₦airaland Forum

Yemsot:
My journey so far in the UK. (Please pardon my long epistle. This is to encourage someone.)

I came to the UK in 2020 via student visa for PGCE Primary with QTS (Initial Teacher Training) in the University of Wolverhampton. Training to be a teacher in the UK was not an easy feat for me (I did not have time for myself, neither could I do any part-time job until summer.) We had lectures Monday to Friday from 9am till 4pm, after which we were given loads of assignmnents. We had two placement blocks - one during the autumn term and the other from spring 2 term till the end of summer term. During the placement days we were going to our placement schools like teachers (i.e full-time). My first placement went smoothly in key stage 1, but trouble started during my second placement. I was placed in a challenging school in Walsall with students that have aggressive behaviours (year 6). I struggled with my teachers' standards and at the end the placement was declared a failed one in June. I was told I could resit the failed placement in the next academic year at no cost but for teacher training, you can only resit a placement once; I also had to look for a school myself. Furtunately for me, during the summer holiday, I was able to get a school in Norwich that was ready to take me in as a student teacher and I could start in September.
September came, and I started my 13-week placement with no issues. The school was a nice one with pleasant children. There was no indication of me not performing well until my university moderating tutor (UMT) came during the 6th week. Then she put in place a cause fior concern procedure saying I have not met some standards. I had a week to meet these standards, otherwise, it would be declared a failed placement. At the end of the 7th week, the cause for concern was reviewed and I was told I was making progress but not enough, therefore the cause for concern has been extended for another week. At the end of the eighth week when it was reviewed, they said though I had made progress, they do not feel that I could meet the teachers' standards within the five weeks remaining, therefore the placement was terminated. I was dejected and sad because my QTS journey ended there and I could not get a licence to teach in the UK. I was now told to complete and alternative assessment for me to pass the remaining academic module so that I can have a PGCE but without a QTS.

THE TROUBLE
When the placement was first terminated in June, I contacted the school's UKVI compliance office to inform them and to let them know that I would need an extension of my study visa (my visa was expiring in 31 December) because I had to resit the placement in the next academic session. The response I got was to wait till November before applying for the extension. When November came, my resit placement was terminated on the 12 but I still had the alternative assignment to do. Then I contacted the UKVI compliance office again for the extension of my visa. They contacted my faculty and lo and behold, the faculty said they did not have any reason to sponsor me since I would not be attending classes again. Meanwhile, I informed my department that I would need my result to be able to apply for the graduate visa, so, they told me to hand in to assignment on time so that it can be marked and the result collated. The result for that module was ready but the school's board was not going to sit on results until January 2022, whereas, my visa was expiring December 2021. The UKVI compliance office then sent me a mail telling me that they could not issue me a new CAS, also that they contacted the home office and they were told that I would not be eligible for the graduate visa because I did not gain the QTS with my PGCE, therefore, I should just go back to my country - even without having my result.

MY DILEMA
At that point I did not know what to do. I didn't want to go back home neither did I want to remain in the UK as an illegal immigrant.

RESOLUTION
An aunt now advised me to apply for the student visa extension using the old CAS (she said that as long as I put forward an application before my visa expires, I will remain legal until a decision is made). This application was to buy us some time to figure out available options since application within UK takes 8 weeks. Therefore, I had 8 weeks to figure things out. Lo and behold, the only option left was applying for a masters course with the PGCE. All the schools I applied to asked me to defer my application to the September intake. Even Wolverhampton was just staring at my application with no respon. Consequently, no way out.
The school did not tell me when my final result would be ready. The only mails from them was to ask about my travel preparations; if I had left the country, or if I had applied for another visa to remain in the country, in short, they wanted to know my immigration status in the country.
5 weeks after my visa application (19 January), I got a mail from the home office, requesting for a new CAS, saying the CAS I used has been used for my previous application. I was given 10 working days to provide the CAS after which a decision would be made on my application.

DAY 1 (Wednesday): I couldn't do anything.
DAY 2 (Thursday): Started getting contacts of immigration lawyers.
DAY 3 (Friday): Contacted all immigration lawyers I knew but had the same response from them - they couldn't do anything to help me.
School's UKVI compliance office sent a mail requesting for my immigration status as my visa was to have expired in December.
During that weekend I, with the encouragement of my parents, decided to mail the school (copying everyone I could). I couldn't get the VC's email, but was able to get hold of the DVC student's email. We just thought it is either the school give a favourable response or not. In the email, I itemised my plight, starting from who I am being an international student, and how I felt during the course of my studies. I even wrote that I felt I was not being supported as an international student doing teacher training in the school. Also in my mail, I said that instead of me being informed of when my result would be ready, I was being chased with depressing emails and I felt as if the school just wanted to send me away after paying a huge sum in school fees; and I was being denied the opportunity enjoyed by international students in other universities (which is the application for the graduate visa). I informed them that I applied for an extension of my student visa and that the home office is requesting a new CAS from the school.

DAY 4 (Monday): The DVC responded to the mail, and appointed the head of the UKVI compliance and the Director of the School of Education to look into the issue as a matter of urgency.
Day 5 (Tuesday): The head of the compliance office responded and said the school could no longer offer sponsorship as I didn't have to attend classes again. He even said that it was not a new thing for international students to return home before their final results was ready. Furthermore, he said that I had been told to return home but I applied for a visa extension on which a decision had not been made.
The director of the School of education also responded to say they will discuss the issues raised with my department.
DAY 6 (Wednesday): I responded to the head of compliance's mail informing him of the deadline the home office had given me. Also, I told him that I had to still be in the country to be eligible for the graduate visa, quoting the UKCISA website. Whilst referring to the UKCISA website, I said the school can still support a student visa extension if my visa expires and my results are not ready (stating that this did not require class attendance as was my case). I now wrote that I would need the student visa extension in order to be eligible for the graduate visa.
DAY 7 (Thursday): The same head of compliance responded saying he had given my case some thought and checked some issues with my faculty and said they believe they would have an option to suggest to me, saying I would be contacted later that day.
Later that day, the compliance office sent me a mail saying that my award of PGCE will be confirmed the following Monday - 31 January; and that the UKVI policy team had suggested (on 13 January) that I could go ahead to apply for the graduate visa with my PGCE - even without QTS. Therefore, they advised that I submit an application for the graduate visa, which will be a variation application to the student visa application. Furthermore, I was told that they would monitor my award with the faculty to ensure it is ready by Monday.
That very day, we arranged a meeting for Monday 31 January to submit my graduate visa application. They also requested my consent to write the home office on my behalf saying that the graduate visa application is to vary the student visa application I had made. So, I signed a consent form for them.
DAY 8 (Friday): Calmness
DAY 9 (Monday 31 January): This particular day was a battle. The school's board sat on results and awards were conferred but my student record was not updated until about 4pm in the evening. The compliance office was to send my award to home office before I submmit my application. When my records were updated, lo and behold, I was not awarded PGCE but post graduate credit! During our meeting that day they had to tell me that they couldn't send that result to the home office as it is not eligible for graduate visa; and that was not the award the faculty informed them I was going to be conferred. So, the head of compliance office said they would have to chase up the Academic registrar the following morning to sign an interim award for me pending the time the school's board will sit again. Consequently, my graduate visa application was halted.

NOTE: For graduate visa, the school sends the student's award to the home office, so the student does not have to upload award when applying for the visa.

DAY 10 (Deadline 1 February): In the morning, I mailed the head of my department and my course lead to let them know of the award I was conferred as opposed to what I was to be conferred and to ask why. Immediately, they responded that it shouldn't be and that they would look into the matter urgently. Throughout that morning, I heard nothing from the school until about 3pm when the head of compliance informed me that the interrim award has been signed by the academic registrar, and my award has been sent to the home office. Therefore, I could go ahead to submit my application.
I submitted my graduate application at about 4pm that afternoon. The compliance office also helped me to draft what would be my response to the request from the home office on my student visa application. I informed the home office that the student visa application was made with the notion that my course end date was July 2022, but my award had now been conferred by the school. Therefore, I had now applied for the graduate visa which was to vary the student visa application (quoting the reference numbers for the two applications).
The school also mailed the home office saying the same (also quoting the reference numbers for the two applications.)

The home office responded the following day, acknowledging my graduate visa application and therefore declared my student visa application as void from that day.

EXACTLY eight weeks after my student visa application, my graduate visa application was approved! I have now been granted the leave to remain in the UK for two years.

PS
I have started applying for jobs with employers that have sponsor license.

Mashaunola:
Please help!!!!
I am a Masters student.
I have collected my BRP and applied for my NI number.
I have been in the UK for over 2 weeks now. I have been looking for Part time job (warehouse operative, sales assistant e.t.c) to kick start and office work based on my qualifications but haven’t gotten any yet. I have registered with quite a number of agencies.
Please can you recommend a reliable agency or website that can help. I currently stay in crick, Northampton.

I hold a degree from a uK university and am an ACCA UK qualified chartered accountant with years of experience in nigeria.

Please your kind response will be appreciated

Dammyomo123:
Telex will be sent to you from your bank after disbursement.

Afmaag123:
You can attach Degree and School fees bills.
You still have to submit all these docs in the bank.

Dammyomo123:
Payment mode: Telex

Afmaag123:
You can select Swift.
Sort code? Don't think there anywhere where soft code was made compulsory.

Affam:
It has to be a bank where u have an account so you decide which is best..

Ticha:
Autotrader is quite good as well

missjekyll:
The Highway code is changing. See how this affects you

tshoboy:
Your fastest solution is to get an AirBnB for that one week. You can also ask relatives to ask their friends.
It’s going to be difficult getting someone here, because we are all strangers and no one wants to accommodate a stranger.

LagosismyHome:
I am a female .......

hustla:
Congrats bro

I do know one Jide Awe in Abeokuta, not sure it's the same as you

LagosismyHome:
Welcome and join us in the hussle. May God bless your new journey

phadriz:
Can someone please provide me link for day 2 kit

midasfx:
I had the same issue. The fix takes between 24-48 hours. Just exercise a bit of patience and probably try tomorrow.

jobinto:
Tracking my application this morning and it has been transferred back to VAC, still haven't gotten any mail from them. I'm so stressed out, the wait is killing me �

kennykale:
No…just test and 2days isolation till you get your test results