₦airaland Forum

Gerrard59:
Proper upbringing and once in a while living in Nigeria are the best ways to go about preventing such. They need to see how and what the alternatives look like. On the other hand, they need to see/experience that there are other ways black people succeed rather than the few means in the UK. I believe it is important for black kids raised in societies with few black people to live and experience life in black-dominated societies and see that it is possible to thrive in any condition.



With a British passport, you are almost a global citizen. Nigeria should not be your only option and is not the only black-dominated country. There is South Africa, the Cayman Islands, Barbados, Ghana etc., depending on how your investments grow. If it gets too big, there is Hong Kong and Singapore.

Absolutely agree with the first. Let the child not grow up and start reffering to his compatriots as 'black and brown people'. Also, this is my worry with recent migrants. Due to a number of factors- mainly cost and home security, very few of folks have been able to take family home in 5 yrs. Even among a group of folks who are doing well, virtually no one I know has done that.

Being a Nigerian offers me certain investment advantages when investing in Nigeria. As na small small money wey person dey look to invest, the whole process of setting shop in a foreign country while staying in the west is cumbersome. Imagine if we had well developed financial markets where one could buy global index funds safely and cheaply.. That could be a backup option where one could drip feed funds into and profits would be subject to home tax rules which are much lower. Also, with 9ja, we have the advantage of knowing the country quite well and what opportunities exist. We just need the country back on the right track.

luckygirl02:
I honestly hope so but it won't be easy at first obviously. Plus I would take Canada PR anyday over UK's constant uncertain immigration rules.

True.. the constant back and forth in the UK is tiring.
Canada is a more prosperous economy with a growing Nigerian community and also just next door to the US. Opportunities would abound

luckygirl02:
I work as a support worker and I used the noc code 33102.

Great, but do you think it'd be more rewarding than a similar role in the UK?

stevolinkon40:
pNP mostly use range
For example Ontario draw on 6th Feb 2024
Health care draw, ITA were sent to people with 379-430, we had 441 and didn't get invited and I have someone with 428 whom was invited for the same PNP draw, we finally got ours later same February in the general healthcare draw where ITA was sent to people with 422 and above.
So if it's PnP and you are not within the selected range even if your point is higher and you are qualified (i.e it's an healthcare draw and your NOC is for healthcare), you won't be invited.

PNPs use a range just below the last Federal cutoff.
The idea I believe is so that those they invite would take it up. If you just got into the pool and your CRS is above the last draw, you're unlikely to accept a provisional nomination but rather wait for the federal one.

luckygirl02:
It's PPPRRRRR

...... The next day, February 14, IRCC did healthcare draw and boom our ITA.

Hang in there everyone. Yours on the way.

Congrats.. That was close

Do you mind me asking what healthcare field you're in?

guobe:
This na better strategy to promote the Nigerian league as Rangers hosts Enyimba in the Eastern Derby this weekend and it may be a title decider.
Nigerian Premier league is getting very exciting with 4 matches to the end of the season with about four clubs still having the chance to clinch the title.

Shameful! This reeks of inferiority complex.

What happened to hot black females of your kind little man?

Lexusgs430:
I keep silently subconsciously whispering same to myself........

Where would funds for other needs and pressures of life, appear from .......

This is probably one of the main reasons, divorce and separations is very high + combining all the above with a self centered, egoistic, stingy, non financially cooperative, significant other........🤣😂

Even folks wey don gel go struggle to cough up that kind money go give government. How many of the 2.8m people on longterm sick have contributed upto that sum (aside taxes) to the government in their whole life? Meanwhile, dem no go gree us rest. Interesting thing is that many coughing up these sums are low-average earners. Folks dey struggle with no appreciation. We go survive and multiply.

My only prayer is that after all this struggle, let their kids grow up with sense appreciating their parents struggle.

That divorce dey fear me. Its one of very few things that can take man back to the trenches. I don reason whether to pack some investments in 9ja first. But the currency dey evaporate. Na why I still dey single lane but man gats join dual carriage soon.

Abeg make we ho vote- whichever party.
Funny thing is that most immigrants tend to tilt more towards conservatidm (i.e Tories here). Maybe due to having a strong work ethic, religiousity, home values e.t.c.

Seems immigration is the top point. Nigel said the election is one of immigration hehe...
Only 310k Nigerians since 2021 (some of whom would return). Make them calm down. South Africa, Australia e.t.c are not complaining. SAFA was christened rainbow nation and they no cause chaos.

I for one love the increased diversity. When I arrived my town, I'm almost always the only black person on the high street. Today, we don get African shop noni. Nigerian restaurant soon to open. When we have party, na soso many little Brits jumping up and down. No complaints!

Met a Brit (born in Jamaica) and had been in my town for decades. She said when she came, na only two black people dey the whole town. Today, she comes to church and sees many black kids playing with themselves and is elated and almost in tears remenbering her children enjoy such.
My joy is that I follow contribute + support new folks. Rainbow nation noni. My prayer is that our second gen have sense and remember their roots.

ehizario2012:
With a population of over 250m people, countless universities, countless graduates churned out annually, countries like Nigeria might never really lack enough skilled hands. What might happen is that these countries become a kind of feeder to Europe in terms of skilled professionals. Study in Nigeria, get a degree and go work in Europe if privileged. The multitudes remaining would cater for those at home.

I come across this quite often and just like the Chinese loan issue, my initial response is simple- why are you worried? Is it because you dont want foreign folks around or you are truly worried about Africa. This usually undresses the hypocrisy before I proceed.


Yes, migration of skilled professionals can represent an issue for developing nations and I'd much more prefer the Chinese model of being able to retain/return their best heads than India who exported theirs. The model for development is however not linear and the skill of many of these folks may not be fully utilised at home. This trend can be seen in countless nations including Ireland and the UK. Immigration is as old as man.

For centuries until 1985, Britain had a negative net migration. i.e more folks left than arrived. Britain donated millions of folks to the U.S, Canada, Australia, Zimbabwe, South Africa e.t.c (not even mentioning resources taken). How did that affect their development? There are well less than 1 million Nigerians in the UK. For a nation of over 250 million and increasing by over 5 million folks annually, we can decide to donate 1 million annually. Afterall, Britain did it for centuries and came out strong.

Lexusgs430:
WHAT........😞🤔

£19,000 for only 5 years visa ....... Haba, the cost of immigration is equitable to paying a deposit on a mortgage + all other logistical cost ....... Loads of respect.....👍

I keep thinking about this and wondering. 19k? People dey try. This is aside a higher sum for masters (if they came through that route) and an even a much higher sum for ILR and finally passport when tge times comes
After 6 years, the total immigration sum paid for a small family of 2 parents and 2 kids is well north of 50k. These same folks go still need get mortgage and plan for retirement e.t.c while being restricted in job search.

Why then do those who are not encumbered by these fees and free to work as they see fit keep talking about cost of living/food banks/house price unaffordablility? Abi their suffering threshold (as one put it) is less than immigrants who are created to suffer?

More needs to be done to put these numbers out there. As anytime the talk of immigration comes up and I bring these numbers up, folks begin to stutter.

Paid praise singers looking for cutback from a government contractor

profemebee:
quick one from me.. just adding to your question

We need to be careful with "cheaper areas" so that we don't try and save money but won't be able to sleep with both eyes closed OR be too worried about where we raise our kids...

I know someone who did same, (wont mention the area) but just know the person can't even afford to have a parcel delivered to the house if no one is home.. all in the name of saving money .. burglary is normal in the area

The neighbourhood is rough rough and schools are blehhhhh!!!!!

Also, remember that even if your current place of work is closer to the house you want to buy, what happens if/when you change jobs and you're now so far..

I know it is hard to plan for the future but let's just make sure we tick majority of the boxes when we try to find areas to buy houses.

Fair point.

Bargains can be had but it's worth knowing why. For a developed nation with a highly regulated housing market, prices are not arbitrary.
In every town/county, some places are cheaper and manytimes these differences are historic, for a reason and very hardly change.
Affordability aside, except if one is seeing something others are not (unlikely), or there is significant development at the cusp of completion and you think its not yet been priced in (e.g Victoria line) or in an area undergoing gentrification i.e lots of new money pouring in and buying up everything as happened in lots of London and now Manchester. Cheap areas tend to be cheap for a reason.

In my area where I've been on the lookout for months now, before long its easy to know the floor price. It's almost always the case that when a much cheaper property comes up, its either in a specific part of town or has a significant issue.

Schoolhike:
Any thoughts or idea on how one can integrate this into the current 37.5hrs weekly, not sure if some organisation offer weekend part-time jobs

When I picked up additional jobs, all I did was apply for bank roles. Employers looking to take you up would know not to exceed 20hrs.
Also going through agencies could make it easier. They'd help connect you to employers that you could work for in a flexible manner.

kwakudtraveller:
Interesting times.

Hehe... again need

This is same Germany that opened its doors to 1 million refugees a few years ago ease labour shortages. We'd continue to see this ping-pong with different western nations.
Like I said a while ago, this decade would be an interesting one. The capitalist system is one that's fed by constant growth. To change that, would be to change the very fabric and outlook of modern western societies. Are the really ready?

Without immigration, the population of the west today would be in a steady decline. Add that to many having robust socialist policies and developing nations increasingly refusing to be prey and ask how they'd be supported.
Like Brexit, it's easy to say no immigration, but what happens when the eastern Europeans stop coming and home support and care homes cant be staffed? Does the government make those same boomers suck it up and pay a higher council tax, give up their state pension e.t.c to pay for British care or does the government scurry up to let migrant workers in?

The question is not if but where and when next.

Omenapounds:
450k or nothing...
Total shutdown on all government activities.

A senator earning 50m+ allowances does not cause inflation, but an average Nigerian worker earning 470k which is 106 times below what a senator earns per month is what will cause inflation.

Shut down the effing country.

Why is 470k unrealistic? Whats the minimum wage in western nations?
Are our senators not paid higher than their western counterparts?

Or are you saying Nigeria can afford to pay it's senators much higher than the UK prime minister but cannot afford a similar minimum wage?
Are you saying Nigerian presidential fleet has more private jets than UK, France, Germany e.t.c but we dont have money to pay similar salaries to those nations?

Goodenoch:
Now you can be sponsored as an accountant and work in everything from IT, retail, building, social media, project management etc as your supplementary job. It's a massive difference and I hope more people become aware so they can maximise the opportunity.

True, as the SOC list is wide and varied. I can see how that can help people get a sude income and build experience in different sectors which can prove valuable after ILR.
Most retail and 'easy to get' roles e.g bar tenders e.t.c are not eligible though.

bsafolabi:
Boss!!!
I'm also looking to buy a house in Manchester with my young family, M20, M15 and M16 is okay for young family but affordability be my problem. I'll go for M9 or M40 jeje because it's cheaper, family friendly and Niger vibes.
Equity appreciation wise Manchester is more better than Sheffield.... my opinion though.

Lemme ask, why are those areas cheaper?

Bourne007:
Interest-only can seem affordable but capital isn't shrinking. Repayment works out for me even though I'm paying more on a ltd co.

Yeah.. the issue is making the numbers work with the current rate hike and resilient property prices. In my environ, an old 3 bed semi would cost 250k and above and fetch rent of 1300 ish. Repayment mortgage is already pushing that sum thats without factoring other expenses. The way out is looking for much cheaper house but thry tend to have big issues

ReesheesuKnack:
Hello my very good friend, MissJekyll (&Hyde).
1. I’m happy for you that you got your money back. Biko, do giveaway for boys, mbok.

2. Do you still think Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is more Pro-immigration than the Tories? Imagine the ‘Shege’ migrants and immigrants are allegedly seeing in the Tory regime. Oga Starmer is suggesting that the Tories are not even tightening the immigration bolts & nuts enough. Oga Starmer is promising that he will tighten the immigration even more.

For now, it’s only the SNP that is promising to further open the immigration doors and throw the keys to the gate away, or even, demolish the gate completely.



Reference:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn331vd99lzo

People generally get too emotional about this immigration stuff. Immigration to the UK has never been about a lottery or diversity drive but largely about labour crunch and local need. The inability to formulate a longterm framework has led to these wide swings.

Every government has looked to reduce immigration for a while now. Guess what? Its easy. Just cap the number of sponsorship licenses to say 5000 a month and the annual cap becomes 60000. It can even be made 1000. Its that easy.
The hard part is what does the government do when there are a lack of farm workers, drivers, care workers, health workers e.t.c? Do they allow growth to be restricted, wages/prices to shoot up/mandate local folks to take up these roles or do they look for the universal cheatcode (i.e immigration)?
With all the abuse and surplus in the care sector, why is there still a care visa? Why can't a reasonable chunk of the 2.8m on longterm sick be supported to become carers. Can't a good chunk of those reading vague courses in Unis be shoehorned into healthcare roles so the UK doesn't need so many foreign nurses?

It is when the government faces the stark reality of these that they always turn to immigration - not out of want but need. The question is when next and what sector?

corpershun:
You are so right! Someone very dear and close to me called me yesterday to say they got a job offer of 80k£. He’s still in shock, he got tired of his current company after spending 18months and dusted his CV.

Me that wanted to dedicate 5years to my current company have been rethinking my decision.
If not for the childcare flexibility my company gives.

Note: He came in June 2021 as dependent on student visa and worked in warehouse for 6months to find footing

Good stuff. I think many folks (esp imigrants) can get too docile on a role without thinking about the next step, fall back options e.t.c

Dedicate kwa.. my main dedication is to my ethic. Would the company also show same dedication when they want to downsize or review pay?

I noticed that many times moving sensibly opens ones horizon and is the a cheatcode for cracking professional growth. While your initial employer would still be looking at you as a newbie years in, a new company may better appreciate and reward your talent.

I once bounced a company who were new to the whole process, were looking to sponsor me and cos of that had requested a UKVI sponsorship licence. They had taken things for a given as I had worked with them for a while. When I asked what the pay and fine terms they were being so vague and tight-lipped. At same time, I looked around and got a role with 15% more and visibly better terms. When their sponsorship licence came out and they asked me how far, I told them I dey waka.

idee91:
Greetings everyone,

What do you advise, I wanted to renew my rent contract, but Landlord is suggesting i don’t need to extend, as the contract automatically goes into a rolling contract after 12 months. Do you think I should insist on getting a new contract ?

Thats the norm. It might be better to let things roll as that would have been stated on your rent agreement. You still have similar protections.

Asking for a new contract gives the landlord an opportunity to rethink a rent hike and bring it in line with current market price. I know someone whose landlord issues a new contract every year with an attendant rent hike. The only advantage is that the landlord can't evict you while a fixed contract is running.

deept:
Consider tax implications of you setup BTL in personal names because you are liable for tax on your btl income. Assuming your are in the higher tax band say 40% you will pay tax 40% on the the entire rental income before mortgage payment. Mortgage used to be tax deductable until a few years ago.

You will usually be advised to set up BTL under a company then you can remove cost before before tax, corporation tax in this case. But you will still be liable for tax for whatever you pay yourself, I think the first 500£ is tax free.

Disclaimer: Consult a financial advisor for proper advise.

Hehe @the usual caveat.. most everyday folks looking to invest would not have enough to interest an advisor or even afford one.

A ltd co is the sensible way to go about it for most. I'm in the process of setting a property one up. Already, I'm often work as an independent contractor via a my ltd co hence the whole process is not new to me.

If the investment outlook is for the longterm, or to reinvest profits to build a decent portfolio, then BTL would work out much better for most. If one already has a main job hence not needing to dip in often then a ltd co offers many tax efficient means of deploying profits...

Bourne007:
Recently got a fixed rate of 4.66% for a period of 60 months, Duration of the loan: 35 years with TML. Hope this helps

Is this BTL?
If it is, is it repayment or interest only? Also personal or via ltd co?

My main considerations are the yield and margin between mortgage and rent. Around me, for basic BTL (i.e non-HMOs etc) it's about 4-5%.

Kukutente23:
I totally agree with Fashola and Shettima

The regional system when placed in the hands of Nigerians to run failed spectacularly under 6 years.

...

Good representation... where did you source it?

immortalcrown:
Do white people do something like this? I mean, do white bankers steal from the costumers of the banks?

Or, is Africa cursed with the most heartless people?

Yes they do and even more. Reason why there should be systems in place to prevent this.

Why should a single banker be able to do this? What are the checks and balances within the bank?

Nice.. but the design should be improved on. A 3-lane road should not have such a direct u-turn. It obstructs traffic and a road hazard

Congrats @ Santa2.

I'm wondering if anyone here is involved in BTLs. Mention if you have. I'm in the south and running some numbers but things are look steep with the current mortgage rates. I'm not keen at fixing for 5 years at this rate. Want to get some nuance and see what the average margin is.

I remember someone (deept I think) once mentioned a Nigerian in UK investment thread or something similar. It would be worth knowing what proper investment/income generating opportunities there are in both our homes (9ja and UK) moreso ones that are also suited to our demography. I've heard of folks who buy written off cars and fix and sell for a profit, also Nigerian stores e.t.c.

ehizario2012:
This is rather interesting, having to obtain a letter from primary employer before engaging in supplementary 20 hours work.

It appears optional not mandatory. Overall, I dont see much between this and the previous guidance on taking up extra work. Its still 20hrs and limited to select roles.

I wonder if UKVI knows how many hours of supplementary work folks do without asking HMRC (with consent) as I've heard about a good number of folks who exceeded the 20hr treshold quite a few times got their ILR smoothly. I can't recollect coming across anyone on a work visa (not students) who didn't get ILR cos they exceeded the limit. Obviously, things might change in future.

Lexusgs430:
Let's see how long after labour wins, before the coup starts within the labour party, then the whole country starts wanting them out too .......🤣😁

Hehe... na normal thing... The talk then may be how labour is unable to run an economy.
Once a 'usual' face is leader of the torries, the populace would pander to them again.

Resurgent2016:
The NHS will always be a bone in the throat of any government.

Currently, £1 of every £10 is spend on the nhs, far more than any sector.

The nhs probable worked well when the country had a young population and a fast growing economy. The population is aging, as a developed country it is unlikely to grow at a very fast pace, cost of medicare has gone up....something has to give.

Either make more services privatized or strip other sectors of funds to prop up the nhs

I see your point and agree with some. There is still good room to go though.
The NHS is fabulous but like any free service with an increasingly entitled populace, the expectation will keep rising exponentially. Its the reason why I'm cautious about the cliché of 'investment'. Not because its not needed but because that money has to come from somewhere which is all the more difficult in a slow growing economy. People talk about how UK productivity lags that of the US without factoring in underlying drivers of that.

For the first time since the end of the world war, there is real danger that a generation of Brits could be worse off than their predecessors. Many times, the government has turned to immigration to spur growth. But it's now at loggerheads with the populace. The next decade would be interesting to live through.

missjekyll:
Long term sick ehn, I had a 60 Yr old lady 3 yrs on the list for a hip replacement. She is in constant pain, Her GP has had to increase her pain relief to Regular morphine. She is now an addict because of the tories.
Tell me again about longterm sick. The 7.6 million on that waitlist are human beings. They can be treated and go back to work but sunackered doesn't want to hear about that.

It's easier to demonise the long-term sick.
I ve applied for Annual leave on July 5th. I ll be up all night at the election result watch party 🥳 🎉. #independenceday

Oh dear! Hopefully Labour would find the money to 'invest' (their new cliché) in the NHS.. Kudos on your campaign endeavours. I would make my mind up with time. Have other things to stress about now.

It's clear Labour would likely have the day. I'd be keen to see how they'd meet peoples expectations. I'd be particularly interested after the first two years as their initial get out of jail card (like PMB) would be '14 years of Tory failure'

missjekyll:
I wonder why despite all his racist ,cruel anti-immigrant policies, he keeps dropping like a lead balloon in the poĺls. Surely if it was a core concern , it would shift the voting intentions? There is no silent majority anywhere. What you see is what you get.

If the NHS goes back to 2010 standards tomorrow, Even i would vote tory.

Rishi was always going to have his work cut out. He was swimming against the tide. He's clutching at anything to save him but truth be said, he has brought some uncomfortable issues to the table e.g a longterm sick, deterrence to small boat crossings e.t.c most of which Labour has given catch phrases and people have glossed over cos 'the tories must leave'

Right from Windrush, to healthcare workers in the 60's/70s, to joining the EU/early 2000 wave, to stopping and restarting PSW visa, to Brexit and recently the care route, the UKs approach has been reliably circular. Get in immigrants when a crunch or low growth hits and then a complete 360 a few years later. It oddly seems to occur roughly every 8-10 years.