Nigeria: Stricter Guidelines, Online Processes and Inspections Implemented for Immigration-Related Processes

• • Companies that have been granted Expatriate Quota positions for PUR status must re-submit received copies of letters of approval by February 28, 2022, to the office of the Deputy Director in the Citizenship and Business Department.
  • This allows the FMI to assess how long each foreign national has held PUR status and to verify the eligibility of the foreign national.
  • Only companies granted Expatriate Quota positions for PUR status are subject to this requirement. 

• • Companies must submit monthly returns via an online portal.
  • Previously, monthly returns were submitted in paper form to the appropriate offices at the FMI and Nigerian Immigration Service.
  • Monthly returns are reports regarding a company’s use of the Expatriate Quota. They include information such as the foreign national’s nationality and their entry and departure records.
  • Companies should also ensure that their Expatriate and Nigeria Understudies (Nigerians who receive training by foreign nationals in order to transfer skills to the local population) obtain National Identification Numbers, which are now required in the monthly return filings.

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:

• • Inspection of organizations that are located outside Federal Capital Territory (FCT): NGN 150,000 (approximately USD 360.87)
  • Inspection of organizations in FCT or out of state: NGN 80,000 (approximately USD 192.46)
  • Inspection of organizations located in FCT and neighboring states: NGN 45,000 (approximately USD 108.26)

The inspection fees must be paid to the FMI every two years. Additional inspection fees can be found here.