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The federal government has launched a large policy aimed at punishing oversayers visa in Nigeria, in addition to the full digitalization of the main immigration process.
This moves to tighten immigration compliance and improve the inefficiency of bureaucracy,
The Minister of Home Affairs, Olubunmi Tupi-Ojo, announced steps during a high-level stakeholder meeting on Friday at the Neca House in Lagos. This event was centered on reforms to the expatriate and renewal quota system about the upcoming Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2025.
Starting August 1, 2025, foreign nationals who exceed their visa validity will face a daily sentence of $ 15, the Minister said. Those who live more than three months take the risk of a five -year prohibition from re -entering Nigeria, while oversays exceed one year can cause a permanent ban.
The policy, although strict, comes with a three-month grace period which began in May 2025-window amnesty for foreign citizens to regulate their immigration status or make an arrangement to leave the country without a penalty.
“From the first August, if you have not used the amnesty period, the sentence will apply,” said Tunji-Ojo. “But if you use the window to manage your status, we will not collect you. This is not about punishment. This is about creating a clean and responsible immigration system. We need to know who is in our country and why.”
The Minister is honest in his delivery, speaking not only as a policy maker but also as a national interest servant: “If you have been more than three months old, you get five years. More than one year? Please don’t return. Nigeria is not a safe place for violators.”
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Along with the hard action, the government also launched a full digital process to obtain a joint expatriate residence permit and an Alien Card (Cerpac), an important document for foreign citizens who live and work in Nigeria.
Regulated to be aired on May 1, the digital platform will allow applicants to fill in and send forms online, make payments electronically, and track their application status without setting foot in government offices. Special portals will be available through the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) website.
“We do not increase the cost of Cerpac,” Tunji-ojo convincingly. “What we do is clean the system. There is no direct purchase form or queuing in the bank. Everything will now be done with the comfort of your desk-as should in the 21st century country.”
He added that the changed system would be integrated on an international database, including Interpol, to ensure that Nigeria was not a hiding place for fugitives. “If you have a criminal record, don’t apply. This place is not safe for you,” he warned.
In an effort to harmonize Nigerian immigration practices with global standards, the government also plans to hold an entrepreneur’s accountability for the legal status of their foreign staff. “Entrepreneurs will be responsible. That’s how it is done globally. If you recruit, make sure your employees obey. Our business with you, business owners,” the Minister emphasized.
Tunji-ojo notes that reform is the result of more than one year of consultation and research on the best practices throughout the world, signifying the shift of bureaucratic stagnation to strategic modernization.
“This is about the development of the nation. We do not close our door to the world-we only say: Be right, remain right.”
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