Nigeria imposes sanctions on illegal foreigners: Immigration Bureau imposes sanctions on foreigners with expired visas

The Nigerian Immigration Service proposes to end its amnesty program for foreign nationals whose residence status has expired and regularize their stay in Nigeria without penalty.

With the end of this program, the Immigration Bureau has announced that foreigners who obtain a visa and overstay will be subject to severe penalties.

The initiative, which the Ministry of Home Affairs and Nigeria’s Immigration Service has dubbed the Revocation Visa Initiative (Amnesty), aims to allow foreign nationals to live in Nigeria illegally and regularize their immigration status without a grace period or wahala.

According to the NIS, the grace period began in May this year and is scheduled to end on August 31, but the government plans to extend the deadline by one month to September 30, 2025.

Nigeria’s immigration list includes categories of foreign nationals who are subject to overstay visas.

“With the expiration of the amnesty period, effective October 1, 2025, enforcement actions will begin nationwide against foreigners who overstay their visas or violate entry conditions,” the Immigration Department said.

The Immigration Bureau has listed the affected visa categories. Compulsory enforcement applies to the following categories of foreigners:

The NIS states Bin’s reasons for the amnesty program and says to ensure the immigration system is safe, transparent, effective and predictable.

The government says that due to internal security issues, the government will also help obtain beta data of living people for Diacontri.

However, even after the deadline, individuals who have not submitted updated documentation face full deportation by law enforcement and are barred from re-entering Nigeria.

Businesses and businesses that employ foreign nationals may face fines, deportation of the affected foreign nationals, or disruption of business operations if documentation is incorrect.

Immigration officials say foreign nationals who do not comply with the law face penalties and risk being deported from Nigeria.

Sanctions will be imposed on foreign nationals found to be in violation of Nigeria’s immigration laws.

Sanctions include payment of overstay fines, deportation, and restrictions on future entry into Nigeria.

Foreign nationals who overstay or violate entry conditions will be barred from entering Nigeria.

– Overstaying for less than 3 months will result in eviction.

– Payment of $15 per day for each day of overstay or the option of a two-year entry ban.

– Removal can take anywhere from 3 months to 1 year.

– Option of paying $15 per day or being banned from entering the country for 5 years.

– Attracts removal for more than a year.

– 10 year entry ban/permanent entry ban.

This is not the first time that the Nigerian government has rolled out amnesty for illegal aliens to regularize Contri’s immigration status.

In July 2019, under the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, e-bin announced a six-month amnesty period for illegal aliens living in Nigeria to renew their national documents without payment or fines.

Now, if foreigners refuse to submit their documents or overstay, the government should impose fines until they are released.