Over 300 Nigerians apply for asylum in Iceland amid tightening European migration rules
Iceland’s Directorate of Immigration (Útlendingastofnun) has disclosed that 331 Nigerians have applied for asylum in the country between 2020 and May 2024, according to its annual report, Tölfræði verndarsviðs.
The report shows a gradual increase in Nigerian asylum applications: 37 in 2020, 50 in 2021, 67 in 2022, a sharp rise to 125 in 2023, and 52 in the first five months of 2024.
Following a 2019 case backlog, Iceland reviewed 96 Nigerian files in 2020, approving 44 residence permits, granting refugee status to three applicants, and issuing 41 humanitarian visas. Another 37 were denied.
In 2021, of the 60 Nigerian applications processed, only three secured refugee status. Fourteen were rejected after interviews, while 43 were transferred to other European countries under the Dublin Regulation—a mechanism that allows EU countries to delegate asylum responsibility to other member states.
As Iceland increasingly leaned on the Dublin system, the success rate for Nigerian asylum seekers dropped to just 5%.
Despite a resurgence in applications in 2022, outcomes remained modest. Of 76 Nigerian cases processed, Iceland granted 22 residence permits, two full refugee statuses, and 20 humanitarian visas.
Twenty-eight applications were denied, and 26 were rerouted to other countries.
The most common path to protection for Nigerians has been humanitarian leave—a temporary status valid for one year, rather than full refugee status under the 1951 Convention.
In 2023, a combination of post-COVID travel and stricter UK visa rules led to a spike in applications from Nigerians.
However, results were similar: one refugee status granted, 22 humanitarian visas issued, 13 rejections, and 108 cases closed, mostly as transfers to other states.
From January to May 2024, Nigerian applications dropped to 52, while Iceland processed a backlog of 149 cases. This decline coincides with a new credibility-screening policy introduced in February 2024, similar to Sweden’s more rigorous approach to asylum interviews.
Although Nigerians are the most prominent applicants from West Africa, they trail behind countries like Somalia and Eritrea in terms of successful outcomes due to longer-established diasporas and higher acceptance rates.
The top countries receiving asylum grants in Iceland include Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Eritrea, Nigeria, Russia, and Georgia, although Georgians, Russians, and Iraqis faced the highest rejection rates.
Iceland’s Directorate of Immigration operates under the Foreign Nationals Act (Act 80/2016), aligned with the 1951 Refugee Convention, EU Qualification Directive, and Dublin Regulation.
With Iceland handling just about 1,500 asylum cases per year, the report notes that even a small influx can stretch resources. In November 2023, the Ministry of Social Affairs requested emergency funds after reaching its accommodation limit, with Nigerians accounting for roughly one-fifth of the late-season lodging needs.
