How Cost of Residential Permit Aid Expatriates’ Illegally Stay in Nigeria

Chinedu Eze

The desire of the federal government to increase foreign direct investment in Nigeria may be facing some setbacks due to the high cost of residential permit which was increased from $2000 to $3, 750 in August last year and N300, 000/N500, 000 quota verification fees for expatriates already in Nigeria, introduced by the Ministry of Interior.

The Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) may have temporarily suspended the issuance of permit to expatriate males who are married to Nigerian women and foreign wives of Nigerian men, known as Nigerian wives.

Informed source in Nigeria Immigration Service told THISDAY that expatriates who already had the permit before June 2025 are requested to pay N300, 000 quota verification fees, while applicants who obtained their permit after June last year are expected to N500, 000 quota verification fees.

The source said that many expatriates already in Nigeria are finding it difficult to renew, while others say the fees are exorbitant.

“Expatriates who have travelled cannot come back and many of them staying in Nigeria are staying illegally because of the difficulty in renewing their residential permit.,” the source said.

However, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Akinsola Akinlabi, told THISDAY that the quota permit paid by applicants for residential permit is not from NIS but from the Ministry of Interior. He also confirmed the increase in residential permit fee from $2000 to $3,750, saying that $1000 out of the sum is for insurance.

On residential permit men who are married to Nigerian women and women who are married to Nigerian men, he said that the process was not suspended but those who applied may be going through some default because NIS is reforming that process currently.

“The portal is free and accessible and whatever we are doing is transparent. Forget about what people are saying, you should open the portal by yourself. There is no difficult in accessing the portal,” Akinlabi said.

He also said that applicants for residential permit have been paying the increased fee since last year August; that it is not new.

On the allegation that some expatriates might be staying illegally in Nigeria, he said that this is not possible because most of the expatriates are working for companies and NIS monitors these companies.