Every single day, Nigerians in their thousands are seeking ways to japa (leave) over reasons like poor education quality and infrastructure, poverty, insecurity, lack of opportunities, just to name a few.
Japa is a Nigerian slang derived from the Yoruba language which simply means ‘to run swiftly’ out of a dangerous situation.
While some seek to leave true legal means, others seek improvisation and other unpopular routes that have led them to fall victims to scammers.
In this post, we will share with you the best ways you can easily japa out of Nigeria legally.
You can buy property in certain countries to get a permanent residency status.
Japa as a Professional
While this is a wide spectrum, a lot of Nigerian professionals are leaving Nigeria to continue their businesses and professional careers abroad. Countries all over the world offer work visas to people to move into their countries to work, and then become immigrants. For instance, a lot of Nigerian doctors and nurses, are leaving Nigeria to start work abroad.
Some non-English speaking countries are constantly looking for people who can speak English to migrate into their countries to teach English. This is a way to migrate professionally.
Canada, Australia, Spain, UK and many other countries also offer startup founders startup visas where you can go to their country and set up your startup.
If you work for an international organisation, you can relocate from Nigeria by transferring to a branch of your company in another country. Companies that allow this help the applicants through the process.
Remote work visas are also now a thing. You can travel to these countries and still work remotely.
With professional visas, research is needed to find what works best for you and your family. Think of any country and search for jobs in your field of work on sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc.
Relocating as a student is one of the most popular ways to relocate from Nigeria. While a student visa is typically not a for japa-ing, being a student in various countries gives you a high chance of integrating into society after you complete your studies.
The UK for example now lets international students stay and work in the UK for an extra two years after they graduate with the Graduate Route. Every country you want to japa to has schools that offer courses to international students, and while some countries have a strict policy of making people return to their home countries after they graduate, many others like Canada, Australia, UK and Belgium encourage people to stay, join the work force and become permanent residents. Many international students even get jobs before they graduate!
Worried about cost? Many European and Asian countries offer cheap, or even free education to international students.
Many countries and schools abroad also offer scholarships. With good research and a good application process, you can secure a legitimate scholarship.
Also with marriage- also termed “family formation- getting legally married to a citizen of another country will grant you some form of citizenship in most countries. Because most countries know this and want to avoid doctored marriages for visas, the process isn’t as straightforward as getting your new passport on the day after you get married.
Family reunification, according to the International Organization for Migration, is “the right of non-nationals to enter into and reside in a country where their family members reside lawfully or of which they have the nationality in order to preserve the family unit”.
In this case, you have to be able to legally prove that you’re either the spouse, parent or child of the “principal migrant”. The laws for family reunification vary from country to country so you have to do your research based on the country you plan to. In some countries like Canada, siblings and grandchildren count as family you can reunite with, while in some others they don’t.
Japa through a point-based system
Some countries like Canada, and recently the UK, open their borders to people that just want to japa from their countries.
They use a point-based system to qualify or disqualify people.
These points are allocated through different metrics such as age, qualifications, work experience, understanding of language, etc.
Many Nigerians living in Canada are there through this system. Once you are able to prove that you have the funds to take care of yourself, and you can survive in the new environment, the other factors will work together to help you secure your permanent residency.
