The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) launched the new Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) in 2020; it included a transition from the old regime of six visa classes to the new regime of 79 visa classes. These visas fall into four categories: countries exempted from visa application based on bilateral agreements (ECOWAS countries); Short Term Visas with 24 visa classes; Temporary Residence Visas with 36 classes; and Permanent Residence Visas.
“The NVP is quite interesting as it has introduced a lot of exciting trends and opportunities for the country itself in terms of foreign direct investment and investment thanks to knowledge and skills of the immigrants,” commented Pamilerin Akabunwa, Senior Associate at Famsville Solicitors. “Other recent developments include E-registration, tax document submissions, and the issuance of Brown Cards.”
Visa applications globally are notoriously tricky, and applicants often require assistance from those more familiar with the process. At the roundtable, Jaco Dallas, Immigration Manager at Executive Relocations in Africa & the Middle East, highlighted challenges related to inconsistencies in applying for Combined Expatriate Residence Permits and Alien Cards (CERPAC) and Subject To Regularisation (STR) visas. He suggested that Online Integrated Service (OIS) embassies upload the correct list of requirements to facilitate research and ensure compliance during submission.
Akabunwa, too, pointed out that the major challenge with OIS offices is a lack of communication. “Bridging this gap by providing accurate information on the website and involving OIS officers is crucial,” she said.
There seems to be a large opportunity for Nigerian embassies to improve efficiency by using digital channels and technology. Dallas suggested creating an e-application portal for uploading documents according to embassy requirements and using artificial intelligence for document review. Akabunwa echoed his sentiments, emphasising the importance of reducing paperwork, improving feedback, and communicating reasons for rejection to visa applicants.
There are also numerous obstacles when it comes to bringing skilled expatriates into Nigeria. Dallas highlighted the challenge of ensuring that expatriates’ qualifications match their job roles. “This challenge is not specific to Nigeria but is a general challenge across all African countries I interface with,” he said. To negate this, he often consults local partners to align CVs with job roles and quotas.
Akabunwa pointed out that the most recent trend with visa application channels such as the OIS and the Nigerian Immigration Service is the shift from requiring professional qualifications to academic qualifications in visa applications.
Many expatriates want to take their families with them to Nigeria, and Akabunwa explained that the NVP allows expats’ spouses, children, and elderly parents to enter Nigeria under various visa classes.
With increasing numbers of natural disasters globally, and Covid-19 fresh in everyone’s mind, talk turned to handling national health emergencies. Akabunwa suggested that the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) still needs to be more proactive, but she also highlighted the introduction of the Emergency Relief Visa class which aims to address emergency situations more effectively in the future.
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