Italy rejects 2,220 Nigerian asylum applications as 4,120 cases remain pending

By Ogundele Eniola

Italy rejected 2,220 asylum applications submitted by Nigerians in 2025, while 1,175 applicants received some form of protection, according to figures published in a new report on the country’s asylum system.

The figures were contained in the 2025 Italy Country Report of the Asylum Information Database (AIDA), compiled by the Association for Legal Studies on Immigration using data from Italian asylum authorities and the European Union Agency for Asylum.

The report showed that 3,385 Nigerians applied for asylum in Italy during the year, making Nigeria the only sub-Saharan African country among the top 10 nationalities seeking protection in the country.

Of the 3,390 decisions recorded on Nigerian applications in 2025, 2,220 were rejected at the first-instance stage. Another 660 applicants were granted full refugee status, while 55 received subsidiary protection and 460 obtained Italy’s special protection status.

The 1,175 Nigerians who received protection represented an overall protection rate of 34.66 per cent, higher than Italy’s national average of 30 per cent.

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The report also revealed that 4,120 Nigerian asylum cases remained pending as of December 31, 2025, highlighting the lengthy process faced by thousands of applicants seeking decisions on their claims.

Under international refugee law, full refugee status is generally granted to people who have a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Subsidiary protection may be granted to people who do not qualify as refugees but face a real risk of serious harm if returned to their country.

Italy also operates a special protection category under its national legal framework.

Across all nationalities, Italy registered 126,635 first-time asylum applications in 2025, down from 151,120 in 2024. Authorities issued 104,560 first-instance decisions during the year, with the overall protection rate falling from 35 per cent in 2024 to 30 per cent in 2025.

The report further showed that applicants from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia recorded considerably higher rejection rates than Nigerians. Egypt had 8,900 rejections out of 10,685 decisions, while Morocco recorded 5,695 rejections out of 6,315 decisions. Tunisia recorded 5,035 rejections out of 5,895 decisions.

Nigeria’s relatively higher protection rate, however, does not mean that every Nigerian applicant qualifies for refugee status. Asylum decisions are made on individual circumstances and the evidence presented by each applicant.

The figures come amid continuing debate over migration and access to international protection in Europe. Nigeria was removed from Italy’s list of safe countries of origin following a 2024 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union that challenged the country-designation mechanism.

The report’s figures reflect decisions made in 2025 and should not be interpreted as the number of Nigerians currently being deported from Italy. A rejected asylum application is a legal decision on a protection claim, and applicants may have avenues to appeal under Italian law.

With thousands of Nigerian cases still awaiting decisions at the end of 2025, the report highlights both the scale of applications from Nigerians and the uncertainty facing those seeking protection in Italy.