The British High Commission in Nigeria has dismissed recent reports regarding changes to UK visa rules for Nigerians, saying no new restrictions had been introduced. The Commission stated this on the back of the reports on planned new visa restrictions on three countries, including Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, saying that the UK government is constantly reviewing its immigration system …

The Nigerian government has given foreigners with expired visa three months to vacate the country. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), announced this in a statement released on Friday, 2 May, 2025. In the statement by the Public Relations Officer, Akinsola Akinlabi the Nigeria Immigration Service warned that overstaying now attracts daily fines of ‘$15, plus bans of up to five …

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has imposed new penalties targeting individuals who violate Hajj permit regulations. The Ministry of Interior made this known on Thursday saying the sanctions include a heavy fine of $26,661 on those who apply for visit visas on behalf of people attempting to perform Hajj without proper authorisation. The new measures, released via the Saudi Press …

Australia’s ruling Labour Party has announced plans to raise international student visa fees to A$2,000 if returned to office, as part of a broader strategy to manage immigration and generate revenue from the country’s booming education sector, Reuters reported on Monday. The proposed increase, up from the current A$1,600, is expected to generate A$760 million over four years, according to …

The UK Home Office has revised the list of Secure English Language Tests (SELT) accepted for visa and citizenship applications. The SELT is a mandatory requirement for various visa categories and UK citizenship applications. This update introduces new test formats and clarifies requirements for applicants worldwide. The change was announced on the official UK Government website, aiming to make the …

The United States Embassy has announced revised visa interview requirements for Nigerian applicants, set to take effect from 22 April. According to a statement on Friday by the US mission, all applicants attending interviews in Abuja and Lagos must present a DS-160 visa application form featuring a confirmation barcode beginning with ‘AA’ followed by two zeroes. The barcode must correspond …

The Federal Government (FG) has announced stricter immigration penalties, warning that expatriates who overstay their visas beyond six months will face a five-year entry ban, while overstaying for one year will attract a 10-year ban. Additionally, the government said overstaying will incur a daily fine of $15, starting from the visa’s stated exit date, effective from 1 August. The Minister …

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Federal Government and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will resolve issues related to visa procurement for Nigerians seeking to travel to the UAE. In a statement following the visit of the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria. Ambassador Salem Alshamsi, the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador …

The United States Department of State has attributed recent challenges Nigerians face applying for US visas to a partial systems outage. Press Officer, Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Jennifer Johnson, made this known in response to an inquiry made by The PUNCH. The PUNCH had been inundated with reports of glitches …

The Federal Government has revealed plans to discontinue its visa-on-arrival policy, describing it as ’unsustainable’ and a potential security risk. The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Friday at the graduation ceremony of 100 officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) who underwent a five-day specialised training on the application of Advance Passenger Information/Passenger Name Record data …