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TL;DR
From January to July 2025, Canada granted 239,540 permanent residence approvals.
India was still the country that provided the highest number of authorizations, with 68,055.
Africa provided about one-fifth of the total, with both Cameroon and Nigeria appearing in the top five.
The federal government's targets for immigration from French-speaking countries outside of Quebec include arrivals from Cameroon and other African countries.
In 2025, Canada accepted more permanent residents from African countries, even though India remained the top source by a large margin. African countries accounted for about one-fifth of the authorizations granted between January and July, according to an analysis of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada data.
During a seven-month period, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) granted 239,540 permanent residence approvals, of which India received 68,055, accounting for 28.4% of the total, according to a country-by-country analysis of IRCC's open data.
The Philippines came second with 15,580 authorizations, China was next with 12,390, Cameroon had 11,835 and Nigeria had 9,865; the five leading countries together made up 49.1 per cent of all authorizations.
The statistics show the country of citizenship rather than the place of birth, previous place of residence, or the intended destination in Canada; furthermore, the IRCC rounds the figures that it publishes and omits entries ranging from zero to five, which is why the totals for each country shown may not exactly add up to the overall figure, as indicated by the federal open-data portal.
Cameroon’s numbers have climbed quickly
Cameroon's rise is perhaps the most evident of all the changes in the country rankings; its annual total rose from 7,210 in 2022 to 13,085 in 2023 and then hit 22,375 in 2024, with an additional 11,835 authorisations being recorded in the first seven months of 2025.
Nigeria, Eritrea, Algeria, and Sudan were also among the 20 largest source countries during the January to July period, Asian countries still occupying the top position whereas African countries had a greater combined share.
The figures for the years 2022 to 2024 refer to full calendar years, whereas the country table for 2025 covers a period of seven months. Furthermore, authorizations do not always correspond to arrivals over the same period.
Francophone targets support African immigration
The fact that Cameroon holds this position can be explained by Canada's efforts to attract more French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec. According to the IRCC's 2025 Francophone immigration dashboard, there were 29,630 admissions of French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec, equivalent to 8.9% of all admissions in that region.
The figure went beyond the federal target of 8.5 per cent, with Cameroon being the country with the highest number of citizens in this group, then Algeria, Morocco, and France. Eighty-four point eight per cent of the French-language admissions outside Quebec were from people who were citizens of African and Middle Eastern countries.
Ottawa was the most popular destination of choice for these newcomers, having 12,125 admissions, Toronto had 4,105, and both Edmonton and Calgary received more than 1,300.
The federal government intends to increase the Francophone admission target beyond Quebec to 9.5% by 2026 and to 10% by 2027, despite the fact that the overall targets for permanent residents are decreasing. The targets for the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan are set at 395,000 admissions in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.
What this means for you
The position a country holds in the source list does not give it priority processing or have any effect on an applicant's eligibility. Whether or not you qualify is still determined by your immigration category, your language results, your work experience, any provincial nomination, and the other requirements of the programme.
French-speaking applicants should keep an eye on the federal and provincial streams intended for settlement outside of Quebec.
Although the total number of permanent resident spots is being reduced, Canada is increasing its Francophone admissions target, which could influence where invitations and nomination places are directed. When comparing these figures, applicants should also note the difference between authorizations and admissions, since approvals and arrivals may occur in different reporting periods.
