Foreign nationals who overstay their visas for more than six months risk a five-year entry ban, while those who overstay for a year risk a 10-year ban, according to the Federal Government’s announcement of tougher immigration sanctions.
Additionally, from the specified exit date of the visa, overstayers will be subject to a $15 daily fee commencing on August 1, 2025.
At a meeting with the organized private sector and other stakeholders on Friday at the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association House in Ikeja, Lagos, Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo made the news.
The Ministry of Interior’s new Expatriate Administration System, which will introduce a number of reforms on May 1, 2025, was announced by Tunji-Ojo.
Future revisions include an updated Combined Expatriate Resident Permit and Alien Card, an automated Landing and Exit Card, an Electronic Visa, and Expatriate Comprehensive Insurance.
Additional modifications include the implementation of a revamped expatriate quota system, a temporary work permit, and a temporary resident visa.
The changes are intended to reduce visa overstays and gather precise information on foreigners living in Nigeria, Tunji-Ojo clarified.
He emphasized the need for trustworthy statistics to allow efficient planning, pointing out that present records indicate fewer than 50,000 expatriates, which he called erroneous.
The new technology will automate the Landing and Exit Cards. It will now be necessary for expatriates to fill out these cards online.
“You must apply for extensions from outside Nigeria and leave the country on or before your visa expiration date,” he stated. Along with the $15 daily charge, overstayers will face penalties that include a five-year ban for six-month overstays and a 10-year ban for one-year overstays. The automated method will assist in tracking overstayers.
Expatriates will have three months starting on May 1 to regularize their status before the penalties fully take effect in August 2025.
Applicants will be able to receive visas in as little as 48 hours thanks to the new Electronic Visa system, which also launches on May 1.
This new approach takes the place of the former visa-on-arrival system, which was susceptible to influence-peddling and corruption.
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According to Tunji-Ojo, the e-visa system will facilitate genuine visitors’ and business travelers’ entrance to Nigeria, creating chances without the obstacles of the previous procedure.
Furthermore, a policy of Expatriate Comprehensive Insurance will now be required. Tunji-Ojo clarified that the purpose of this program was to solve the government’s yearly repatriation costs, which have continuously beyond budgetary allotments. By paying for defaulters’ repatriation expenses, the insurance will lessen the financial strain on the government.
Additionally, there will be no fee increases associated with the completely automated CERPAC procedure. Interpol and the system will work together to improve the tracking of criminals and people with dubious motives. Additionally, employers will now be held responsible for any immigration infractions that their foreign workers commit.
