Checking an immigration company begins with your residence or citizenship ground. A well-written service contract cannot create missing eligibility. This guide examines longer engagements: legal assessment, records, local representation, any investment and post-decision duties.
Do not assess that proposal only through a website, office or reviews. Build an evidence chain from personal circumstances to the precise procedure and contractual responsibility.
Legal ground and specialism
State the goal, Nigerian nationality, residence in Nigeria, family and current status. Ask for the legal provision and facts supporting eligibility. Temporary residence, permanent residence and citizenship are different outcomes; a European residence card is not an EU passport.
Match experience with the route: employment, business, investment, family, descent or naturalisation. A brand’s age does not establish every professional’s experience. Identify who makes the legal assessment, in which jurisdiction and with what authority.
An ancestry proposal needs a documented family chain, not a promise to find a convenient ancestor. An investment needs verification of the particular qualifying property or fund and personal eligibility before a deposit is paid.
Contracting entity and professionals
Request the entity name, registration number, address, signatory and payment details. Check the contracting party in the official register and confirm contact independently. A virtual office proves neither wrongdoing nor the presence of an entire team.
Separate the manager, legal adviser, translator, local filer and investment seller. Where a licence or authorised agent is required, verify the actual professional’s current entry. A membership logo does not replace a register.
Clarify partner transfers, subcontracting and data access. The client should know who receives originals and represents them, rather than only a general telephone number.
Stages, records and work products
Request a written plan covering assessment, missing evidence, preparation, filing, authority requests and post-decision action. Assign a professional, price and completion evidence to each stage. Being allowed to apply is different from obtaining approval.
Representation does not remove interviews, language, an oath, biometrics or actual residence. Check evidence for the procedure and competent post in Nigeria, including validity, translation and authentication. Retain a file copy and submission receipt.
After approval, clarify card issuance, renewals, absences, work, family and related tax obligations. “Full support” without those boundaries does not identify where the service ends.
Costs, investment and the contract
Separate professional fees, official payments, due diligence, translation, travel, company maintenance and investment. A minimum investment is not a family’s all-in price. Record currency, payee and additional-request charges.
Price alone does not establish quality. Ask when work is delivered, how to terminate and what is refundable after refusal. An investment has separate exit, liquidity and risk terms; a professional-fee refund promise cannot replace them.
The agreement needs parties, services, duties, stages and dispute terms. Ask about conflicts and seller remuneration if the adviser also selects the asset. Lack of control over a state decision does not remove responsibility for professional work.
Sources, reviews and promises
Request the current official provision, personal-admissibility conditions and explanation of programme changes. A company article establishes its advertised proposal, not the operative law. A closed programme does not reopen because an old marketing page remains online.
Compare reviews by country, date, ground and stage. Individual praise or complaints do not authenticate a private file. Do not derive a success rate without a verified sample. Seek answers to specific questions without demanding another person’s passport.
Investigate a guaranteed passport, success irrespective of evidence, altered biography, payment pressure or refusal to identify the filer. A warning sign is a reason to obtain evidence, not an established accusation.
Checks before signing
Before signing, establish the entity and professional, personal legal ground, filing authority, client actions, stage costs, refusal consequences and help maintaining status. Clarify rule changes before filing and during examination.
Match the explanation with the draft agreement, quote and official procedure. To report an error in this guide, identify the page, statement and primary source through the active contact section; a personal case file is unnecessary.
Related guide: company-review methodology.