Nigeria: Stricter Guidelines, Online Processes and Inspections Implemented for Immigration-Related Processes
February 2, 2022
Country / Territory
Share
At a Glance
- The Federal Ministry of Interior in Nigeria announced new guidelines for immigration-related processes, including requiring companies with Expatriate Quota positions in the ‘Permanent Until Reviewed’ immigration status to submit letters of approval before February 28, 2022; requiring companies to submit their monthly returns online; and implementing inspections by the Federal Ministry of Interior.
- Companies should ensure that they comply with the new guidelines or they may face fines or the cancelation of their employees’ immigration status.
- The new guidelines will allow the government to better regulate immigration processes.
The situation
The Federal Ministry of Interior (FMI) in Nigeria announced new guidelines for immigration-related processes, including requiring companies with Expatriate Quota positions in the ‘Permanent Until Reviewed’ immigration status to submit letters of approval; requiring companies to submit their monthly returns online; and implementing inspections by the Federal Ministry of Interior.
A closer look
Details on the new guidelines and applicable fees are described below:
| Change | Details | Impact |
| Resubmission of Letter of Approvals for ‘Permanent Until Reviewed’ (PUR) status positions under Expatriate Quota |
|
Companies should review their human resources files and re-submit letters of approval prior to February 28, 2022. Companies who fail to do so will have the work authorization of their foreign nationals in PUR status canceled and these foreign nationals will have to leave Nigeria to avoid irregular immigration status. |
| Online submission of monthly returns |
|
The new online system is expected to make the monthly return process both more efficient and accurate. Companies that do not comply with filing their monthly returns will be fined as under the previous paper-based process. |
| FMI inspections |
The FMI is beginning to conduct inspections to ensure that companies comply with immigration laws. Companies will have to pay fees to cover these inspections depending on their location:
The inspection fees must be paid to the FMI every two years. Additional inspection fees can be found here. |
Companies should ensure that their human resources files are up-to-date and be aware that they will be required to pay inspection fees every two years. |
Background
The FMI is issuing new guidelines to allow the government to better regulate immigration processes to conform with international best practices, including digitalization.
Looking ahead
Although the guidelines took effect on January 24, 2022, some of the provisions have not been fully implemented. Fragomen will continue to report on updates as the guidelines are implemented.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
