Visa Terms Explained: The Japa Glossary (36 Terms, From Nigeria)

This page holds 36 visa terms explained for people applying from Nigeria. Each entry gives the plain meaning, the office that issues it, and the ₦ cost where one applies. Every guide on this site links its jargon here, so the guides stay free of definitions.

FX basis: every ₦ figure below is this site’s own conversion at ₦1,540 to the US dollar. That is the July 2026 bank-card rate, computed on 24 July 2026. It is not an official naira price. Card rates move daily, so check yours before you pay. Source: rate basis stated at paying visa fees from Nigeria.

Five of the visa terms explained here carry a Scam alert. Those are the ones fraudsters sell hardest.

UK visa terms

In short: the Immigration Health Surcharge is charged for every year of your UK leave. You pay it upfront, in one go. The gov.uk schedule sets the standard rate at £1,035 a year. UKVI bills Nigerian applicants in US dollars, and one reported charge was $905.64 — about ₦1,395,000 at ₦1,540/$. Source: gov.uk, “Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application”.

CoS (Certificate of Sponsorship)

A digital reference number, not a paper certificate. Your licensed UK employer assigns it. Nigerians search for “CoS with maintenance”. That means the sponsor also certifies your funds, so you skip separate savings proof. Scam alert: agents sell fake COS numbers on WhatsApp. Check the employer on the free UK sponsor-licence register first.

Issued by your sponsor through UKVI · Verify on the gov.uk sponsor register · See: UK Skilled Worker visa from Nigeria.

Defined vs undefined CoS

A defined CoS covers entry clearance from outside the UK. Almost every applicant in Lagos or Abuja needs that one. An undefined CoS covers switching status inside the UK. It does not apply to you from Nigeria.

Issued by UKVI to your sponsor · Verify on gov.uk · See: UK Skilled Worker visa from Nigeria.

IHS (Immigration Health Surcharge)

The NHS surcharge, paid upfront for your whole visa length. It is separate from the visa fee. The charge runs per year of leave. A longer CoS means a bigger single payment at checkout. Pay it before the visa fee and keep its reference number.

Issued by the Home Office · Verify with the gov.uk IHS calculator · See: how to pay a UK visa fee from Nigeria.

CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)

A reference number your UK university issues. It follows once you accept an offer and meet its conditions. Your school issues it, not an agent, and no CAS fee exists. An agent selling a CAS number is running a document scam.

Issued by your UK university · Verify with the university admissions office · See: UK student visa from Nigeria.

ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain)

UK settlement. It currently comes after 5 continuous years on most Skilled Worker routes. A 2025 policy push aims to stretch that to 10 years. Confirm the live qualifying period on gov.uk. The fee is charged in GBP, not ₦.

Issued by the Home Office · Verify on gov.uk · See: UK Skilled Worker visa from Nigeria.

SOC code / going rate

The occupation code on your CoS. It carries the minimum salary UKVI sets for that job. Your sponsor cannot legally pay you below that going rate. Some employers quote a lower code to justify a smaller offer, so check yours against your offer letter.

Issued by UKVI on your CoS · Verify on the gov.uk going-rate tables · See: UK Skilled Worker visa from Nigeria.

UK ETA vs eVisa

An ETA is a travel pass for visa-exempt nationalities. Nigeria is not on that list, so it does not apply to you. An eVisa is the digital status that replaced the passport sticker. Not linking your passport to your UKVI account can get you refused boarding.

Issued by the Home Office · Verify in your UKVI account · See: UK visa from Nigeria.

US visa terms

In short: the MRV fee for most US non-immigrant visas is $185 in 2026, B1/B2 included. That is about ₦285,000 at ₦1,540/$. The student SEVIS fee is a separate $350, roughly ₦539,000. Source: travel.state.gov, “Fees for Visa Services”.

DS-160

The free online non-immigrant visa form. Every applicant files it before paying the MRV fee or booking an interview. It expires after a year. An interview already booked on it still stands.

Issued by the US Department of State · Verify on the CEAC portal · See: DS-160 form from Nigeria.

MRV fee

The US visa-processing fee. It is $185 for most non-immigrant categories, about ₦285,000. You pay it before you can schedule an interview. It is non-refundable, so a 214(b) refusal does not return it.

Issued by the US Department of State via CGI Federal · Verify on travel.state.gov · See: paying the MRV fee from Nigeria.

SEVIS fee (I-901)

The student-tracking fee on the current F and M visa schedule. It is $350, about ₦539,000. You pay it separately from the MRV fee, before you book your interview. ICE revises it without notice. Confirm the live figure on fmjfee.com, and see how to pay the SEVIS fee from Nigeria for the card that clears it.

Issued by ICE (SEVP) · Verify on fmjfee.com · See: US student visa (F-1) from Nigeria.

I-20

The document a SEVP-certified US school issues. It follows admission and a check on your funds. You need it before you pay SEVIS or file the DS-160. A school selling I-20s without real enrolment is a fraud trap.

Issued by your SEVP-certified school · Verify in the SEVP school directory · See: US student visa (F-1) from Nigeria.

214(b)

The refusal ground officers cite most for Nigerian visitor and student applicants. It presumes you intend to immigrate, and you must prove otherwise at interview. It is not final; you can reapply. The MRV fee you paid is gone.

Applied by the consular officer at interview · Verify in your refusal letter · See: 214(b) refusal and how to reapply.

221(g) / AP

A hold, not a refusal. Administrative processing opens after your interview. It is usually for one more document or a security check. It can run weeks or months. No agent can legitimately speed it up for a fee.

Applied by the consulate after interview · Verify on the CEAC status page · See: US visa appointment in Nigeria.

Drop box / interview waiver

Some low-risk renewal applicants skip the in-person interview and drop documents at the visa application centre instead. Eligibility for Nigeria changes without notice. Confirm it on ustraveldocs.com/nigeria first.

Granted by the US Mission Nigeria · Verify on ustraveldocs.com/nigeria · See: drop box and interview waiver from Nigeria.

AVITS / ustraveldocs / CGI

The appointment system for the Lagos and Abuja posts, run by CGI Federal. Applicants call it AVITS. Scam alert: slot merchants run bots and many accounts to hoard early dates and resell them. Some also ask for your login. That hands them your profile and your MRV receipt.

Operated by CGI Federal for the US Mission · Verify on ustraveldocs.com/nigeria · See: the US appointment slot-merchant scam.

Canada terms

In short: the Express Entry proof-of-funds threshold for a single applicant is CAD 14,690, up from CAD 13,757. You must show that minimum in convertible, unencumbered funds. Source: canada.ca, “Proof of funds — Express Entry”.

GCKey

The username and password that opens your IRCC secure account. Nigerians cannot use a Sign-In Partner. That route only works for customers of a Canadian bank. GCKey is the only door in, so save your recovery answers.

Issued by the Government of Canada · Verify at the GCKey sign-in page · See: GCKey login from Nigeria.

IRCC secure account

The account behind your GCKey login. You submit documents there and read your status line by line.

Operated by IRCC · Verify on canada.ca · See: GCKey login from Nigeria.

POF (proof of funds)

Proof of funds is the settlement money IRCC asks you to show for Express Entry, scaled to family size. The current single-applicant figure is CAD 14,690. The money must be unencumbered and convertible. It has to be yours, not borrowed, and not locked in property or a pledged account. Scam alert: a POF loader parks borrowed money in your account for a day to fake the balance. IRCC stability checks catch it. It can trigger a misrepresentation finding.

Assessed by IRCC · Verify on canada.ca · See: Canada proof of funds from Nigeria and the POF loader scam.

Letter of Explanation

A short document explaining an irregularity. That might be a sudden deposit, a cash-heavy history, or a CEC funds exemption. Nigerian applicants lean on it, because informal-economy income rarely leaves a clean paper trail.

Written by you, read by the IRCC officer · Verify the format on canada.ca · See: Canada proof of funds from Nigeria.

GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate)

A mandatory investment certificate on the study-permit route. You buy it through a participating Canadian bank. It sits at around CAD 20,635 on the current schedule and counts toward your proof of funds. Confirm it on canada.ca.

Issued by a participating Canadian bank · Verify on canada.ca · See: the Canada GIC for a study permit.

PAL / TAL

A Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter. Your school’s province must issue it, a rule in force since the 2024 study-permit cap. Without it, IRCC refuses the permit, whatever your funds look like.

Issued by the province or territory · Verify with your school · See: Canada study permit refusal reasons.

DLI

Your school’s Designated Learning Institution number. It is required on the study-permit application. Some DLIs are suspended for compliance failures. Check yours is still active before you pay tuition.

Assigned by the province, listed by IRCC · Verify in the DLI list on canada.ca · See: the Canada study permit PGWP trap.

PGWP (Post-Graduation Work Permit)

Its length tracks your programme length, not a fixed term. This is the trap Nigerians repeat most: a 1-year programme buys a 1-year PGWP. It is issued once in a lifetime. A programme under 8 months earns none at all.

Issued by IRCC · Verify the eligibility rules on canada.ca · See: the Canada study permit PGWP trap.

CRS score / ITA / COPR

Your CRS score ranks you in the Express Entry pool. A high enough score earns an ITA, the Invitation to Apply. Approval then brings a COPR, the Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Scam alert: no agent can legitimately guarantee a CRS boost.

Calculated by IRCC · Verify with the CRS tool on canada.ca · See: avoiding visa scams from Nigeria.

NOC / TEER

The National Occupational Classification code for your job. TEER scores its training, education, experience and responsibility level, replacing the old skill-level bands in 2022. Your NOC and TEER decide which programmes you qualify for.

Maintained by Statistics Canada and ESDC · Verify in the NOC search on canada.ca.

LMIA

A Labour Market Impact Assessment. Your employer must obtain one before hiring you on a closed work permit, proving no Canadian worker was available. Scam alert: a fake LMIA sold with a fake job offer is a recurring pattern. The worker is never the one who applies for it.

Issued by ESDC to the employer · Verify with the employer’s ESDC file number · See: the fake job-offer visa scam.

ECA (WES)

An Educational Credential Assessment. It converts your Nigerian degree into a Canadian equivalency for Express Entry points. World Education Services (WES) is the evaluator most Nigerians use. NYSC years and an HND-to-BSc conversion are what WES queries most.

Issued by an IRCC-designated organisation · Verify the list on canada.ca.

TRV (Temporary Resident Visa)

The visitor-visa document Nigerian passport holders need for Canada. Nigeria is not on the eTA-exempt list. A TRV is the correct application, not an eTA.

Issued by IRCC · Verify the eTA exemption list on canada.ca.

Schengen & Europe terms

In short: Schengen visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole area, not per country. It is one shared clock, however many Schengen states you enter. Source: EU Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Visa Code.

Schengen 90/180 rule

Ninety days total inside the whole Schengen area, in any rolling 180-day window. One shared clock, not 90 days per country.

Set by the EU Visa Code · Verify with the EU short-stay calculator · See: Schengen visa from Nigeria.

Article 32 refusal grounds

The Visa Code article listing the legal grounds for refusing a Schengen visa. The one Nigerian applicants report most is doubt about your intention to leave.

Applied by the consulate · Verify against your refusal letter · See: Schengen refusal and reapply.

Remonstration vs appeal

A remonstration asks the same consulate to reconsider your refusal informally. A formal appeal is a legal process through that state’s courts, and the route differs by country. Read your refusal letter for the path it offers.

Handled by the refusing consulate or its national court · Verify in your refusal letter · See: Schengen refusal and reapply.

ETIAS

A travel pass for visa-exempt nationalities visiting Schengen. It does not apply to Nigerian passport holders. You still need a full Schengen visa.

Issued by the EU · Verify the covered nationalities on the official ETIAS site · See: Schengen visa from Nigeria.

VAC / VFS / TLScontact / BLS

The private visa application centre that takes your biometrics in Lagos or Abuja. VFS Global, TLScontact and BLS International all operate in Nigeria. Which one you use depends on the consulate, so check its site.

Contracted by the consulate · Verify on the consulate’s own site · See: UK visa biometrics at VFS Lagos and Abuja.

Paying and Nigerian passport terms

In short: the 32-page, 5-year Nigerian passport costs ₦50,000 inside Nigeria. The 64-page, 10-year booklet costs ₦100,000. You cannot start either application without a NIN. Source: NIS fee schedule, passport.immigration.gov.ng.

Virtual dollar card / domiciliary account

A dollar-funded card or bank account. Nigerians use one because a plain naira card declines at a foreign-currency step.

Issued by your Nigerian bank or fintech · Verify the limit in your banking app · See: the best virtual dollar cards compared.

NIN

Your National Identification Number. It is the first step before any Nigerian passport application. No NIN, no passport. There is no paid workaround.

Issued by NIMC · Verify by dialling the NIMC USSD code · See: the Nigerian passport guide.

Contactless (NIS renewal)

The NIS Mobile app self-enrolment route for diaspora renewers aged 18 to 60. You opt in only after paying the booklet fee. It now allows a single fingerprint attempt. Fail it and you are pushed to an embassy appointment.

Operated by the Nigeria Immigration Service · Verify in the NIS Mobile app · See: the Nigerian passport renewal guide.

FAQ

Your next step

Bookmark this page and open it beside the form you are filling. The visa terms explained above each decide a fee, a refusal or a scam. Read the entry before you pay for anything attached to it. Missing a term? The guide that owns it defines it in a line: UK Skilled Worker, DS-160, GCKey or paying visa fees from Nigeria. If anyone offers to sell you one of these documents, start at avoiding visa scams from Nigeria.