Nigeria Immigration Service unveils online Visa-on-Arrival platform

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced the introduction of a liberalised online Visa on Arrival (VOA) facility to the public, especially foreign investors willing to invest in Nigeria.

The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Muhammad Babandede, made the announcement on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr. Babandede said the measure was part of the resolution of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) aimed at attracting foreign investors to the country.

“?As a critical member of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), the NIS has automated its visa application and processing services at all entry points.

“This is to ensure that all genuine requests for Visa on Arrival facility from any part of the world are processed and issued within 48 hours (two working days),” he said.

He explained that the? online VOA application and processing facility is a product of robust visa reforms regime intended to bring Nigeria in tandem with global best practices and attract Foreign Direct Investors and skilled professionals into the country.

The controller-general said the new process was? designed to eliminate all unnecessary bureaucratic visa processing procedures in Nigerian Missions abroad.

He said it was also to serve the interests of would-be visitors from countries where Nigeria does not have a Mission.?

He said that? ?a dedicated e-mail address oa@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng had been deployed where visa applicants, their representatives or companies could forward their requests and details.

Mr. Babandede said that? a?pplicants were advised to use functional e-mail addresses where copies of approval letter shall be forwarded upon a successful process and payment.?

?”?Applicants are, however, to note that successful payment online is not an approval and should not proceed to Nigeria until you have received “Visa on Arrival Approval letter” duly issued by the NIS Headquarters, Abuja,” he added.?

He said that a VOA desk had been opened at all international airports in the country where visas would be issued upon the presentation of all the necessary travel documents and evidence of visa payment.

The NIS boss expressed optimism that the VOA process and the introduction of the harmonised arr?ival and departure cards would go a long way in attracting investors to the country.

 

Source: NAN

FG Approves Immigration Regulations To Check Terrorism

The Minister of Interior, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), has approved a new set of immigration regulations.

According to him, the approval would help the Federal Government monitor and check the movement of terrorists through Nigerian borders.

The Minister pointed out that the 80-section regulation would enhance protection against cross border crimes.

The executive approval was witnessed by diplomats and top government officials on Monday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Upon application, the new 2017 regulation approved the issuance of visa on arrival in Nigeria, enforcement of an Immigration Register and temporary work permit among others.

The new regulation, which is the first since 1963 when the last Immigration Act was passed by parliament, is geared towards enhancing the protection of citizens against cross border crimes.

 

Source: Channels TV

Nigeria Immigration Service Clamps Down On Illegal Immigrants

The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service says it is commencing raids on illegal immigrants across border towns in the state.

The State Area Controller of Immigration, Mr Ajibola Bayeroju, said the step becomes imperative in view of involvement of illegal immigrants in criminal activities across the state which has been on the increase in recent times.

He said activities of illegal immigrants were responsible for many armed robbery incidents experienced in the state in southwest Nigeria.

Mr Bayeroju made the remarks while parading three suspected illegal immigrants from Benin Republic arrested in Ayetoro area of the state for an alleged armed robbery.

He said permission for the raid on illegal immigrants has been obtained from the authorities of the Service.

“We are trying to raid them all over the state; that is what we are trying to do.

“A lot of them are here illegally. We are seriously working on that.

“They are all from the Republic of Benin, they are non-Nigerians, they come to Nigeria to rob.

“We are trying to make Nigeria a safe country because of the security situation in the country.

“I am now calling for more synergy with other sister security agencies.

“After leaving this place, they are going to be handed over to the police for prosecution,” he said.

Items recovered from the suspects include a cut to size short gun among others.

One of the suspects, who denied any wrongdoing, said the gun found on him was being used as a member of a vigilante group from the area.

 

Source: Channels TV

Immigration Recruitment Scam: Court adjourns ex-Minister Abba Moro’s trial.

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed February 7 for continuation of cross-examination of prosecution witness, Tabugn Sylvanus, in the on-going trial of former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, and three others over recruitment fraud.

Justice Nnamdi Dimgba adjourned the matter to enable the prosecution produce a letter allegedly written by Drexel Nigeria Ltd, one of the defendants.

The said letter was written to the Board of the Nigeria Immigration Service for conduct of the botch 2014 recruitment.

The defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, requested the letter to enable him carry out a proper cross-examination on the witness.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the NIS conducted recruitment on March 15, 2014, that led to the death of 15 applicants, while several others were wounded.

The Federal Government docked Mr. Moro over alleged N676 million recruitment fraud.

Others charged along with him are the former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Anastacia Nwobia and a Deputy Director in the ministry, F.O. Alayabami.

At the last adjourned date, a former Controller-General of the Service, David Paradang, told the court that he was not aware of the 2014 recruitment.

Mr. Paradang was Controller-General between June 2013 and August 2015.

Canada offers temporary residency to travelers stranded by U.S

Canada will offer temporary residency to any travelers stranded by U.S. President Donald Trump’s orders temporarily barring people from seven Muslim-majority countries, a senior official said on Sunday.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen told a news conference he did not know how many people might be eligible but said only a handful of passengers headed to the United States from Canada had been denied boarding.

Trump’s decision on Friday, which also affects refugees, left many people uncertain of whether they could enter the United States.

“Let me assure those who may be stranded in Canada that I will use my authority as minister to provide them with temporary residency if they need it,” Hussen said.

Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has refrained from criticizing the United States, which takes 75 percent of Canadian exports, preferring instead to stress Canada is open to refugees.

“Every country has the right to determine their policies,” said Hussen.

The Canadian Council for Refugees and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, or CCLA, called on Ottawa to withdraw from a Safe Third Country agreement with the United States, under which Canada returns asylum seekers crossing the border.

“There’s a danger that the U.S. is doing blanket detentions and deportations … and not honoring asylum claims,” said CCLA Executive Director Sukanya Pillay.

Such a move would be diplomatically insulting and Hussen said the pact would remain unchanged for now.

Local and national politicians have condemned Trump’s ban and the opposition New Democrats want an emergency debate in the federal Parliament.

The U.S. Consulate in Toronto said it would suspend services on Monday because of a planned demonstration.

More than 200 Canadian technology company founders, executives and investors said on Sunday that Ottawa should immediately give temporary residency to those displaced by Trump’s order.

“(We) understand the power of inclusion and diversity of thought, and that talent and skill know no borders,” they said in an open letter.

Canada wants to attract tech workers from abroad while retaining those who are often lured away. More than 300,000 Canadians work in California’s Silicon Valley.

Bob Vaez, the Iranian-born chief executive of tech firm Event Mobi, canceled plans on Sunday to accept an industry award in Las Vegas. Many event organizers could seek alternative locations, he said.

“Are they going to keep their conferences in the U.S., knowing that so many people are going to be barred?” he said.

(Additional reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny in Toronto and Andrea Hopkins in Ottawa; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Peter Cooney)

 

Nigeria Immigration Service redeploys 207 officials

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, recently approved the redeployment of 207 senior officers of the Service between the ranks of Assistant Comptrollers General, ACG, to Assistant Comptrollers, AC.

Those affected include ACG Ezekiel Kaura who now heads the ICT Department which is considered the engine room for the e-solution programme of the NIS; Chizoba Dibi who has been promoted to ACG and posted to Zone ‘G’ in Benin as Zonal Coordinator; Hamman Yerima from Delta State Command to the Investigation and Intelligence Directorate at the Headquarters, Abuja; while Epuku Usman takes over as the Comptroller, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos as Felix Odika heads the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Command, Abuja.

Also affected is Ekpedeme King, the Service Public Relations Officer who has been promoted to the rank of Comptroller and deployed to head the Anambra State Command.

Similarly, 37 Passport Control Officers have been redeployed in a posting order that the CGI has said is the implementation of the new posting policy of the NIS.

The Comptroller General said that he was impressed that unlike previous postings, the NIS did not witness requests from outside the service for certain officers to be posted to particular offices. He also said that though the redeployment is in line with the posting policy, it is also a strategic move to leverage on the recent gains achieved in service delivery.

“Therefore, I am mandating you to ensure the sustainability of the Service reforms in all NIS platforms. What you did to receive commendations in your previous posts, do the same in your new offices. As a matter of fact, you are hereby mandated to implement the NIS Strategic Roadmap towards 2019 that was developed through a painstaking and extensive consultation process at the Management Retreat in 2016, copies of which will be made available to you in due course,” Mr. Babandede concluded.

Trump’s immigration plan could cost the U.S. billions

President-elect Donald Trump’s vow to overturn an executive order that provides temporary protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children could cost the country tens of billions of dollars, a new study finds.

Put in place by President Obama six years ago, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program has helped hundreds of thousands of young people — known as the DREAMers — come out from the shadows and get valid driver’s licenses, enroll in college and legally secure jobs.

If the DACA is repealed, roughly 645,000 people would lose their legal right to work in the U.S., putting them at risk of losing their jobs and possibly being deported, according to the San Francisco-based Immigrant Legal Resource Center. Terminating all of these workers and possibly finding and retraining replacements for them would cost businesses an estimated $3.4 billion, the nonprofit immigrant rights advocacy group estimated.

“Some employers may consider consolidating or shedding these existing positions to proactively reduce some of those [turnover] costs,” said Jose Magaña-Salgado, an immigration policy attorney and the author of the report. He added that replacement workers may not be found right away.

According to an October survey of more than 1,300 DACA recipients conducted by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, nearly 87% of people registered under DACA are employed and thoseworkers make an average of $13.96 an hour.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center said losing these workers would not only reduce the tax revenue that these employees generate but it would also diminish contributions to programs like Social Security and Medicare by a total of $24.6 billion. Over the course of a decade, the group estimates that payments to Social Security would be cut by $19.9 billion, while those made to Medicare would be reduced by $4.6 billion.

Roughly half of those estimated contributions come from employers, who are required to pay into Social Security and Medicare for each of their employees under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA).

Of course, an employer may replace an employee who was terminated and resume paying into Social Security and Medicare for that position, Magaña-Salgado said. But in order to fill that position, the worker would likely have left another employer — leaving a tax revenue hole somewhere else.

“The incoming Administration would be wise to leave DACA fully intact,” he said in the report. “The billions of dollars in tax contributions resulting from the program should be reinvested in our nation’s workers and retirees, not left on the table.”

It’s unclear whether Trump will focus on repealing DACA as soon as he takes office in January.

In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes last month, Trump said he would first focus on deporting undocumented immigrants who have criminal records. Once those individuals are removed, he said he would then decide what to do about undocumented immigrants who, but for their status, are law-abiding people.

“We’re going to make a determination on the people that you’re talking about,” Trump said to CBS’s Leslie Stahl. “They’re terrific people, but we are gonna make a determination,” he said.

Trump’s immigration stance, wake-up call on Nigerians – Udom Emmanuel

Akwa Ibom state Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has described United States President-elect, Donald Trump’s stance on immigration as a challenge on Nigerians to make the best use of the abundant human and natural resources at their disposal to make Nigeria great.

The Governor made the remark while speaking to journalists on the implications of the outcome of the November 8 presidential election in the United States especially to Nigeria.

Governor Udom Emmanuel spoke to journalists at Akwa Ibom International Airport in Uyo on arrival from an official assignment outside the state.

He said that the outcome of the election was a confirmation of the fact that power comes from God and he chooses whoever he wants to lead at his own time in spite of what people think or feel.

“My prediction was not what the world predicted. What has happened in America is exactly what happened in Akwa Ibom state.

“The whole world is now saying that you don’t need to be a professional politician to be entrusted with political leadership. If you have been able to manage multinational businesses, then it means you’re capable of doing well as a political leader.

“So the talk of Donald Trump not having political experience did not affect the voting pattern.

“It also shows that God’s choice is the ultimate in spite of what people think or feel. God does not choose qualified people, rather, he chooses the unqualified and qualifies him for the task at hand.”

On the stance of Mr Trump on immigration issues, Governor Emmanuel said Nigerians should see it as a call to make the best use of what we have to make our country great.

“I’m not bothered about his policy, rather I see it as a wake-up call on Nigerians to begin to look inward and make the best use of the abundant human and natural resources at their disposal to make Nigeria great.

“Trump’s message to the rest of the world is for everyone to make the best of what they have. Didn’t you hear him? He said let’s make America great again. And I call on everyone, let’s make Akwa Ibom great, let’s make Nigeria great.”

Governor Emmanuel, however, appealed to Mr Trump to do all in his power to encourage international trade and cooperation to make the world a better place.

“All we need are good policies that encourage international trade and cooperation. That is all that matters now and I hope Mr Trump will make that possible.”

Immigration officers rescue 11 from human traffickers

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) command in Katsina state said it had rescued 11 youths trying to cross into Niger Republic through the state.

The command’s Comptroller, Mr Mohammed Yaro, made this known in a news briefing in Katsina on Monday.

Yaro said that the youths were rescued on Saturday in Babban-Mutum forest while trying to cross the border on their way to Niger Republic and Europe.

“Our intelligent officers on patrol arrested the victims one-after-the-other on the same day at different intervals inside the bush.

‘’They came differently on commercial motorcycles and begun to walk inside the forest to find their way to Agadez, Niger Republic.

‘’They are now giving us vital information on how to arrest their traffickers,’’ he said.

According to him, five of the victims are females, while the remaining six are males between the ages of 19 and 38.

Yaro said that none of the victims was in possession of any travel document or any means of livelihood.

He said that the victims were misled by some traffickers whose business was to ferry persons across the border through illegal routes.

The comptroller urged parents and other stakeholders to intensify efforts toward curtailing the menace of illegal migration among youths in the country.

He also explained that the service would collaborate with National Orientation Agency (NOA) to enlighten the public on the dangers associated with the illegal act.

#NigeriaImmigration2000: “Reinstate Us”, Expelled Recruits Cry Out For Help.

Months after application, selection, and training of new immigration recruits, 2000 of them are still in a confused state in regards to their position in an ongoing recruitment crisis.

 

Documents obtained by Omojuwa.com correspondent revealed that 2000 of these new recruits are being dispersed by the Ministry of Interior on the basis of illegality. It is quite worrisome that the same ministry that facilitated the training of the new recruits in a swift and surprising move turned around to rule them illegal.

 

While majority of the affected recruits have taken to social media to show their grievances, the ministry reiterates its position by not making any move to address the situation.

 

Despite calling the new recruits illegal, exclusive documents obtained by Omojuwa.com clearly shows that they all underwent a proper screening/training exercise carried out by the immigration service under the ministry of interior. This present situation poses a huge question which no one is answering; “Where does the illegality come in?”

 

A dangerous trend is being set and of course will have it’s own negative effects.

 

Months back, there was a secret recruitment scandal that rocked the Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Inland Revenue Services and Nigerian National Petroleum Company. These antecedents is fueling a suspicion that this latest development is as a result of a new recruitment racketeering plan as the ministry is yet to give a tenable reason for the laying off.

 

The hashtag #NigeriaImmigration2000 is already trending on Social Media Platforms demanding not only explanations to the ill-advised decision of the ministry of interior but also a reinstatement of the sent off recruits.

 

If truly the immigration service needs 25, 000 recruits to effective man our borders, this fact begs the question; “why then are we laying off 2000 recruits especially when they have gone through examinations and training?

 

The demand is clear cut and simple; FG should reverse the decision to disperse these 2000 trained immigration recruits. In a country that has a high population of unemployed youths, such decisions will have not just destructive but catastrophic effects on the nation.

Immigration Boss In Trouble Over Visa To ISIS Chief

Following reports that a chieftain of ISIS, Ahmed Al Assir, was granted a Nigerian visa in Lebanon, the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, David Parradang, may have fallen into troubled waters.

The immigration boss is said to be making frantic efforts to save his neck as the president has ordered a full-scale probe into the incident.

A staff of the Service at the national headquarters confided in some journalists on Thursday that the NIS boss was already contemplating a major shakeup especially at the Visa department.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, confirmed that the Federal Government had begun investigations on the issue.

He explained that the Nigerian Charge d’Affairs in Lebanon had met with Lebanese authorities to look into the matter.

His words: “I have commenced my own investigation process. I spoke to our Charge d’Affairs in Lebanon and he has met with the Lebanese authorities.

“The Charge d’Affairs said the matter was being looked into but the facts that were emerging would suggest that what the media had reported was not entirely the true story…”

Read Morenationalmirroronline

Immigration Employment Saga: Abba Moro Denies Alleged Substitution

The Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, has denied claims that the Ministry substituted the genuine list of victims of the Immigration Recruitment Exercise stampede with strange names.

According to Mr Moro, the said list was compiled by the Presidential Committee that investigated the stampede and had nothing to do with the Ministry .

The Minister added that the names of victims who were not included in the first list are being collated, and they would be forwarded to the committee which is responsible for screening of the victims to ascertain the veracity of their claims.

Mr Moro also assured the victims of the stampede that all those that are proven to be genuine in their claims would be adequately compensated.

President Jonathan had given automatic employment to some unemployed relations of 15 job seekers who lost their lives during the stampede. He said the gesture was not a compensation for the lives lost, but simply to identify with the families of the deceased.

Credit – Channels news