₦airaland Forum

lightnlife:
I have an objection to the sweeping generalisation that everyone who's driven in Nigeria will have a hard time learning and blending into the UK road system.

Driving, as with most skills/knowledge, is a reflection of the culture built over the years right from the learning phase. If your driving skill was built on a wrong foundation and sustained by a dysfunctional road culture, it'll only be more pronounced in the UK.

There are people who have standard driving class as well as driving experience in Nigeria and only needed to do few bits to obtain their licence here in the UK. Schoolhike cited several of his friends in this category.

I do believe that most of the people we've read about here that have received points or fine, would still have been penalised even if they had a valid license at the time. Why? Because they committed an offence, which attracted the eyes of the law on them. The offence is a reflection of their poor driving culture and having a license won't have aided it. Police must have initially stopped them because they drove past the light, overspeed or... You no get license and you dey do car racing.😂 I've read and seen people (Brits) who have driven for years without a valid license (not justifying or promoting illegality).

My point is simply; a bad driver is a bad driver regardless of location.

It’s not just about driving and pushing the car forward. It’s about getting used to UK roads and road conditions, roundabouts, driving on the other side of the road, Highway Code and road signs, slip roads, country roads, blind spots etc. There’s a reason why DVLA strongly recommends a minimum of 20 lessons over a period of time. This is to expose you to different road and weather conditions. Tell me how someone that passed their practical test by watching videos and no practical experience of actually driving in the snow will cope in the winter?

Make una dey take am easy for this ukay!

Gourdoinc:
Hello house,

How una dey. Kindly help me with advise. If someone on a skilled worker visa with a BRP due to expire in February 2024, tries of invite a family member on a two year visit visa. What are the chances of it being granted.

Kindly note that the person is due for ILR application in January and indicated it in the application.

Any advise or insight would be appreciated.

Is the family member a first time visitor or have they been to UK previously?

Solumtoya:
It's always weird to me when you guys judge new Immigrants by these personal finance rule of thumbs. It may be that he even had the 3 months but needed to keep earning and not sit and wait till he runs out of the Emergency savings.

I remember when I lost one really good remote job. That same night, I took a shift and went to work at a Warehouse, not because I didn't have any savings but as a recent immigrant, I just had to keep grinding.

As recent immigrants, just like a recent Graduate, we don't have that luxury of these rules. For many, the relocation process left a massive financial void that needs several months or years to fill. So let them "breef"

Again nobody is judging! Like every other subject on this thread, it’s just an advice which you are welcome to accept or ignore.

Goke7:
So we don’t judge bruv, he has two brothers who came in recently via student route and he was solely responsible for all their runs. I really felt bad for him but he told me if those guys remain in Nigeria he will still be responsible for them. It was indeed a sacrifice he made and I have no reasons to judge him. In fact he’s a rare being in my opinion. The current reality of things mhen.

I wasn’t judging just wanted to understand how someone’s circumstances could change so quickly. Rule of thumb though is to always set aside a buffer of 3 months wages to tide you by in case of any eventualities.

Goke7:
Contract jobs are becoming a risk now, had a friend who went out of contract and had to resort to doing care support job for now to fend for his family. An AML expert o.

Asking for a friend, what happened to all the £500 per day he’s been putting aside over the past 6 months when he was in contract?

[quote author=koonbey post=124481437

P.S. Me I will not engage this or similar topics here again, so help me God, so I don’t end up saying things I do not want to put on a public forum.[/quote]

😂😂 the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak 😜. Some comments are best ignored but sometimes it becomes necessary to call people out when they are drivelling.and sending wrong messages across.

@missjekyll this is for you…this was the then labour PM publicly announcing British Jobs were for British Graduates. The same labour government you are advocating and singing praises of.

https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2009/jan/30/brown-british-jobs-workers

So believe me when I tell you all the politicians are the same.

jedisco:
Cue: These are all political decisions. Groveling over a policy that rewards the rich at the expense of the poor only creates inequality.

Thank goodness we’ve finally arrived at the same conclusion that it’s ultimately a political decision and the government will use its fiscal powers to raise revenue how/when they deem fit. And as to whether a policy rewards the rich or creates inequality, remember both wealth and poverty are relative terms and are subject to various interpretations.

Now can you hurry and sign Kwaku’s petition to get the ball rolling for the change you’ve been agitating for?

missjekyll:
I m really sorry you feel that way about the Government. You must have arrived the UK in the past 13 years. Labour are not exactly saints but they are 100% preferable on public services. Ask any teacher, doctor , police officer, lawyer how well those services functioned prior to 2010. Hopefully, we can get things back to normal.
I wasnt here then as well but i read voraciously and can find ample evidence that conditions were much much better.

No I was here when Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were Pms and it wasn’t any different then. In fact it was even worse for immigrants then - there were no jobs for black and brown people. All the jobs were reserved for Eastern Europeans so in a way I’m thankful to the Tories for Brexit and the opportunities it has created.

kwakudtraveller:
I don start petition on top the matter 🤭
peerielass I hope to see your signature on it ☺️

https://chng.it/yWHfW2HzGk

Now you are talking! I will sign it 👍

missjekyll:
The Public School System plays a huge role in perpetuating inequality in the UK.Labour will find the money by taxing the heck out of the rich. Oh and clawing back our PPE money among other things.

The Public Schools can claim back whatever they like, it ll still be a net profit for the government. I 100% welcome this tax and urge parents to prepare for it.

While your labour is dealing with public schools, can they also devise a means to stop people from buying/renting houses in posh neighbourhood so they can be in ‘catchment’ for high performing comprehensive schools and also stop rich parents from tutoring their kids from from age 5 for 11plus exams leaving kids from poor backgrounds to slum it out in schools rated as inadequate. Those are the real actions that perpetuate inequality in the society.

Personally I don’t give a toss who’s in power be it the tories or labours or the SNP for we Scots. They are all the same and their only agenda is to screw me over.

missjekyll:
The Public School System plays a huge role in perpetuating inequality in the UK.Labour will find the money by taxing the heck out of the rich. Oh and clawing back our PPE money among other things.

The Public Schools can claim back whatever they like, it ll still be a net profit for the government. I 100% welcome this tax and urge parents to prepare for it.

Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. They will need to win the elections first.

missjekyll:
I beg to differ. Parents with Children in Public Schools do not subsidise anything more than people who do not have children.
VAT will go towards equipping the state schools.why should any British child be disadvantaged in basic education because parents earn less? If you want a fee paying school which is a privilege, you pay for the privilege. Simples.

Your second point is very interesting because i haven't heard it anywhere else apart from this thread. Is it possible to share your source please? Thank you

They are subsiding state education by giving up their spaces. When your Labour Party eventually comes into power and decide to charge VAT on private schools, the elites will still be ok but the middle income earners who are just managing to afford private education for their kids will be priced out. It’s not for you or me to say whether private education is a luxury or not. Some people would argue that university education is a luxury too.

Assuming 20% out of the 25% of students who are privately educated now decide to enrol en masse in state schools which are already oversubscribed and bursting at the seams, where will Keir Stammer find the money to support the state schools? Is he going to build more schools to absorb the kids that have left the private sector? How about staffing?

As for your second question, I work in taxation so understand VAT very well. You can do a bit of research for yourself. The HMRC website below is a good starting point.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-exemption-and-partial-exemption

hustla:
People dey vex

I tire Bros. Meanwhile some bloke in Alaba market is having a panic attack anytime naira goes south making the cost of his imports more expensive. I suppose different strokes for different folks.

elengine:
Please o. What is the best app to send money home. I hear say lemonade rate no make sense

£1 = N1054 no make sense for you. Abeg pity our country Nigeria.

justwise:
[b]

Good result for Carlos, supported him all through.

Yes o. It was the best outcome.

koonbey:
Fedal fan we see you. 😄

No not really. I support the underdogs. I wanted Carlos to win and didn’t mind any of the ladies winning yesterday though I would’ve preferred if Ons Jabaer won.

Yes Djokovic has been defeated! But give him his due, he’s such a gracious loser ❤️

RalphJean:
No one was rude.

You mentioned 25 hour electricity.
And security.
And Education.
On the surface, that sounds like a good argument.

But,

You failed to realise that IHS is a line item.

Electricity is billed separatealt. The immigrant pays for that.

Security is a separate line item, the immigrant is taxed for that

Education is a separate line item. Look at the two pictures I posted, the immigrant is taxed for that too.

So… those things are not free..

The Health Surcharge is a line item of its own. And the immigrant is taxed for that, IN ADDITION to what has been paid already in IHS.

Unless your argument is that DOUBLE TAXATION of legal immigrants is fair.
Is that your argument ?

You were rude with your bla bla bla comment. It was totally uncalled for.

Everything you’ve highlighted above is paid for by both immigrants and citizens and like I said before, see the double taxation as you call it as the small price you have to pay to get British citizenship for you and your entire household. In 5 years time when you finally get BC, you will look back and say to yourself, yes it was worth it. And then you will Japa to Australia and start the whole process all over again 👍

To your other question as to whether it is fair? Nothing in life is fair - that’s why some people are born with a multitude of disabilities through no fault of theirs and others are healthy. Some are born rich and others are born into abject poverty and their entire life is a struggle. When life deals you lemons, you make lemonade and quit complaining.

jedisco:
What happened to vat on private school fees? Oh! That does not punish immigrants.

Listen to yourself, you want them to charge VAT on tuition fees for parents who are already subsidising other people’s education by not taking up places in state schools? But you cry wolf when the same government attempts to tax you twice through IHS. Anyway this is Labour’s policy and not the Tories. What they have forgotten or failed to consider is that they can’t charge VAT on one type of education and leave the other. University education will also be vatable unless of course they decide to rewrite the entire VAT manual. VAT is not charged on education in any EU country.

Secondly, I’m not sure how much you know about VAT, by charging VAT to private schools those schools will now become eligible to reclaim input VAT on all their purchases and capital expenditure, in fact they can reclaim VAT on expenditure incurred in the past 7 years which will negate the so called revenue the government is trying to generate from the VAT charges.

RalphJean:
Again, you are wrong.
With that 59k I illustrated with, the 3 year old of a British Citizen earning that will have 30-hour of nursery per week.
Have you cared to know if the child of that immigrant, the 3 year old child of that immigrant who was born in the UK. Will such a child have 30 hours? NO.

You still wanna justify it? Because you’ve heard that ‘benefits are means tested..’ Bla bla bla.
How about educational benefits for the child of that migrant?

No need to be rude!

You are assuming this BC has a child lol. What happens to those that are childless either by design or choice or those that rarely fall ill hence never needing the NHS. What category do they fall into in your analogy? These are people that have been paying taxes since graduating from Uni at 22 and are now earning significantly higher income that precludes them from claiming any benefits. I bet they are more hard done in than you and your IHS surcharge.

See that immigration surcharge as the price you pay for all the additional benefit you receive for being in the UK. You can sleep with your eyes closed at night, no noise pollution, you don’t have to pay N1million per term to educate your children, 24hr power supply, excellent transport links, need I say more?

RalphJean:
For me as a legal, tier-2 immigrant, I do not have such choice.
Issorai.

In your own words, it’s a lie from the pit of hell that you do not have a choice in the whole process/outcome. You chose to come here and it’s the government’s prerogative to raise revenue anyhow they deem fit. Simples!

For your info and others who are not aware. Not all British citizens are entitled to benefits. With that £59k salary you used in your illustration, you will not be entitled to kobo from DWP. Benefits are means-tested which means your eligibility to claim depends on your level of income and capital including savings.

RalphJean:
This post is to all the people (on this thread) who are justifying the UK govt wanting to increase IHS/Visa fees to raise £1,000,000,000 to fund pay rises.
The first picture is a total tax deduction from a legal tier-2 visa holder. Remember, this person has paid the IHS upfront. This person has NOT been able to get an NHS dentist. This person has been held in a 7 month NHS waiting list.

Kindly note the amount of this person’s tax that has been pumped into the NHS. In addition to the IHS which has been paid upfront.

Also kindly note the amount of this person’s taxes that have been pumped into ‘Welfare’.
Remember, this person has No Recourse to Public Funds.


Let’s be Frank to ourselves. Is this justifiable?

Not sure what point you are trying to make here. Every tax payers money is pumped into NHS, Education, Welfare, State Pension etc irrespective of whether they are BC or immigrant. How about BCs who dont have children (by choice) or those that chose to educate their kids privately - should they begrudge the govt for using their taxes to fund other people’s children’s education? There are also BCs that have never used the NHS before. Some of these folks also can’t claim benefits (not even child benefit which is the easiest to claim) because they earn above the threshold for benefits.

If anything this funding analysi shows the UK government is accountable and transparent. Do you have any idea what the Nigerian government uses the tax payers money for?

Edited to add… when all the new immigrants on this thread eventually get their ILR and citizenship, then you will realise that the job of the guys at Downing Street is to screw you over with their fiscal policies and it’s irrelevant whether you are immigrant or BC, we all have a common enemy.

eniola1010:
My boss when you say civil service of course you are talking of public services maybe transport, hospital, accounting, or other fields.
Is there a general site where the uk gov post all their job opening for roles like how nhs has general site where they post job openings

Here you go:

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi

kwakudtraveller:
From my understanding, this thread was also created to speak about life in the UK, it’s not just an advise pod so people can banter and vent in peace.
Lol @ change.org. as if the one that I saw flying around to allow PSW count to ILR was taken seriously. They shut it down faster than any request that I’ve ever seen.

You never know with these things maybe it’s you, Goke and Jedisco’s campaign that would kick start an immigration revolution in this country. But jokes aside, these arguments are derailing the thread and for someone looking for information, it must be really difficult sifting through all the chaff to find the tiny speck of gold.

It’s the prerogative of the government to implement and change their policies as they wish and find favourable. We on the other hand must continue to adapt and also realise that it’s only a temporary inconvenience.

kwakudtraveller:
The idea that people should not complain about something that affects them is just wild. Like we must remain mute in policies that affect us because Nigerians are "bad"? 🫤

I agree! By all means complain away but direct it to the right source. Over the past month there has been constant hullabaloo on this thread about the proposed changes to the student visa and now IHS. People come on here to seek information and also to unwind but in recent times it has turned into an argument match for and against UK/Nigeria. If folks are so aggrieved with the government immigration policies, mobilise yourselves and March to Downing Street, Westminster or wherever it is that they make the laws and protest. Constantly nagging about the government on this thread is not going to bring about any change.

Better still start a petition on change.org and ask your local MP to present it to the House of Commons.

Thastie:
I tried o. Airline is saying I will pay £98 to change date/destination. With this unrest in France, I don’t want to go.

Will be happy to transfer to someone if they can bear other costs like. It’s a 2 person holiday

It seems like things are settling now and from what I gather the unrest were in the suburbs and not in the centre of Paris so chances of you coming across it is very minimal.

Firefunmi2014:
Good evening all.

Please , I need help. I have been applying for credit card but not been successful. Please , how can I get credit card. I have been in UK for more than 18months and on skilled worker visa.

What is wrong with this people now?

Please help me oh

Are you registered on the electoral roll? Do you have monthly direct debits set up on your bank account? If the answer to the questions are yes, then you just need to give it a bit of time. Check that you are pre-approved as @Lexusgs430 suggested before re- applying..

hyzich:
HI Elders,

I got a 2nd part-time job with a carehome but the new employer wants to contact my current employer (main job "accountant" for referencing. I disagreed but was told to discuss with them that I'm not leaving and it is weekend shifts and any weekday shifts is 5pm to 9pm. I'm confused but I'm planning to turned down cos I no want issue with main job.. is there any other better way to deal with this?

Thanks

I would go against the grain here. I don’t see anything wrong with them asking for reference from your current employer. You are allowed to have a second job as long as it doesn’t contravene the terms and condition of your contract.

First question though is - is your employer sponsoring your work visa or are you on dependant visa? If you are on a dependant visa, I don’t see what the problem is. A few of my colleagues (accountants) have second jobs. One works in the pub in the evenings/weekends and the other works in a golf course. We are all aware of this and it’s not a problem. I also help some local groups and charities to complete their books and my employer is aware of this. The problem comes from non/disclosure and conflicting priorities and conflict of interest. The people I’ve mentioned are all British citizens so there might be other things to consider if you are on a sponsored work visa.

eniola1010:
Please do i need to also read the highway code and road signs, or its only the theory and hazard that is important.

Do they also ask for highway code and road sign in the computer test?

Please study the Highway Code for your own safety and safety of other road users,

hustla:
Renewed shege

I weep for ma kontri o 🥲

£1 = N1,015 on lemonade today