We know that Naija people are afraid of scammers, who offer too cheap and fraudulent immigration services. Let us show you how can you spot the fraudsters and the "agents" easily without a license and knowledge to sell residence permits or citizenships through investment. The immigration "market" is a heavily regularised area of sovereign states. There are only a couple of immigration programmes for investors, where agents without a permit can help you to get a second citizenship or residence permit. It is easier to check the credentials and references of your immigration service provider than ever. Some simple online searches or phone calls can create the transparency you need regarding the process of your move from Nigeria.

1. Who are the official agents?

Not everybody can sell an investment in exchange for investment or help you through the red tape of all government processes during your immigration. Almost all of those countries, where you can buy a legal second passport (as the symbol of your citizenship) use official agents. These agents pay massive fees to be able to become an official service provider company, which can market these immigration programmes. These certified and official agents can have marketing or local agents, who are selling these services as a subcontractor of the official agent. It means that the market-leading immigration companies may have local agents in your country or area. They must have contracts to be able to prove that they are legalized agents. Moreover, they have to show it if you ask for the proof.

2. What is an official residency or citizenship by investment program?

Several nations (more than 70) launched their immigration programmes for HNWIs - High Net Worth Individuals, who can invest, pay taxes or employ people there. There are other reasons to get a residence permit or passport, as family reunification, study or work. But the immigration programmes give you the guarantee that your process will be successful if you fulfill all the requirements. These programmes are transparent schemes. You can find all the detailed information online so that you may double check your agent.

3. The cost of investors' immigration schemes for Nigerians

Interestingly, there is no extra cost or any additional charges for Nigerians. You can invest the same amount of money as it is stated in the official sources of information. On the other side, it means that there are no cheaper solutions than the official offers. If a scammer finds you and offers more affordable solutions than the official prices, you must know that something is fishy. If you participate in an investment programme, you will have to invest or contribute and pay the government fees/taxes, the legal and the agency fees.

4. Official programme means red tape and visiting the Embassy

There are programmes, which you can do from your home and receive the passport or residence permit. But you still will have to validate and translate your documents. Nigeria is not a member of the Hague Convention, so you cannot get the necessary Apostille validations on your papers. So instead of the Apostille stamps, you will have to validate your docs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Embassy or Consulate. It is also an excellent chance to double check your agent and your knowledge of the exact details of the process. The diplomats are there to help you. If your agent tells you that you don't have to visit the Embassy or tries to keep you away from the diplomats of the country of your new citizenship or resident status, it means trouble.

How can you check your immigration agent from Nigeria quickly?

Let's take a closer look at a practical case. You would like to become a resident or citizen of the EU Member State through investment. The Maltese government listed the official agents, you can find here all immigration service companies with the right to market the Maltese Programmes: https://iip.gov.mt/agents-list/ You can easily find Discus Holdings Ltd on the list. However, if you check our webpage directly, you can see the Maltese government's certificate, which guarantees exceptionally rights for Discus Holdings Ltd here! Do you have a local immigration agent in Nigeria? You can ask about the official agent, who will process your citizenship application. Then, check the official agent's website and try to find them on the list of official agents in the country, where you intend to move. Then you can still call the official agent and ask about the credentials of your local naija immigration agent. Are you interested in obtaining a second passport or residence permit through investment? Ask for a consultation here, we have more than 15 years of experience, supporting the immigration objectives of many applicants from Nigeria!

« RETURN TO ALL NEWS

---