Kenya or Nigeria
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Kenya | Nigeria | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 7 years | — |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | $ 2 000 |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 520 · estimate | $ 863 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 26,0 | $ 18,6 |
| Life expectancy | 63.83 | 54.63 |
| Homicides/100k | 4.65 | 15.75 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Kenya — 24, Nigeria — 60. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, repatriation and retirement. Kenya adds: remote work. Nigeria adds: talent.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Kenya: fees range from 1,000 to 750,000 KES. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 2; the lowest is 24,000 USD a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 22; the shortest is 1 days. Nigeria: fees range from 600 to 2,000 USD. Routes stating an income threshold: 6; the lowest is 250,000 USD a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 50; the shortest is 2 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Kenya after 7 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Kenya after 7 years; the other country publishes no term.
Kenya in brief
Kenya admits foreign specialists through a system of ten classes of work permits (Class A-M), each for a different purpose — from mineral prospecting and agriculture to prescribed professions and religious activity — and, since 2024, through a separate digital nomad visa (Class N) requiring a confirmed minimum income of $55,000 a year from sources outside the country. Permanent residence on the general ground — holding a work permit — is reached after 7 years, the last 3 of which must be continuous residence in the country; the spouse of a Kenyan citizen becomes eligible for permanent residence sooner, after 3 years of marriage, but until then the accompanying spouse holds a Dependant's Pass, which does not carry the right to work. Naturalisation takes the same 7 years — by marriage or by permanent residence with knowledge of Swahili or a local language; former citizens by birth who lost their citizenship on acquiring a foreign one have a separate, faster route to restoration. The 2010 Constitution permits dual citizenship for citizens by birth. Nairobi is the region's largest technology hub: since 2007 it has hosted the African headquarters of Google, IBM, Cisco Systems, and General Electric.
Nigeria in brief
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and its largest economy, with an English-speaking business environment and a prominent tech scene in Lagos. The work route is built around the employer rather than the person: the company obtains an expatriate quota from the Ministry of Interior and accepts immigration responsibility, the foreigner enters on a 90-day STR visa and, already inside the country, receives a CERPAC card valid for two years and renewable. The service publishes a processing standard for residence visas — 10 days from the interview and biometrics, including applications by spouses and other dependants. Permanent residence exists, but not through a period of residence: it is open to spouses of citizens, to investors bringing in capital above a set threshold, to highly skilled professionals and to certain retirees. Bringing in cats and dogs requires rabies antibody titration with the blood sample taken at least three months before departure, so preparation starts about six months ahead. The background figures: life expectancy 54.6 years (World Bank, 2024), homicides 15.75 per 100,000 (UNODC, 2023), average PM2.5 concentration 65.7 µg/m³ — almost thirteen times the WHO guideline (World Bank, 2023), and all four World Bank governance indicators deeply negative, including political stability at −2.0 on a scale from −2.5 to +2.5.
Other comparisons
Kenya or… Rwanda · Tunisia · Algeria · Tanzania · South Africa · Angola · Gabon · Madagascar
Nigeria or… Sierra Leone · Uganda · Zambia · Eswatini · Lesotho · Mozambique · Republic of the Congo · Burundi
More on each: Kenya · Nigeria. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.