The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Interior, has increased the fee paid by foreigners for the combined expatriates residence permit and aliens card (CERPAC) by 100 percent.

The government, in a letter to concerned bodies, increased the fee from $1000 to $2000. The new regime, according to a source close to the Ministry of Interior, would commence from January 1, 2019.

The letter with the theme, ‘Re: Review of CERPAC Fees’, and reference number FMI/PSO/012/1/15, exclusively made available to Daily Independent, was dated December 13, and signed on behalf of the Minister of Interior by Permanent Secretary, Dr. M.B. Umar.

The letter was also copied to the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Abuja.

The government, in the letter to the Chairman, Messrs. Continental Transport Technologies Ltd, in Abuja, also said that the fee may be reviewed after three years of implementation of the current fee.

The letter reads in part: “I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 11th December, 2018 on the above subject and inform you that the Honourable Minister has approved the review of CERPAC fees from $1000 to $2000 with immediate effect. This review does not, however, affect missionaries/students CERPAC fees.

“With this approval, there will be no further review of CERPAC fees until after three years from the period the implementation of the new CERPAC fee comes into effect.”

It was, however, gathered that the former Skye Bank, now Polaris Bank, is the only designated financial institution for the sale of the form to applicants.

At $1000 per applicant, the bank demanded N5,000 as bank charges.

The source said that with the 100 percent increase in the fee, there is every possibility that the bank charges, too, may increase by additional 100 percent.

•Sourced from a Daily Independent report