Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a sovereign country in West Africa bordering Niger in the north, Chad in the northeast, Cameroon in the east, and Benin in the west. Its southern coast is on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a federal republic comprising 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja, is located. Lagos is the most populous city in the country and the African continent, as well as one of the largest metropolitan areas in the world.
Nigeria is a multinational state inhabited by more than 250 ethnic groups speaking 500 distinct languages, all identifying with a wide variety of cultures. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausa–Fulani in the north, Yoruba in the west, and Igbo in the east, together comprising over 60% of the total population. Nigeria is a founding member of the African Union and a member of many other international organizations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the ECOWAS, and OPEC. The country has Africa’s largest population and largest economy.
Nigeria provides an array of housing types for residents to choose from, including free-standing (detached) homes, townhomes, duplexes, apartments, and, as is popular with expats, homes inside gated estates. Homes do not often come with white goods included, though many apartment complexes have laundry facilities on site. Rental properties are often in high demand in major cities.
1-bedroom apartments are very few and are not particularly popular with expats. Most apartment complexes are 2- and 3-bedroom. 3-bedroom houses are common, while 4-bedroom houses and 5-bedroom house are few and far between.
Most houses come unfurnished with a few furnished options. It is not common to rent furniture in Nigeria. Most expats prefer to buy from foreign furniture companies which are expensive or locals which are good and less expensive. It is also possible to negotiate with the owner to include providing furniture at a slightly higher rental.
Most expats find suitable properties quite easily, it all depends on budget, location, size & personal preference Most rental payments are required in advance for the full lease period. The market has remained stagnant for a long time and there are a lot of construction and developments coming up.
Housing Facts
Popular Expat Areas
Ikoyi
Victoria Island
Lekki
Banana Island
Indicative Pricing (Unfurnished)
2-bedroom apartment: USD 1,000 – 1,700 p.m.
3-bedroom house: USD 2,800 – 3,500 p.m.
4-bedroom house: USD 3,500 – 3,900 p.m.
Indicative Pricing (Furnished)
2-bedroom apartment: USD 1,500 – 2,200 p.m.
3-bedroom apartment: USD 2,900 – 3,200 p.m.
3-bedroom house: USD 3,200 – 3,700 p.m.
General Knowledge
Nigeria’s film industry, known as Nollywood, is one of the largest film producers in the world.
General Knowledge
Major export groups from Nigeria include agriculture and petroleum.
Nigeria offers good quality schooling, with a variety of government, private, and international (foreign language) schools on offer. Foreign countries represented with international schools include the United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, and France. Nigerian universities include University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, and Covenant University Ota.
Expat children generally attend private or international schools. Gaining admission to these schools will vary and some wait lists may be in place. Most school applications can be submitted online and there may be tests and interviews required. School fees will also vary depending on the year the child is to be enrolled for. Most school fees are to be paid in NGN but the American and French schools will also accept payment in USD or Euros. On top of the basic school fees, expat parents will need to budget for extra expenses such as textbooks, school uniforms and field trips.
Education Facts
Curricula
The school year runs from September to July. The schooling system operates on the basis of 6 years spent in Primary School, 3 years in Junior Secondary, and a further 3 years spent in Senior Secondary. Learners graduate with a Senior School Certificate.
Companies with foreign participation intending to do business in Nigeria or potential investors in Nigeria are required to seek and obtain the consent of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The consent issued is in form of a “Business Permit” and an “Expatriate Quota”. The Business Permit is required if the Directors of the company are foreign nationals. The expatriate quota is issued to foreign companies desirous of hiring expatriate employees. The expatriate quota is a permit issued by the Ministry of the Interior that allows a company registered in Nigeria to employ expatriates. Typically, the Expatriate Quota is granted for a period ranging between two to three years at the discretion of the Minister of the Interior and is subject to renewal upon expiration. The quota is issued to the company and not the expatriate. As such, when the expatriate leaves the company, the position reverts to the sponsor company and the company may place another expatriate in the same position for as long as the quota position remains valid.
Long-term Work Permit STR Visa
A STR (Subject to Regularization) Visa is a type of visa required by foreigners seeking to take up long term employment in Nigeria.
The processing time for the STR Visa application with the Nigerian embassy in the assignees country of residence is approximately between 2 – 3 weeks (subject to a request for additional documents).
Once the STR visa is issued, the assignee would proceed to Nigeria to apply for resident permit.
The in-country process would take about 2 weeks. The employee will apply for CERPAC (Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card) so as to regularize his/her stay in Nigeria.
Please note that it is not unusual for Consulates to request for a copy of the security clearance issued for the grant of the STR visa from the office of the Comptroller.
CERPAC
CERPAC is an acronym for Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card. It is a green card that issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service which allows the expatriate employee to live and work in Nigeria for 12 (twelve) months after which he/she can apply for a renewal for a further period of another 12 (twelve) months provided the quota position occupied remains valid. Once the STR visa is issued and the employee arrives in-country, we would endeavor to regularize the expatriate employee’s stay in Nigeria by making an application to the Comptroller General of Immigration “CGI” requesting for the regularization.
Once the CERPAC application is approved the Nigeria Immigration Service “NIS” issues to the expatriate a green colored non-transferrable card, generally referred to as ‘CERPAC’.
Short-term Work Permit
Temporary Work Permit (TWP)
The TWP visa is a single-entry visa, which permits an expatriate employee to stay in the country for a period of 56 days (at the discretion of the Comptroller). At its expiration, it can be extended in country for a period of thirty (30) days or sixty (60) days as may be required.
Companies that intend to engage the services of expatriates for short term assignments and require the expatriates to reside in Nigeria during the assignment are required to apply to the Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI) for TWP.
The TWP application process is a two-stage process. The first leg is an in-country application where in the assignee obtains a pre-approval from the Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI) in Nigeria. The approval obtained is a TWP Cablegram which is submitted along with other required documents for the issuance of the TWP visa. The second leg of the application is obtaining the TWP visa at the Nigeria embassy at the assignee’s country of residence.
The TWP is a single-entry work visa authorization valid for 2 (two) to three months at the discretion of the Comptroller General of Immigration (CGI). It is important to note that the recent immigration regulation 2017 provides for implementation of the issuance of TWP outside the expatriate quota provision and maybe extended in-country for another thirty (30) days.
Visa on Arrival (VOA)
The VOA is a category of short-term visa which is issued to foreigners at the port of entry into the country. It was introduced by the Federal Government as part of the action plan of the ease of doing business in Nigeria. It eliminates the option of filing for an application for a business visa at the embassy, which is usually for the purpose of urgent business travels. This VOA is available for foreign travelers who wish to travel to Nigeria for meetings, conferences, seminars, contract negotiation, marketing, sales, purchase and distribution of Nigerian goods, trade fairs, job interviews.
The application is a two (2) stage application process. The first stage is to obtain pre-approval from the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (CGI) before the assignee’s arrival in the country. The pre-approval permits the assignee to board and aircraft and arrive in Nigeria.
The second stage is the endorsement of the assignee’s passport at the visa-on-arrival section at the port of entry at the international airport. A card payment of the visa fee is paid on arrival at the port of entry.
The VOA scheme has so far proved to be an efficient means of eradicating the bottlenecks associated with obtaining business visas at Nigeria Missions abroad. It is important to state that the VOA is not valid for employment or residence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to state that the TWP is not a general-purpose employment permit but rather a special purpose visa that only applies to expatriates invited to Nigeria to execute specialized short-term assignments and cannot be converted to a permanent work permit. Also, spouses and dependents of beneficiaries of a TWP visa cannot be admitted into Nigeria solely on the basis of the TWP visa issued to the principal applicant.
The Long-term work permit on the other hand follows the mode of applying for a foreigner his or her spouse and dependents and also allows the expatriate employee to live and work in Nigeria for 12 months after which he/she can apply for a renewal for a further period as long as the expatriate quota of the company remains valid.
Visa Facts
Immigration Services
We are able to assist with a wide variety of visas across Africa, including Family, Study, Spousal, Short-term work, Long-term work, and Temporary Visitor visas.
Outbound
We offer outbound immigration services to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as Migration Through Investment programs for Grenada, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus, and the United States.
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