exact dates and your duties described against the occupation you are claiming. Canada assesses experience against the occupational classification, so a letter that confirms a job title but not the duties will not do the work.
Name consistency. Passport, certificates, WAEC results and employment letters must agree exactly. Different orderings and spellings across Nigerian documents are common and every mismatch generates a query.

Category draws, and the French opportunity

Alongside general rounds, IRCC holds category-based draws for targeted occupations — healthcare, STEM, trades, agriculture, education — with cut-offs well below the general score. Categories are reviewed annually, so check whether yours has been added before assuming your score is too low.

The strongest of these is French-language proficiency, where cut-offs have repeatedly sat a hundred points or more beneath the general rounds, with additional CRS points on top.

Nigerians are better placed for this than they tend to think. French is taught in Nigerian secondary schools, Alliance Française runs centres in the major cities, and the Nigeria French Language Village at Badagry exists precisely to teach it. You do not need fluency, and you do not need Quebec. If your score is stuck below recent cut-offs, several months of French will do more for you than another certification, another year of experience, or any agent.

Provincial nomination

A nomination adds 600 CRS points, which effectively guarantees an invitation. The Provincial Nominee Program lets provinces select for their own labour needs, and several run streams aligned to the Express Entry pool.

Be realistic: provincial allocations were cut sharply for 2025 under Canada's reduced immigration levels, so nominations are much scarcer than older guidance suggests. Keep a profile live and express interest where your occupation fits, but treat a nomination as a possibility rather than a plan.

Where Nigerian professionals are hired

Oil, gas and energy. The most direct transfer available. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland run on the same disciplines as Port Harcourt and the Niger Delta — petroleum, process, subsea, pipeline integrity, HSE. A Nigerian engineer with major-operator experience is describing familiar work, and should say so in the first line rather than the last.
Technology. Lagos fintech is a genuine credential. Engineers who have built payments infrastructure at Nigerian scale are directly relevant to Canadian financial technology, and almost none of them lead with it.
Healthcare. In demand across every province and gated by provincial licensing rather than by immigration.
Engineering more broadly — civil, structural, electrical and mechanical, with provincial registration required to use the title.
Accounting and finance. ICAN and ACCA both carry, and CPA Canada operates assessment pathways.
Skilled trades — genuinely short-staffed, targeted by category draws, and consistently overlooked by Nigerian applicants who assume only graduates are wanted.

Licensing is provincial, and it is separate from immigration

Permanent residence gives you the right to work in Canada. It does not give you the right to work as an engineer, doctor, nurse, pharmacist or accountant. Those are licensed province by province, each with its own examinations and timelines.

The failure pattern is well documented, and it is the reason for the stereotype of the overqualified new arrival: highly skilled people land, discover licensing takes two or three years, and take survival work meanwhile. Contact the regulator in your intended province before you choose it — requirements differ between provinces, and the difference can be a year.

Finding the work

With permanent residence, you apply as a resident and sponsorship never arises. Before that, look for employers signalling openness with “LMIA support available”, “open to candidates requiring a work permit” or “relocation assistance”. Workbeyond lists roles from employers open to international candidates. Browse visa-sponsored jobs on Workbeyond →

Canadian employers weigh Canadian experience heavily. Remote contract work for Canadian clients before you move is one of the few things that genuinely answers that objection.

Work permits, if permanent residence is slow

Global Talent Stream work permit — fast processing for tech and specialised roles, measured in weeks. The quickest way in if you hold an offer.
LMIA-based high-wage work permit — the standard employer route, where the employer proves no Canadian was available and carries the cost.
Intra-company transfer — if you work for a multinational with a Canadian entity, an internal move needs no LMIA and is often the easiest door available. Ask your employer before doing anything else.

Canadian work experience then feeds back into your score through the Canadian Experience Class, so a permit is not a detour from permanent residence — it is frequently the shortest path to it.

The study route, and why it got harder

Studying in Canada and converting a post-graduation work permit into permanent residence has been heavily marketed in Nigeria. It still works, but it has become considerably more expensive and more restricted: study permit numbers are capped, post-graduation work permit eligibility now depends on the field of study, and spousal open work permits have been narrowed.

If someone is selling you this route on the terms that applied in 2022, they are out of date. Price it honestly against Express Entry, which costs a fraction as much and does not require you to leave first.

Recognising the fraud

Nigerians are targeted more heavily than almost any nationality, and the tells are consistent.

There is no Canadian visa lottery. None. Anything described as one is a fraud.
Buying an LMIA or job offer is unlawful and, since March 2025, also worthless for your score.
Only a CICC-regulated consultant or a Canadian lawyer may represent you for a fee. Verify anyone on the CICC public register — free, and a minute's work.
Nobody can guarantee an invitation. Draws are score-ranked and published. A guarantee is a lie.
Never let an agent inflate your experience. Misrepresentation carries a five-year ban, and it is you who serves it.
You can do the whole process yourself, and many do.

Five mistakes that cost Nigerian applicants the most

Hunting for a Canadian employer first. The main route needs none, and an offer no longer raises your score.
Treating proof of funds as an afterthought. It needs six months of clean history in liquid, transferable form.
Leaving the transcript request late. Nigerian universities are the slowest step in the entire process.
Ignoring French, which is more accessible in Nigeria than most applicants realise and worth more than any other score lever.
Not checking provincial licensing before choosing a province.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a job offer to move to Canada from Nigeria?

No. The Federal Skilled Worker program requires no employer and no job offer. You qualify on your own profile and job-hunt after arriving as a permanent resident.

Does a job offer improve my CRS score?

No. IRCC removed the arranged-employment points in March 2025. Offers still matter for work permits and for earning a living, but not for ranking.

How much money do I need to show?

Around CAD 15,000 for a single applicant, more with dependants, revised annually. It must be liquid, transferable, not borrowed, and evidenced by official bank letters covering six months.

Does property in Nigeria count as proof of funds?

No. Land, houses, vehicles and business equity are not accepted, however valuable. Only readily available, transferable funds count.

Will a previous Canadian visa refusal hurt me?

You must disclose it, but Express Entry is a points-ranked stream rather than a discretionary assessment, so a refused study or visitor application does not weigh the way it would on another temporary application.

How long does WES take for Nigerian documents?

The assessment is quick once documents arrive; the delay is your university releasing them. Many Nigerian institutions require an in-person request. Start months ahead.

Is there a Canadian visa lottery?

No. It does not exist. Anyone offering one is defrauding you.

Can I practise as a doctor or engineer on arrival?

Not automatically. Professions are licensed provincially and separately from immigration. Check with the regulator in your intended province before choosing where to settle.

Should I try Canada or the UK?

They suit different situations. Canada gives permanent residence with no employer but demands savings, documents and patience. The UK is faster and employer-dependent, with a three-week visa decision. See how to get a job in the UK from Nigeria for that side.

Where to start

Three things this week: request your transcripts, because nothing moves until they do; run the official CRS calculator to see where you actually stand; and look honestly at your proof of funds position, because that is what most often turns a strong profile into a stalled one.

If your score falls short of recent cut-offs, the honest answer is French, not another certificate.

Not sure which routes you qualify for? The free visa eligibility checker takes four questions. For provinces, cities and salary bands, see the Canada destination guide.

Sources:

IRCC guidance current to September 2026. Draw cut-offs, categories, proof-of-funds amounts, provincial allocations, study permit rules and CRS scoring change frequently — several changed in 2025. Verify on canada.ca, or with a CICC-regulated consultant or Canadian lawyer, before applying. General information, not legal or immigration advice.

References: IRCC Express Entry, official CRS calculator, IRCC proof of funds requirements, World Education Services, CICC public register.

Related: Provincial Nominee Program · Global Talent Stream work permit · Canada destination guide · UK Skilled Worker visa for Nigerians

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