Majority of Nigerians want to work with Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) because they hear often that the service pays really well. However, the salary of this service or paramilitary force is not as lucrative as people think. In this post, we’ll be examining the salary structure of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and how to be employed in the service.
Before we do this, we’ll look at common questions concerning the service–these are questions you would find interesting and helpful to you.
Who are the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS)?
Nigerian Immigration Service is a Nigerian paramilitary force saddled with the responsibility of controlling, guiding, and documenting the people moving in and out of Nigeria. They see to it the issues of movement of people, and the processes, within and outside Nigeria.
Their roles are:
1. Document Nigerians and issue out passports to them.
2. Check and monitor the places where people come into the country and go out like the airports, harbors, and as well as land borders.
There are also other duties which they do.
When was Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Founded?
Nigerian Immigration Service was removed from the larger Nigerian Police Force in 1958, and it became an independent paramilitary body since then. It has continuously performed its roles and functions independent of other paramilitary and military bodies.
What are the Ranks and Positions in the Nigerian Immigration Service?
There are 8 major ranks in the Nigerian Immigration Service. We present them in this section of the post. They are presented and ranked according to how powerful they are. From 1 is the most powerful to 8, the least.
The more powerful ranks are for those who obtained degrees and other certificates before applying.
1. Comptroller-General of Immigration Service;
2. Assistant Comptrollers General;
3. Superintendent of Immigration;
4. Assistant Superintendent of Immigration;
5. Senior Inspector of Immigration;
6. Assistant Inspector of Immigration;
7. Immigration Assistant;
8. Passport Officers
The more an employed person works in the force, the more he or she advances in ranks.
Why do Nigerians love applying for Nigerian Immigration Service a lot?
There is a great misconception Nigerians have about this paramilitary force. It is as if it is the most lucrative or best paid paramilitary or military force but it is not. The salaries they receive is nowhere near to the salaries the Nigerian Military Forces receive.
For one to earn a lot in this force, there are other actions or side hustle done by them. It is actually not as lucrative as people think. Most of them work their ways to be posted to busy airports where they seek for tips persuasively. They also do other forms of actions.
Every year, thousands or millions of Nigerians apply to be taken into this force. The carrying capacity of the force is not much. At the end, only about less than 2% of those who apply are taken.
How do you get Employed in the Nigerian Immigration Service?
1. You should have your original and genuine documents ready. Examples are State or Local Government of Origin Certificate, Birth Certificate, SSCE results, Medical Fitness Report, Degree/HND/ND certificate (where applicable and under educated sections), NYSC discharge (where applicable).
You should make the required grades and credits in your SSCE results. Your Degree/HND/ND results should be better than average. For Degree, for instance, having second class lower degree and above makes you have better and brighter chances.
2. The application is done online. So, you should keep your ears ready, searching for the news of call for applications.
3. When application is called, you should make sure you apply right, putting the right information asked and uploading the right documents.
After applying, you wait for shortlisting.
4. Right after being shortlisted, you go for the training and documentation. The training isn’t that hard. It’s a 2 weeks training where you would do paramilitary tasks like running, jumping, marching, etc.
5. The successful and final applicants would be picked after the training.
In addition, most Nigerian blogs won’t add this but to make your chances higher and better, you should know someone higher working in the force, a high value politician, religious or traditional ruler, or any elite before you apply. It will make your chances higher.
What is the Salary Structure of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS)? How Much are they Paid?
We had stated that Nigerian Immigration Service staff members aren’t paid as high as people think. They are paid the same sum with other Nigerian Paramilitary Forces like the Nigerian Police, NDLEA, Customs, Nigerian Defence and so on.
So, this is their Salary Structure explained in simple terms below:
1. Someone who is employed for a highly educated role (Degree/HND), the official amount and allowances are about 150,000 naira.
2. The salary increases as the person rises in rank until the highest rank (Comptroller-General of Immigration Service), who is paid about 400,000 naira totally.
3. For someone who gets employed with SSCE, the salary is flat at the minimum wage salary of civil service–33,000 naira. Allowances and all can make it get up to 50,000 naira in some cases.
As this person rises in rank, money increases. However, he or she would never get to the education cadre or ranks.
4. The people with ND or NCE are employed in a higher rank compared to SSCE. They are paid about 70,000 naira as fast salary.
Conclusion
This post has successfully shown to you the salary structure of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and how to be employed in the Service. You just have to read and learn. Be strategic and careful when applying, anything can count.