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Thursday,
April 16, 2020 / 03:37 PM / by KPMG Nigeria / Header Image Credit: KPMG Nigeria
On 8 April 2020, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS)
issued a circular confirming the approval of the Honourable Minister of
Interior for the grant of payment waiver to visitors / migrants affected by the
travel ban and the closure of international airports in Nigeria as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further to the circular, all visitors / migrants
holding valid visitor's pass / residence permits with confirmed return ticket
and who were scheduled to leave Nigeria within the period of the travel
restriction would be granted relevant extensions at no cost. Affected persons
are expected to reschedule their flights and travel within a week of the
suspension of the restriction. However, the payment waiver does not extend
to visitors / migrants whose permits had expired before the travel restriction.
Such persons would be required to pay the relevant penalty for the number of
days in default before the travel restriction.
Comments
The issuance of the waiver by the Federal Ministry of
Interior is a welcome development. The waiver will provide relief to affected
expatriates who could not exit the country since the imposition of the travel
ban, and who may have been concerned about the extension fees and penalties
ranging from $400 to $4,000.
The circular provides a general framework which might
not have addressed the specific circumstances of all migrants. For instance, it
is not clear what form of extension will be granted to migrants who could not
renew their expired residence permits within the prescribed 30-day period due
to the lockdown, and have no plans to leave the country after the
lockdown. Also, there might be other exceptional cases, such as migrants
whose residence permits expired during the lockdown and their services are no
longer required by their employers.
It is our expectation that the NIS will provide
clarifications on how these categories of persons will be treated. This
will prevent a situation where when the travel restriction is lifted, the
affected expatriates will be required to pay the extension and penalty fees for
not renewing their residence permits within the time allowed, or otherwise overstaying
in the country against their wish.
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