Quarterly Report · Published 30 Oct 2026

State of Japa 2026 — Q3: The Naira Got Stronger, Visa Fees Went Up

Moving abroad from Nigeria costs 2% to 19% less in naira than a year ago. The naira strengthened against every currency these moves are paid in. In the same quarter Australia raised its visa charges by about a quarter and the United States closed most routes to Nigerians. 21 countries, 1,645 calculations, and every rule change quoted from its official source.

1. Executive summary

We priced the main relocation route from Nigeria to 21 countries today and a year ago, re-read 4,164 figures against their official sources, and counted 1,645 calculations Nigerians ran on Japa Calculator between July and September. Where a figure could not be verified, we did not change it.

Three findings stand out:

1. Moving abroad costs 2% to 19% less in naira than a year ago. A dollar costs 8% fewer naira than a year ago at the Central Bank of Nigeria's rate, a pound 8% fewer naira and a euro 11% fewer naira. A typical Canada move comes to about ₦22.1m today, against ₦24.1m a year ago.
2. Fees rose and doors closed. Australia's skilled and student visa charges went up about 25% from 1 Jul 2026. Since 1 Jan 2026 the United States has suspended immigrant, visitor, student and exchange visas for Nigerians, and since 1 Aug 2026 routine US visa interviews in Nigeria are in Lagos only.
3. Interest moved to Canada and to Africa. Calculations rose 18% on the second quarter. Canada became the most-researched destination (21% of calculations), the United States fell from #1 to #5, and Rwanda, Cape Verde and Ireland entered the top 10.

Methodology in one line: Costs are each country's main route (visa fees, proof of funds where required, a one-way flight from Lagos and three months' rent), verified against official sources between 6 Oct 2026 and 8 Oct 2026. Naira amounts use the site's exchange rate on 27 Oct 2026, the day this report's figures were fixed; every change since a year ago is the move in the Central Bank of Nigeria's official rate (as of 26 Oct 2026). Demand is counted from every calculation run on Japa Calculator.

2. The cost of japa — today vs a year ago

Headline: A typical move from Nigeria costs from ₦2.8m (South Africa) to ₦22.1m (Canada) today, 2% to 19% less in naira than a year ago.

Each figure covers visa fees, proof of funds where required, a one-way flight from Lagos and three months’ rent, on the country’s main route. The year-ago column applies the move in the CBN’s official rates since a year earlier to the same costs.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Key insight: every one of the 21 routes costs fewer naira than a year ago, but none got cheaper abroad. The saving is the exchange rate, and fees charged in naira at visa centres in Nigeria do not move with it. Rates as of 26 Oct 2026. The full breakdown, with two years of history, is on what moving abroad costs in naira, then and now.

3. Visa rules that changed for Nigerians

Headline: 6 rule changes this quarter, each quoted from the official source and checked on the date shown.

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In the official words

• United States: “The entry into the United States of nationals of Nigeria as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B–1, B–2, B–1/B–2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended.” Presidential Proclamation, Federal Register, 19 Dec 2025
• United States: “Effective August 1, 2026 ... Routine visa services will cease to be offered at the following U.S. diplomatic posts: Abuja” US Embassy in Nigeria, Visas
• Australia: “Item 20 (subclass 189, first instalment, points-tested stream): Base application charge $6 135. Commencement: the whole of this instrument, 1 July 2026.” Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 (F2026L00874)
• Sweden: “As of 16 June, the median salary is SEK 38,300, which means that you must have a salary/wages of at least SEK 34,470 (90 per cent of the median salary) a month in order to be granted a work permit.” Migrationsverket, work permits for employees
• Hungary: “submitting an application for the issuance of a new residence permit for guest workers is not possible as of 6 June 2026” National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF)
• Canada: “Your application | This amount includes the processing fee and the right of permanent residence fee. | 1,590.00 | Your application (without right of permanent residence fee) | 990.00” IRCC fee list

4. What we corrected

Our October check also found figures we had wrong. They are fixed on every page.

• Germany: EU Blue Card holders can settle permanently after 27 months, or 21 months with B1 German. We had said 33 months; the official figure is shorter. BAMF, EU Blue Card
• Ireland: Years on an Irish student permission (Stamp 2/2A) do not count toward citizenship. A study-first route to Irish citizenship takes longer than we had said. Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, s.16A (revised)
• United Kingdom: Settlement (indefinite leave to remain) still usually takes 5 years on a work visa; the proposed 10-year baseline is not in force. We had shown the proposal as if it applied; gov.uk still says 5 years. GOV.UK, indefinite leave to remain (work visa)

5. Where Nigerians looked this quarter

Headline: 1,645 calculations between July and September, 18% more than in April to June (1,393), and 4,569 since launch (as of 27 Oct 2026).

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Who was asking. The professions entered most often were Software Engineer, Nurse, Student, Teacher, Electrician, Product Designer. “Registered nurse” is counted as “nurse” (119 calculations in all). Lagos accounted for 39% of calculations, followed by Edo, Ogun, FCT Abuja, Oyo.

What the calculator advised. Working remotely from Nigeria scored highest 53% of the time, staying 31% and moving abroad 15%. The average Japa Score was 51 out of 100.

How people found it. 77% of this quarter’s calculations started from Google search, against 40% in the second quarter.

Calculations run on Japa Calculator, counted from the Pulse event log (one record per calculation, exact; recounted 26 Oct 2026). A calculation is not a person, and a destination researched is not a move. Professions are as typed, with "registered nurse" counted as "nurse". Q2 = 1 Apr to 30 Jun 2026; Q3 = 1 Jul to 30 Sep 2026. Live figures are on Japa Pulse.

6. The verification story

Headline: between 6 Oct 2026 and 8 Oct 2026 we re-read 4,164 figures against their official sources.

2,017 were confirmed, 826 corrected and 92 added. 1,200 could not be confirmed, because no official page gives the figure or the source blocked us; those were left as they were, never guessed. 29 routes were marked closed to Nigerians.

Our verification protocol

1. Load country-facts.json, the single source of truth for every country.
2. Read every official source URL listed for the country.
3. Compare each figure with the published value; if it changed, update the source of truth first.
4. Add any new figure only after reading it on an official source, with the URL recorded.
5. Cross-check every figure on the page against the source of truth.
6. Record the date, the checker and the source URLs in the public verification manifest.
7. A pre-commit check blocks data that has no source or no manifest entry.

7. Methodology + sources

Cost of a movefor each country is its main route: visa and government fees, proof of funds where the applicant must show it, a one-way flight from Lagos and three months’ rent. Routes that are visit visas are left out.

Exchange rates. Naira amounts use the site’s exchange rate (open.er-api.com) on 27 Oct 2026, the day this report’s figures were fixed. The country pages update their rate every day, so their totals will move away from these. Every change over time is the move in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate, with other currencies through the CBN dollar rate and the European Central Bank’s reference rates (as of 26 Oct 2026). The two are never mixed: a change is always the ratio of two CBN rates.

Demand counts calculations run on Japa Calculator from the Pulse event log, one record per calculation. A calculation is not a person, and a destination researched is not a move.

Update cadence: quarterly. Previous edition: State of Japa 2026 Q2. Corrections policy: we correct any verifiable error within 72 hours of it reaching max@japacalculator.com.

Correction (found 27 Oct 2026): the United Kingdom's cost of a move first appeared as ₦19.1m, because it added five years of health surcharge to a three-year Skilled Worker visa fee. At the same exchange rate it is ₦15.4m, and ₦16.7m a year ago.

8. About Japa Calculator

Japa Calculator is a free decision-support tool for Nigerians weighing relocation, staying, or working remotely. 4,569 calculations have been run on it since launch (as of 27 Oct 2026).

Founder

Max Ayobami built Japa Calculator after watching too many Nigerian relocators make life-changing decisions on figures from outdated WhatsApp forwards. He is based in Lagos. Reach him at max@japacalculator.com.

Frequently asked questions

Is moving abroad from Nigeria cheaper now than a year ago?

In naira, yes: 2% to 19% less across the 21 countries in this report, because the naira strengthened. The foreign prices themselves did not fall, and some rose (Australia's visa charges by about 25%). Fees charged in naira at visa centres in Nigeria do not move with the exchange rate.

Can Nigerians still get US visas?

Not most of them. Since 1 Jan 2026, immigrant visas and B-1, B-2, F, M and J visas are suspended for Nigerians who were outside the US without a valid visa on that date. Visas issued before then were not revoked, and work visas such as the H-1B are not on the list. Routine interviews are now in Lagos only.

Where are Nigerians looking to move?

On Japa Calculator in Q3 2026, Canada (21% of calculations), the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and the United States led. A calculation is not a move, so treat this as interest, not migration.

How current are the figures in this report?

Costs and rule changes were last checked against official sources on 26 Oct 2026; naira amounts use the site's exchange rate on 27 Oct 2026, and changes over time use the CBN's official rates as of 26 Oct 2026. Any figure we could not confirm was left as it was and is not presented as new.

Japa Calculator. State of Japa 2026 — Q3: The Naira Got Stronger, Visa Fees Went Up Published 30 Oct 2026. https://japacalculator.com/state-of-japa-2026-q3/