14-Day Lockdown

The Federal Government of Nigeria has recently ordered the cessation of all forms of movements in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) for an initial period of 14 days effective 11 p.m. on Monday, 30th March 2020. In line with this directive, all Government Agencies and Registries including the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will be closed to the public with minimal services available during this period.

In light of the foregoing, all pending applications are automatically suspended until the
restrictions are lifted.

Impact on Businesses

The lockdown has a consequential impact on the compliance requirements of employers with
expatriate employees considering that a significant number of expatriates have also been
stranded in Nigeria because of the COVID-19 pandemic and parallel global entry restrictions by several other countries to contain the spread of the virus. Some expatriates will no doubt see their work and residence permits expire during the period of restrictions.

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