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How we’re reforming Nigeria’s visa, residency processes – NIS - PREMIUM TIMES

JULY 01, 2025

NIS hopes that these reforms will enhance transparency, simplify access to immigration services and foster confidence amongst migrants, investors, development partners and the general public.

byKabir Yusuf

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Monday hosted a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop on the implementation of major innovations recently introduced by the service.

The workshop took place in Abuja to build stakeholders’ capacity and ensure a seamless transition to the updated processes implemented by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

The programme also marked the public presentation of a booklet, the Guide of Nigerian Immigration Processes 2025. The booklet captures the comprehensive reforms undertaken by the NIS.

The agency hopes that these reforms will enhance transparency, simplify access to immigration services and foster confidence amongst migrants, investors, development partners and the general public.

“The booklet provides detailed and user-friendly guidance on visa categories, application procedures, residency regulations, clearance protocols and the documentation required for various immigration services and facilities,” said the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap.

But today’s event represents more than the unveiling of a document, Ms Nandap added.

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“It is a reflection of our collective efforts to reposition the Nigerian Immigration Service as a forward-looking institution committed to operational excellence, national security and facilitation of legitimate migration in line with international best practices.”

Some of the innovations are the introduction of a new visa regime under which the service is implementing e-Visa, the e-CERPAC Platform, Digitised Entry and Temporary Work Permits, and the Landing and Exit Card systems.

“All these innovations are complemented with the installation of the e-gates and, of course, our command and control here at the Service Headquarters,” Ms Nandap said.

The federal government recently launched its “Nigeria Visa Policy 2025”, which is crafted to boost Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), promote tourism, drive industrialisation, create employment opportunities and attract innovators globally.

In his speech, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, called for strict enforcement of the 2025 Nigeria Visa Policy, stating that Nigeria is not a lawless country.

While the e-Visa system improves access, he emphasised that applicants must meet clear criteria and that as of 30 June 2025, over 14,000 e-visas have been approved. He noted that all technical glitches on the e-visa system will be rectified in a few days.

Mr Tunji-Ojo noted that the e-visa aligns with global best practices and is designed to improve the traveller experience while strengthening border control.

The barcode-enabled system aims to strengthen border control and data intelligence, the minister said.

He emphasised the importance of sustained inter-agency collaboration to ensure the seamless and effective implementation of the e-visa, landing, and exit card systems. He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to a secure, efficient, and technology-driven immigration process.

Dozens of trafficked Ghanaians rescued in Nigeria - Ghana police - BUSINESS INSIDER

JULY 01, 2025

BY  Chinedu Okafor


Ghanaian authorities claim that over 70 of its citizens trafficked to Nigeria under the guise of an employment scheme have been rescued.

  • Over 70 Ghanaian citizens trafficked to Nigeria under a fraudulent employment scheme have been rescued.
  • Victims were promised football careers, job placements, or visa assistance, later facing exploitation and mistreatment.
  • Rescue operations were conducted by Ghanaian authorities with help from Interpol and Nigerian law enforcement.

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The fraudulent job scheme promised overseas jobs in football with top foreign teams, job placements abroad, or visa assistance.

When the Ghanaian victims arrived, their phones and travel documents were confiscated, and they were kept in cramped and unconducive quarters, according to a statement from the police.

To obtain approximately $1,000 (£727) under the pretense of paying training or facilitation costs, the victims were forced to contact their relatives.

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As reported by the BBC, the police statement also revealed that the scammers conned the victims' friends and family by using their phone contact lists.

Lydia Yaako Donkor, head of Ghana's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), revealed that the rescue mission was conducted with the aid of Interpol and Nigerian law enforcement agencies.

The victims were rescued from numerous states in Nigeria, between May 19 and June 27 of this year, and they have not yet been sent back to Ghana to be with their relatives.

So far, around 7 Ghanaians have been arrested in connection with the scam.

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"The psychological and economic harm caused to these victims and their families is devastating," Ghana’s CID head stated, adding that in many cases, the victims are "so malnourished and psychologically affected" that they are unable to resume their normal lives.

The international lifestyle and wellness marketing firm QNET, which was allegedly associated with the recruitment scam, has been prohibited from doing business in Ghana since 2022 due to allegations that it operated a Ponzi scheme.

On several occasions, the company has refuted any role in the conspiracy.

The police disclosed that they are working to find the culprits involved in the scam, as Lydia Donkor warns families to confirm offers of high-paying jobs and overseas schooling before accepting them.

FG clears 14,000 e-visas, targets overstayers in renewed crackdown - PUNCH

JULY 01, 2025

BY  Stephen Angbulu


The Federal Government has set August 1, 2025, as the deadline to begin issuing stiff penalties to foreigners who have overstayed their visas.

However, it opened an online immigration amnesty portal in July to allow affected individuals to regularise their stay before the penalties take effect.

“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100 per cent and, of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria,” Interior Minister, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said on Monday.

He disclosed this at a stakeholders’ sensitisation on major Nigeria Immigration Service innovations in international passenger travel, at the Service headquarters in Abuja.

He also said the recently launched electronic visa regime has processed over 14,000 applications within its first six weeks.

He told members of the diplomatic corps, “Please tell your people to take advantage of the amnesty,” adding that once the grace period lapsed, the law would be enforced 100 per cent.

“I plead with you, we are opening the immigration amnesty portal in July, I think within the next one or two days. Please, for the benefit of our diplomatic corps, encourage your people to take advantage of it.

“Once the amnesty period is over, we will implement the law 100 per cent, and of course, there will be a penalty for overstaying in Nigeria.

“Our laws are not meant to be abused.

Our laws are meant to be respected. And wherever you are from, once you are in Nigeria, you must respect the laws of Nigeria,” he affirmed.

The amnesty is part of a broader reform package first unveiled in April and due to take effect in two phases. From May 1, the Interior Ministry introduced a $15 daily surcharge for each day a visitor remains in the country beyond the date stamped in their passport.

However, it simultaneously offered a three-month moratorium—stretching to July 31—to allow people to regularise their papers without paying the fine.

Beginning August 1, anyone still out of status faces not only the accrued surcharge but a five-year re-entry ban for overstays of six months and a 10-year ban for those who remain a year or more, according to the implementation guidelines published by the Nigeria Immigration Service.

The new portal enables holders of expired visa-on-arrival permits, lapsed single-entry visas, or overdue expatriate residence cards to apply online for a stay permit, upload supporting documents, and receive clearance without needing to visit an immigration office.


Tunji-Ojo also announced that the Federal Government saved nearly N1bn annually after scrapping a contract for the physical archiving of passport and visa documents in late 2023.

He said, “We cancelled the physical presentation [and] manual archiving that was costing us almost a billion a year.

“It gives us the opportunity to verify those documents ahead of time, so the integrity of our foundational data is better enhanced…saving us almost a billion naira every year,” he said.

The e-passport automation drive formally began on January 8, 2024, when the interior ministry ordered the NIS to phase out paper files and middlemen, and route all new or renewal requests through a revamped web portal.

Applicants at home and abroad now complete an online form, pay electronically and upload birth certificates, proof of address and passport photos.

The portal’s back-end conducts preliminary security checks, allowing immigration officers to flag anomalies long before an applicant appears at the capture centre, the service said.

A public advisory circulated to Nigerian missions abroad urged would-be travellers to “check requirements, test photos and book appointments” entirely online, eliminating the queues and ad hoc fees that once plagued the process.

In late 2024, the ministry cleared a backlog of 204,000 passports and set an April 2025 deadline for “contactless” renewals that require only a selfie-style facial scan instead of fingerprint pads.

By May 2025, officials stated that 99 per cent of passport issuance was end-to-end digital, with the remaining tasks—biometric capture and booklet pick-up—compressed into 20-minute slots.

Tunji-Ojo said the passport automation drive has “cured the madness of scarcity” and, with it, the petty graft once fuelled by desperate applicants.

“Years ago, people waited months and paid touts N200,000, sometimes N500,000, for a N100,000 booklet,” he recalled, adding, “If you want to kill corruption, kill scarcity.”

He revealed that the electronic Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card and the electronic Temporary Work Permit would go live within the next week.

“I can tell you that within the first six weeks of the e-visa, we were able to process over 14,000 visa applications. Within six weeks.

“So, by any standard in the world, that is a pass mark. It is a huge one and, of course, those little hitches, I tell you, within the next one to two weeks, will be history. We will correct them,” Tunji-Ojo said.


The former lawmaker gave a glimpse of the backstage work: “We are already working. Even yesterday in my house, the CGIS was there. Technological partners were at my house. The DCG visa was in my house. All of us were in my house.

“We worked for hours yesterday, Sunday, even in my conference room at home. We were working because we understand that when you are in the process of innovation, there is no room, there is no opportunity for you to close your eyes. You must make sure it works. We are ready for the challenge.”

The minister explained that the e-visa system would spur economic growth.

“To me, when somebody needs a visa to Nigeria, and all he is looking for is who knows the minister, who knows the CG Immigration, who knows the permanent secretary, that is not how to grow a country. That is the truth.

“You must make it easy while not compromising national security. There must be a strategy. So, the e-visa, I want to assure you, by the grace of God, is here to stay,” he stated.

Regarding the upcoming e-CERPAC and TWP, the minister declared an end to the previous misuse of the TWP system.

“That era when people will come on TWP almost for free, keep renewing over and over, just to evade the law, is gone. So, for us, TWP is automated just like CERPAC is already automated,” he stated.

The Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, said the new visa regime introduced several innovative services, including the e-Visa Application Channel, e-CERPAC, Landing and Exit Cards, and Temporary Work Permits.

“The already installed e-Gates at our major airports and commissioned command and control centre are positioned to house and harness these technologies.

“These digital solutions leverage technology to streamline processes, enhance security, and improve the overall experience for travellers and stakeholders,” she said.

According to Nandap, “The e-Visa system allows for seamless online applications, eliminating the need for physical visits to immigration offices.”

She further added, “The e-CERPAC integrates residence permits into a digital document, simplifying processes for foreign nationals residing in Nigeria.

“Our Temporary Work Permit has also been digitised, reducing processing times and increasing efficiency.”


Italy to issue half million non-EU work visas over next three years - FRANCE24

JULY 04, 2025

Italy will issue nearly 500,000 new work visas for non-EU nationals from 2026 to 2028, a cabinet statement said on Monday, as part of a strategy to expand legal immigration channels in response to labour shortages. 

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