Family routes

Family Reunification

For Nigerians joining a spouse, partner, child, parent or other eligible relative abroad, compare the correct route and prepare the evidence the destination country requires.

Choose your family route

Check country guidance

Find your route

Start with the family relationship

The sponsor’s status and the relationship determine which route applies. Choose the closest match before collecting documents.

Partner route

Spouse or registered partner

Use the partner route that matches the sponsor’s citizenship or residence status. The authority may assess the legal marriage, whether the relationship is genuine, finances, accommodation and any language requirement.

Partner route

Unmarried or de facto partner

Some countries recognise durable, common-law or de facto relationships; others do not. Check the official definition before relying on cohabitation, joint finances, visits or communication records.

Child route

Child joining a parent

Confirm age, dependency, legal parentage, custody and the other parent’s consent. A birth certificate proves a civil record, but the route may also require evidence of care or parental responsibility.

Dependent relative

Parent or dependent adult relative

These routes are usually narrower than spouse or child routes. The sponsor may need to prove long-term dependency, care needs, suitable accommodation and that the required support is available.

Application logic

What decides a family application

These four checks shape most family cases, although the exact rules and evidence come from the destination authority.

Confirm the sponsor’s status

Citizens, permanent residents, workers, students and protection-status holders can have different family rights. Start with the sponsor’s exact status and permit.

Use the correct family category

Marriage, partnership, parentage and dependency are not interchangeable. Match the relationship to the category defined by the destination authority.

Check financial and housing rules

Income thresholds, acceptable savings, accommodation and health-insurance rules differ by country and sponsor type. Use the current official calculation.

Build consistent evidence

Names, dates, addresses and family history should agree across passports, civil records, forms, translations and relationship evidence. Explain genuine differences clearly.

Official starting points

Official family routes by country

Use the authority for the country and sponsor category that apply to your case. The summaries below show the important distinction to check first.

United Kingdom

Family visas

Partner, child, parent and adult-dependent-relative routes have different tests. New partner cases usually use the £29,000 income rule, with exceptions and transitional provisions.

Check UK family visas

Canada

Spouse, partner and child sponsorship

Canadian citizens and permanent residents can sponsor eligible spouses, common-law or conjugal partners and dependent children. Parent and grandparent sponsorship is a separate programme.

Check IRCC family sponsorship

United States

Family-based immigration

The U.S. citizen or permanent resident normally starts with Form I-130. The petitioner’s status and the family relationship determine the category and whether a visa is immediately available.

Check USCIS family routes

Germany

Family reunification

Germany has separate guidance for spouses, children and some parents. Sponsor status affects language, income, housing and entry-visa requirements.

Check Germany family rules

France

Regroupement familial

The general route for a non-EU resident commonly covers a legally married spouse and minor children. Residence history, resources, housing and translated civil records are central checks.

Check France family reunification

Netherlands

Family and partner permits

The IND separates partner, minor-child, adopted-child and other family situations. Many applicants request an MVV and residence permit together, while sponsor income and work rights vary.

Check IND family permits

Ireland

Join-family permissions

The sponsor category is decisive. Irish citizens, Critical Skills permit holders, General Employment permit holders and protection-status holders can face different timing and financial rules.

Check Ireland join-family routes

Finland

Residence based on family ties

Finland normally recognises spouses, registered or qualifying cohabiting partners, minor children and guardians of a minor. Actual family life and sufficient resources may be assessed.

Check Migri family guidance

Australia

Partner, parent and child visas

Australia uses separate visa groups for partners, parents, children and other relatives. The sponsor’s citizenship or residence status and whether the family member is inside or outside Australia matter.

Check Australian family options

Nigerian documents

Prepare the documents your family route requires

Start with the destination authority’s checklist. Prepare the identity, relationship and sponsor evidence requested for that specific route, and make sure names and dates are consistent across the application.

Civil and identity records

Prepare the current passport and the civil records that prove the claimed relationship: NPC birth certificates where available, marriage certificates, adoption or custody orders, divorce records, death certificates and formal name-change records. Do not assume an age declaration will be treated as the same document as an NPC birth certificate.

Relationship, sponsor and child evidence

Follow the destination checklist for evidence of a genuine relationship, sponsor status, income, accommodation, parental responsibility, consent and dependency. Translate or legalize Nigerian records only where the receiving authority asks for it, and use the route-specific document list before spending money.

Case-handler context

For institutions handling Nigerian family cases

Nigeria-origin family files can involve several issuing systems and naming conventions. These checks help separate a genuine record difference from a material inconsistency.

Nigerian family records in institutional review

Case handlers can reduce avoidable follow-up by checking the origin, form and internal consistency of Nigerian civil records before treating a difference as deception or a missing record as proof that an event did not occur.

Issuing authority

Identify whether the record comes from the NPC, a marriage registry, court, police authority or another competent body.

Record type

Distinguish a birth certificate from an age declaration, and a statutory marriage certificate from a customary or religious record.

Names and dates

Check maiden names, reordered names, spelling variants and date formats across the full file before drawing conclusions.

Verification path

Use issuing-body verification, translation and legalization only in the sequence required by the receiving authority.

Family Reunification by Country

Open the country that applies to your family. Sponsor status, eligible relatives, finances and supporting documents differ by destination.

North America

United States

Spouse, children, parents and siblings of U.S. citizens (by category), and the spouse and unmarried children of lawful permanent residents.

View family section →UK & Ireland

United Kingdom

Spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner meeting the relationship rules, and dependent children.

View family section →North America

Canada

Spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, dependent children, and parents or grandparents under the parent and grandparent programme.

Start with the family relationship

Spouse or registered partner

Unmarried or de facto partner

Child joining a parent

Parent or dependent adult relative

What decides a family application

Confirm the sponsor’s status

Use the correct family category

Check financial and housing rules

Build consistent evidence

Official family routes by country

Family visas

Spouse, partner and child sponsorship

Family-based immigration

Family reunification

Regroupement familial

Family and partner permits

Join-family permissions

Residence based on family ties

Partner, parent and child visas

Prepare the documents your family route requires

Civil and identity records

Relationship, sponsor and child evidence

For institutions handling Nigerian family cases

Nigerian family records in institutional review

Issuing authority

Record type

Names and dates

Verification path

Family Reunification by Country

United States

United Kingdom

Canada

Finland

Germany

Netherlands

Australia

Ghana

UAE

Panama

New Zealand

China

South Africa

South Korea

Rwanda

Türkiye

Philippines

Switzerland

Croatia

Poland

Egypt

Qatar

France

Morocco

Saudi Arabia

Ireland

Kuwait

Brazil

Italy

Spain

Mexico

Algeria

Tunisia

Portugal

Hungary

Argentina

Cyprus

Sweden

Oman

Chile

Bulgaria

Belgium

Slovakia

Austria

Norway

Iceland

Slovenia

Denmark

Czech Republic

Paraguay