EmmyKing86's Posts

Nairaland Forum › EmmyKing86's Profile › EmmyKing86's Posts

1 2 (of 2 pages)

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk-life Of An Immigrant (part 3) by EmmyKing86(m): 12:18pm On Apr 03

Good afternoon all.

Please, can anyone let me know if it is normal have your passport application 'Delivered at Mount Pleasant Delivery Office' instead of the WC2N 5BX (Nigeria High Commission) location.

Regards.

EmmyKing86:
Greetings everyone and happy new month.

I recently used the NIS contactless service to renew my passport.

I followed all the instructions and mailed the required documents via Royal Mail special delivery.

I am quite surprised that for the past 2 days the tracking information states 'Delivered at Mount Pleasant Delivery Office' instead of the WC2N 5BX location.

I tried calling Royal Mail customer service but it keeps going to an AI that is NOT helpful at all.

I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this.

Regards and Happy Easter in advance.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk-life Of An Immigrant (part 3) by EmmyKing86(m): 7:58am On Apr 02

Greetings everyone and happy new month.

I recently used the NIS contactless service to renew my passport.

I followed all the instructions and mailed the required documents via Royal Mail special delivery.

I am quite surprised that for the past 2 days the tracking information states 'Delivered at Mount Pleasant Delivery Office' instead of the WC2N 5BX location.

I tried calling Royal Mail customer service but it keeps going to an AI that is NOT helpful at all.

I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this.

Regards and Happy Easter in advance.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk-life Of An Immigrant (part 3) by EmmyKing86(m): 11:29am On Dec 27, 2025

Good morning all and compliments of the season.

Please, is there anybody who has recently renewed their passport WITHOUT uploading/submitting a local government certificate? This is one of the documents that is required to be uploaded while filling the application form.

I have tried to obtain an e- LGA certificate but my state liasion office and LGA e-portal (Anambra State) are unresponsive.

Regards and many thanks for your response in advance

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk-life Of An Immigrant (part 2) by EmmyKing86(m): 4:56pm On Dec 29, 2021

Hello everyone and compliments of the season.

So, I have observed that there has been a huge increase of mature individuals (not only here in Nairaland) with children applying and coming to the UK under the tier 4 students route. There is nothing wrong with searching for greener pastures however, more thought has to be placed prior to making this huge step under certain conditions. For instance, an applicant with his/her significant other with 3+ children coming via tier4 students visa. The applicant is restricted to 20hrs/week for work (can work full-time during holidays), the significant other will most likely get a minimum wage job with long hours, the children would need childcare (very expensive in the UK), accommodation with a family of 5+ living in a 2 bedroom apartment, the cost of living..............etc. Do you see my point? Here in the UK, the major cause of separation among immigrant families is due to finances.

Coming to the UK on the student route with all the family at once is extremely difficult and not ideal. The ideal scenario is for the applicant to come in first, test the waters and bring in the rest of the family following graduation and securing a job.

The intention of coming to the UK through the student's route may be to acquire permanent status and if this is the case, going to Canada may be the best option as there may be a possibility to get PR before setting foot in the country (I don't know whether this is still available)

Having said all the above, there may be some success story, but before coming via students route with family, think deeply about it.

Some Financial Tips

So, one thing dependants can do to bring extra income is to invest in YOUTUBE content creation (especially during the current pandemic). Yes, this is a good avenue for extra income as you grow your subscribers. The initial stages will be tough but with commitment and dedication, your channel will grow. For instance, your youtube channel can focus on your family settling in the UK, recording your lifestyle, and giving information due to personal experience to other Nigerians/Africans that might be looking to move to the UK under the same route. Another option is photography. Acquire a DSLR camera, start taking casual photos and grow to be professional and set up a business (while being vigilant about the UK immigration rules).

This is just a personal opinion as a lot of families have become financially stranded and later come to Church to ask for assistance.

My whole thing is to think critically before bringing the whole family on a tier4 students visa.

God bless and happy new year in advance.

20 Likes

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk-life Of An Immigrant (part 2) by EmmyKing86(m): 5:33pm On Dec 17, 2021

Hello everyone.

I noticed a few pages ago there seemed to be some confusion about ILR 10 years route, so I would like to share my positive experience.

Date of Standard Online Application: 31/08/2021
Payment Debited & Confirmation email received: 31/08/2021
Documents Uploaded via UKVCAS website: 14/09/2021
Biometrics submitted in person (Cardiff): 15/09/2021
Complex Letter: NONE
Received positive decision email: 17/12/2021
Received BRP: Waiting.

I accumulated the following visas during my 10 years stay: Tier4 student visa (5 years; 1yr Master's, 4yrs Ph.D.), Doctorate Extension Scheme (1yr), Tier 2 skilled visa (4 yrs).

For ILR long residence route (10yrs), you can fast-track the decision via the super-priority payment (extra £800) opened at 1 am (yes, after midnight). I would have done this but was not aware of the 1 am super-priority opening.

For me, it was imperative that I switch from tier 2 to ILR as soon as possible. I have always not really fancied my stay in the UK dependant on my employers or any other party. There are several instances where individuals and their families had to relocate back to Nigeria/other countries because they lost their jobs, company went bust e.t.c. and could not get another sponsor. A lot of people fell victim to this, especially during the pandemic.

A little bit of advice for those who recently came to the UK and are seeking permanent residency in the future is to plan accordingly. Start small and gradually grow big. As you may all have read from people's experiences, it's really not easy particularly for those coming with family on tier4 students visas. I cannot overemphasize cultivating the habit of saving and financial discipline as an application to transfer to another visa category or extend your visa is quite expensive. Also, put into consideration the cost of living e.t.c. Please, don't be too quick to spend lavishly while giving people back at home any kind of false impressions. Again, there are people who had to leave prematurely after making extravagant purchases due to losing their jobs and being unable to find another one on time.

Wishing you all good luck and all the best.

42 Likes 6 Shares

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 12:38pm On May 17, 2021

I forgot to add that you must come with a self-addressed priority envelope for your new passport to be sent to you.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 12:36pm On May 17, 2021

Hi everyone.

So, for those of you waiting for a passport renewal appointment, remember to print your passport payment slip, acknowledgment slip & application form (signed).

My experience today was not different from my last appointment in January 2016. The customer service is non-existent. The people attending to me were quite rude, impatient, and angry. The offices have not changed and the waiting area was rowdy with nobody observing social distancing. My initial appointment was on the 12th however, upon arriving at Victoria coach station on the 11th I received a cancelation notification and a reschedule till today. I had to go back to Swansea and book my hotel room again.

What still surprises me is that in 2021 we are still dealing with printing paper and submitting paper applications and after biometric capture, you still have to fill another form. There has to be some sort of digital innovation that would make the whole process hassle-free for both staff and customers.

2 Likes

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 8:50am On May 07, 2021

Hi.

I made my online application on 24th August 2020.

However, you have to click a separate link to book the actual appointment for biometric capture. I did this on 11th October 2020.

Cheers.

famzynet:
Please when did you apply for it? Was it through their online service or you went to the embassy in person?

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 8:45am On May 07, 2021

Hello.

Many thanks for this info.

Cheers.

humblemoi:
Hi, I can tell you for sure that I did not hand over any postal or money order. I went with a self addressed envelope as mentioned. The process is a lot quicker, and my turn around time spent in the embassy was under 1hr 30 mins for Passport Renewal. I had my appointment today.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 8:44am On May 07, 2021

Hello.

I made my online application on 24th August 2020.

LagosismyHome:
Please when did you submit your application?

For money order, there a post office not too far , by charing Cross Station so worse case

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 4:04pm On May 06, 2021

Sorry, *Postal Order (not money order).

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 4:01pm On May 06, 2021

Hello all.

I have finally gotten an appointment next week for biometric capture for passport renewal.

The email I received did not mention anything about paying for the money order however, it was clearly stated that I need to bring a 'stamped C4 special delivery envelope'. I have previously seen in the platform that a sort of money order was required to be paid.

Please, just wondering if anybody recently attended their appointment in London and still paid the money order.

Kind Regards.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 12:47pm On Apr 21, 2021

Hello all.

Trust the day is going well for everyone.

Just wanted to share my experience with the UKVCAS.

So I applied for Tier2/Skilled worker extension on 20th March using the priority service and following the application, I scheduled a UKVCAS appointment for 16th April in Cardiff for the submission of my supporting documents. I also made an additional payment for document scanning. On the day of my appointment, the caucasian man that attended to me was extremely rude. He did not have knowledge of the current UKVI rules as he told me my application would be refused due to my expired passport. I explained the situation of the Nigerian high commission due to the covid restrictions as well as a cover letter and the fact that the UKVI would not penalize me or anyone especially due to the government-imposed restrictions. He also refused to scan my consent form page saying that it was not part of the document checklist. My pleading fell on deaf ears.

Anyways, I received an email yesterday from the UKVI communicating that my application was successful although I started doubting whether it would be considered.

So, before going to the UKVCAS appointment, scan all the documents that are not on the document checklist yourself and if you are applying for Tier2/skilled worker visa extension with an expired passport, just include proof of payment of passport renewal fees, a letter from the Nigerian High Commission and a personal cover letter (if you did not put the actual expiry date in the application).

Cheers.

9 Likes

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 1:23pm On Apr 01, 2021

https://thecable.ng/immigration-passport-booklets-now-available-for-collection

According to the link above, 'there are over 20, 000 applicants who paid and are yet to be captured in London'

Terrible.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:38pm On Mar 30, 2021

Hi, I'm a bit curious. The high commission has been closed for passport renewal since December 22 last year. So, did your friend go to renew his/her passport or something else?

If this is true it really does not make sense. The high commission has been closed for a combination of many months due to the pandemic, how come they have run out of passport booklets.

olenime:
A friend went there last week or so, she was told paper for printing is finished.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:37pm On Mar 30, 2021

Gaming › Re: What Game Are You Currently Playing? by EmmyKing86(m): 3:19pm On Mar 02, 2021

Currently playing Ghost of Tsushima.

I tend to always be distracted by the beauty of the open world.

7 Likes

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:54am On Feb 15, 2021

This really does not make sense.

I received my provisional driving licence less than 2 weeks after application around mid-December 2020. My elder brother got his ILR application approved less than 2 months after applying also in mid-December 2020. I got my COS for tier-2 renewal sent to me following an application from my sponsor in less than 2 days.

Despite the huge restrictions and reduction of staff due to the implementation of social distancing rules here in the UK, essential services are still working effectively & efficiently through innovation. The system is adapting as the situation unfolds. Also, the times I called their phone line, I did not wait for more than 5 minutes.

However, the Nigerian High Commission is still closed with the back-log growing massively. No innovation to attend to customers. They cannot even answer their phones and respond to email messages. Now, I'm hearing one might need to pay extra to get an earlier date.

The basic can not even be accomplished. This is so so annoying. Who did this to us?

3 Likes 1 Share

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:05am On Dec 11, 2020

Good morning all.

To whoever it may concern.

So, if you are a tier 2 visa holder and your passport is about to expire/expired and you are in the process of extending your tier 2 visa, the UKVI WILL NOT penalize you or refuse your application. The UKVI is currently aware of the difficulty to renew passports due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

I know this because I contacted them via email and phone call and they responded promptly.

Cheers.

9 Likes 1 Share

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 8:35pm On Nov 09, 2020

You see!!! grin

Just look at how everyone is giving their different experiences of getting mortgages particularly from erico & Lagosismyhome. There is nothing wrong in sharing our different ideas and opinions in a respectful manner as people will find them useful.

8 Likes

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 8:14pm On Nov 09, 2020

erico2k2:
come o n Bro why are you tlking like this,?
How on earth are you going to get a Mortgage with financial history of even 3 years?even with a history of 5 to 7 years the Deposit will be minimum of at least 30% people born here who applied for mortgage as 1st time buyers get up to 25%\ and for the govt helpto buy scheame thats another fraud on thier part, its a long thing,you are going to drop at least 15% of that and you are buying a % of the mortgage.
Leasing a car is very expenssive, the cast majority of young people in the UK who lease live with their parents, or are living rent free.
Talking about sell off, well Lexus Im not being rude but if you own your House ie mortgage you will know that there are clause bonding you to the agreement of remortgaging your house for XY years, its meanimum of 3 years in most cases.The reality on ground is harsher than tall buildings and fine environments!

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 8:02pm On Nov 09, 2020

Facts.

This is also very logical/valid. There will look at your income, credit, and advice accordingly. The point is not to rush but look at all the available financial options on the table with the help of professionals and make a wise decision based on their current financial circumstances.

wallg123:
It means going directly with a bank. Every bank has a mortgage adviser who would work with u to see if you are eligible or not for a mortgage.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 7:50pm On Nov 09, 2020

I carefully constructed the initial message I wrote in such a way as not to appear negative and/or disrespectful. My advice was to those aspiring to come to the UK under T2. There are some people in this forum it would benefit. Thankfully from what I have seen, a good number of people understood where I was coming from. It is not everybody that will be a Sonographer/Radiographer and depending on the yearly income, it is wise to be financially cautious.

As they say, there are different routes to the marketplace. The fact you have chosen a particular route does not necessarily mean it would favour the next person.

My message has nothing to do with being discouraging/negative.

So let everybody chill and be calming down cool

TRAY2:
I am a Radiographer and soon to be a Sonographer my job is high in demand.. i don’t need to wait till 5 years to be financially stable before i own a home, and for the car that is what i want i paid 50% of the amount and paying the balance in 3 years, everyone has what works for him or her.. Don’t discourage people, that is why Asians are making it real big,they virtually own h UK, because they encourage and support one another.

9 Likes

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 10:53am On Nov 09, 2020*

Good morning all.

I am really happy to see that a lot of fellow Nigerians are relocating to the UK and doing very well for themselves. It's very refreshing to hear irrespective of the obstacles we face on our journey to success.

Having said that, I want to say that it is highly impossible for anybody to come from Nigeria or any other 3rd world country and in less than 2 years OWN a house or a brand new 2019/20202021 car. If you noticed, I placed a huge emphasis on the word 'OWN'. If you take a mortgage to buy a house or you are making installmental payments for the brand new car you bought, I am sorry, you do not own those properties and you have plunged yourself into debt. It can take more than 30 years to clear these debts. If something happens and you are not able to make the payments, they would be re-possessed immediately.

My advice for anybody coming on a tier 2 visa is to save and aim for (financial) stability. Getting a mortgage, buying brand new fancy cars, and making any unnecessary purchases within the first 2 years is really not ideal, in addition to all other monthly bills & taxes that will be paid. Use this time to build wealth, save, build a good credit e.t.c. If you end up losing the job and are not able to secure another one under the grace period you would be removed out of the country. Why not try to settle down and after 5 years of being under tier 2 status you would be eligible to apply for ILR which is one of the most stable statuses for immigrants as your stay will no longer be dependent on your work sponsor.

I think it is important for us not to give our country people the wrong impression of life here in the western world. I'm quite sure most of us might have had the experience of receiving phone calls to send money back home because they think we are living in heaven on earth. We are currently in unprecedented times, multiple jobs are no longer secure mostly due to the economic fallout of the pandemic. I can only say that the most secure jobs presently are GP & nursing jobs within the NHS.

Aiming for financial stability should be the objective.

Wishing everyone well as we all hustle in our own legitimate ways.

24 Likes 3 Shares

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 2:11pm On Nov 08, 2020

So the Nigerian High Commission London is closed to the public indefinitely due to the lockdown in England.

This does not make any sense as people are still allowed to work. Moreover, embassy/consular services are still under essential services. Airports are still functioning. Closing services to the public will only increase the backlog of passport renewal which the commission is still struggling to rectify. One can even argue that the renewal of passports can be under legal responsibility as immigrants are obliged to maintain a valid international passport. Performing legal responsibilities is also permitted during the lockdown. I made my application on August 24th and it is evident that I might not renew before the end of the year.

Nigeria always finds a way to make things more complicated than it should be.

1 Like

Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by EmmyKing86(m): 10:27am On Nov 03, 2020

Good morning all.

Regarding our lack of maintenance culture, please does anyone have recent pictures of the stadiums/stadia in Uyo, Port-Harcourt & Asaba?

Kind Regards.

1 Like

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:30pm On Oct 21, 2020

Nevermind, just got a prompt response regarding question number 2 from the Home Office.

EmmyKing86:
Good afternoon all.

Please, I have some questions, and again it is on passport renewal.

1) For those who applied for passoprt renewal during the lockdown period, after payment did you also have to fill the Biometric Appointment Booking Form. My payment was on August 24th and did not realize I had to fill the form untill yesterday. Will this affect my appointment date?

2) Will there be any form of consequence if a tier 2 holders passport gets renewed some weeks/months after the expiry date (while the BRP is still very valid)?

Many thanks in advance.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 1:41pm On Oct 20, 2020

Good afternoon all.

Please, I have some questions, and again it is on passport renewal.

1) For those who applied for passoprt renewal during the lockdown period, after payment did you also have to fill the Biometric Appointment Booking Form. My payment was on August 24th and did not realize I had to fill the form untill yesterday. Will this affect my appointment date?

2) Will there be any form of consequence if a tier 2 holders passport gets renewed some weeks/months after the expiry date (while the BRP is still very valid)?

Many thanks in advance.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 2:10pm On Oct 11, 2020

Thanks for the response.

Soknown:
Mine expired in June, I paid for the renewal in the same month. I was contacted to come for the Biometric this week. Rumours have it that they have a lot of backlogs to sort out because of the lockdown.
My friend paid for renewal in January, she was contacted to come for Biometric capture in July.
The Covid 19 saga disrupted a lot of activities, you know.
If you don't get an appointment by October ending. I suggest that you should print out your payment acknowledgement details and go to the Nigeria House.
Let me know if you need further assistance by then.

1 Like

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:33am On Oct 09, 2020

@ Soknown.

So you paid for passport renewal in June and had your biometrics this week.

Was you passport already expired before biometric capture?

Cheers

Soknown:
Dreadful indeed. I paid for the renewal in June. I was informed to come for the biometric this week.
When I got tired of waiting without any explanation.
I mailed the High commissioner, the deputy high commissioner then the secretariat or something virtually all the mail address on the contact list. Not one replied.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 11:23am On Oct 09, 2020

Good morning all.

Trust everyone is well and keeping safe.

Please, for all those who had/have tier 2 BRP, is there any penalty if our passports expire without renewal on time?

My current passport expires on January, applied for passport renewal August and still have not received biometrics appointment.

I really would not want any blemish on my immigration record as I would be eligible to apply for ILR (10 year route) next year.

Cheers.

Travel › Re: Living In The Uk/life As A UK Immigrant by EmmyKing86(m): 10:48am On Sep 15, 2020

Good morning all.

Many thanks for all your responses regarding passport renewal. Swansea, Wales is 5.5 hrs to London, hence you saved be the disappointment I would have encountered if I embarked on the journey.

There are alot of things that are frustrating as a Nigerian. I am one of the few ones that still believe there is hope, but this feeling is gradually fading away cry

. As already stated above, why must it be on a man-know-man basis in order to have access to fast-track? Why can't the high commission place a simple information on the website to update customers? And why can't the individuals that have found out fast track is suspended just simply go home.

I remember facing a similar situation in New York Embassy. Came all the way from Philadelphia only to go back empty handed because there were a lot of people and instead of simply forming a queue and wait patiently for their turn. People who were not scheduled for the appointment showed up. It was like a war zone. Even the ones that had American passport were behaving worse.

We Nigerians are the problem of Nigeria.

7 Likes 1 Share

1 2 (of 2 pages)