iWorld and Mirsatori Launch EU Residency Program for Nigerian Founders

Two international legal and consulting firms, iWorld and Mirsatori, have partnered with Lagos-based O&J Capital to move Nigerian entrepreneurs into the European Union through company formation in France and Spain — and they claim 100 clients have already secured results, with another 100 applications in process.

The program routes applicants into residency by establishing enterprises under existing foreign enterprise policies. Maksim Nikitin, head of the migration department at Mirsatori, said the track record is real: the firm has helped 100 clients with results, while a second batch of 100 is currently being processed. That claim comes from the firms themselves; no independent figures on approval rates or outcomes were disclosed.

What does the program actually offer?

Residency, not citizenship. Arturs Plepis, general manager of iWorld, framed the scheme as a long-term entry route rather than a purchasable passport.

"What I would say we are promoting here is getting a residency through the startup creation, which is a perfect entry ticket to the European Union because it's a long-term solution," Plepis said.

He stressed the low burden of the route: "It gives you an opportunity and the least obligation to obtain a residency permit based on the experience and background of our client. This might be education, professional experience, business experience, entrepreneurship experience."

Plepis went out of his way to draw a line between this and investor-citizenship schemes, noting it is impossible to buy citizenship in European countries. The firms position the program as active entrepreneurship, not passive investment.

Who qualifies — and on what basis?

Not money, according to Nikitin, but merit. The assessment rests on the applicant's background and the quality of the business idea.

"If you have a great idea on how to grow the economy of a country, they give you this opportunity. It doesn't matter. You are from Nigeria, you are from Cameroon, or you are from Pakistan or Bangladesh, it doesn't matter," Nikitin said.

He added that the door is open but selective: acceptance depends on background and expected contribution. What the firms did not specify is the capital applicants must commit to their French or Spanish ventures, the timeline from application to permit, or the cost of the service itself.

Why Spain may beat France for Nigerian families

Johnson Anorh of O&J Capital, the Nigerian partner in the arrangement, dismissed any suggestion that the offering trades on diplomatic warmth between France and Nigeria. His personal preference, he said, is Spain — for cultural reasons.

"We all want our children or families or even ourselves exposed to a second language. And the Spanish language, it gives you access to more than half of South America. So it makes your world even bigger for you," Anorh said.

He pointed to Spain's strong family tradition as a draw for households, not just businesses. "So these are the kind of things that help families that want to go. And then there are business opportunities that go beyond the borders of Nigeria," he added.

What remains unanswered

The firms' pitch leans on two numbers — 100 completed clients, 100 in process — without publishing approval rates, rejection reasons, or the minimum investment a Nigerian founder would need to commit in France or Spain. Prospective applicants will want those figures before treating startup formation as a reliable residency ticket.

The wager underneath the launch is straightforward: demand for cross-border business migration from Nigeria is growing, and entrepreneur-visa routes can capture it where golden-visa programs have retreated. Whether the second batch of 100 clears as cleanly as the first will test that thesis.