₦airaland Forum

LionInZion:
Can you please share the link for this.

Thanks

So it’s just to download the NIS mobile app on an android phone. Then register and proceed with your passport application.

dustydee:
Please how did you manage to do the biometrics? Mine keeps failing after taking my finger prints with 52% to 70% match. And after that, I can't proceed or re do it until I delete the application. Any tips will be appreciated.

Someone I know had similar issue. We suspect phone type could have contributed to the issue. He came over, we did it with my Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and it worked out for him. I believe phone/camera quality may also play a role for finger print capturing. You can also try old fingerprint trick of washing your hands before taking snap.

Mine went smooth on a first try.

Taal17:
Highlighted was true from when they stopped PSW from 2010 intakes
I experienced it and so did many who studied after 2010...if you got interviewed then told them you needed sponsorship they'd ghost you.
All the non EU students in my set returned home or did another Phd to get sponsorship through their HEI. Though a few Indians and Pakistanis already had jobs through family business so they ALWAYS passed the labor test

Did you mean did another Masters? Or you meant did a PhD? Or you actually meant did ANOTHER PhD??
I am curious.

Cyberknight:
Sounds interesting.
Just to confirm - with the app, what do you upload? Or is it just to book a an appointment as usual? Is there still no option to be spared the agony of having to show at the HC?

It’s just like applying from the web. The only difference is that you can take your biometric with the app, hence canceling the trip to HC. For people like us who live in Scotland. It’s a crazy long journey.

Just to add that there is a silly biometric charge of $100. No one is complaining about that now cos of the convenience. I am sure soonest people will start to complain and it will be looked into. The charge is crazy and irrelevant considering I need to have a phone with some features to be able use the app anyway.

Chreze:
So it’s just to download the NIS mobile app on an android phone. Then register and proceed with your passport application.

Thank you so much. I later searched and got it from Playstore.

OgbeniOptional:
The best decision of mine today as the UK is concerned is accepting my new reality asap after graduation and using my PSW to gain experience in care before getting into NHS which later sponsored me. While in PSW, I applied for jobs but it was always “We are sorry” or “We do not offer sponsorship for this role” until I got tired of it.

You capture this succinctly.

1-2 years ago, when the PSW and student visa changes were made, it became clear that many would end up being shafted. Remember having that discussion here.

Imagine a masters student who arrived earlier with family- had to cough up > £20k as Uni and PSW fees now facing removal 3 yrs in. How would they handle it? Many are frantically seeking a care visa now.
Compare that to someone who arrived via Care at same time. That person has 2 years left to ILR and may have got a desired role in or outside care. It's these disparities that drive crazy desperation

Goodenoch:
Good. Thanks. I have had a quick scan through and will read it fully later. It's absurd how incompetent the folks responsible are/were.

Doesn't matter how short-staffed they were - some of the errors in there should mean those in charge shouldn't have responsibility for anything other than maybe waiting tables at McDonald's ever again.

I still continue to wonder why the care visa changes took so long to muster. The media had been rife with stories of abuse for more than 3 yrs yet the pathway was purposely left open as we were continually being told the next review would change it. It's a scandal.

There are enough folks locally to fill the roles. Also, folks who come as students should have that as a fallback option

lavida001:
Rachel Reeves think otherwise. PIP gone.

Simply put, you miss my point here.

Pojnt is, in Rachel Reeves shoe, I'd be far stricter than she is. As I'm not in her shoe, I'd do my job and leave her to do hers.

Goke7:
😂 not forgetting living in the 20 largest world cities index

Hehe... as no UK city was part of the chosen 20, e don be for UK yoots be dat.

Chap reminds me of Chosen folks

In other news, Canada has recently announced a seperate Education category express entry draw. For those exploring options, worth looking in.
Know a teacher who came to the UK via the care, pivoted into teaching and now exploring this route.

I and many I know were beneficiaries of the relatively recent healthcare express entry draw.

Taal17:
Highlighted was true from when they stopped PSW from 2010 intakes
I experienced it and so did many who studied after 2010...if you got interviewed then told them you needed sponsorship they'd ghost you.
All the non EU students in my set returned home or did another Phd to get sponsorship through their HEI. Though a few Indians and Pakistanis already had jobs through family business so they ALWAYS passed the labor test

You see those ones dem sabi the system wella, I watched a documentary on GB news days ago where it was alleged that those kebab shops are just bringing in and sponsoring skilled workers steady 😂 the argument was when did working in a kebab shop become a high skilled job 😂

jedisco:
In other news, Canada has recently announced a seperate Education category express entry draw. For those exploring options, worth looking in.
Know a teacher who came to the UK via the care, pivoted into teaching and now exploring this route.

I and many I know were beneficiaries of the relatively recent healthcare express entry draw.

Hello Jedisco…
Healthcare express? Can k have some more info about that, please?
You can help me right here, or I can mention you on a dead thread. Or I can send you a Nairaland email message, please?

jedisco:
Hehe... as no UK city was part of the chosen 20, e don be for UK yoots be dat.

Chap reminds me of Chosen folks

Na dem sabi me am a chosen o! My city is a chosen city 😂

Chreze:
Someone I know had similar issue. We suspect phone type could have contributed to the issue. He came over, we did it with my Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and it worked out for him. I believe phone/camera quality may also play a role for finger print capturing. You can also try old fingerprint trick of washing your hands before taking snap.

Mine went smooth on a first try.

Thank you. I used a Galaxy S24 Ultra. I will try with my A54 and see if I will be lucky.

jedisco:
I still continue to wonder why the care visa changes took so long to muster. The media had been rife with stories of abuse for more than 3 yrs yet the pathway was purposely left open as we were continually being told the next review would change it.It's a scandal.

There are enough folks locally to fill the roles. Also, folks who come as students should have that as a fallback option

The bolded is not accurate.
The health and care visa route was extended to care workers in Feb 2022. Only 2 years later in March 2024, the government clamped down on the care route, revoking hundreds of licenses, banning care dependants and introducing new CQC regulations. So it's not true that stories of abuse were in the media for >3 years.

It has been accepted that the Home Office should have forecast better and should have had the proper resources and controls in place. Most of these failings have since been addressed and lessons learned.

What is a scandal is that even with much tighter controls in place and the widespread coverage and warnings on CoS scams, some people are still trying to find a way to buy CoS even when they know/ought to know that it is wrong. The scammers are still able to operate (even issuing fake CoS) because people are still providing a market for them.

Taal17:
Highlighted was true from when they stopped PSW from 2010 intakes
I experienced it and so did many who studied after 2010...if you got interviewed then told them you needed sponsorship they'd ghost you.
All the non EU students in my set returned home or did another Phd to get sponsorship through their HEI. Though a few Indians and Pakistanis already had jobs through family business so they ALWAYS passed the labor test

💯

And to add to the already supercharged employment situation, they only had about 3 months post graduation to secure sponsorship or return home.

Most students back then would have happily swapped with today's relatively generous system of 2 years post graduate visa, no labour market tests for sponsorship, multiple visa routes including the care option.

Yeah. That route was abused. I am not surprised restrictions are being placed on the care visa. Got so bad that people are advertising dependent visa slots on WhatsApp.

Zahra29:
J
just to highlight that new labour market test rules coming into force from April 9 mean that unless an individual is already on a health and care visa, or they lost their sponsorship through the company's license being revoked, they will need to have been legally working for the care company for at least 3 months before they can be sponsored by the company (even if there is an immediate vacancy).

It will no longer be possible to switch directly from a student or graduate visa into a care visa without prior care experience at the intended sponsor.

[Applies to England only]

Goodenoch:
A year ago I'd have disagreed very vehemently with you but I've increasingly seen that my situation (sponsored right out of school and sponsored again by another organisation in a much more senior role < a year later) and those of quite a few people I know, may have been outliers.

It seems the system now, deliberately or inadvertently, strongly funnels immigrants into care work even when they are very qualified for other roles.

In any case, I still strongly believe people can and should continue to actively make efforts to move to professional roles, but yes I acknowledge it's easier said than done.

All the best to everyone.

In the next 3 to 5 years from now the shortage in care will double or trupple because most people doing it out of No option will be on ILR then abd quit. You are so right about systemically forcing people to care

Zahra29:
💯

And to add to the already supercharged employment situation, they only had about 3 months post graduation to secure sponsorship or return home.

Most students back then would have happily swapped with today's relatively generous system of 2 years post graduate visa, no labour market tests for sponsorship, multiple visa routes including the care option.

My sister, just 3 months. Back then I just wanted work experience with my degree I didn't even want to stay. They made it seem like work visa is a walk in the park.

This era is soo easy.

Uk immigration is like a cycle same thing different eras.

I still remember those who got caught up in the HSMP phase. Many had to be bailed out by family in Nigeria.

dentalux:
They have given. Those ones don't waste time. University and NHs don't waste time. They have issued him the COS nothing to worry about.

Oh okay, how long does it take? It’s 4 days he submitted the request for to the HR and no response yet.

RalphJean:
Did you mean did another Masters? Or you meant did a PhD? Or you actually meant did ANOTHER PhD??
I am curious.

To clarify, I meant a PhD after their Master's.

Even then the composition of my classmates was 50% non EU, 25% EU the rest were British citizens. On orientation day we were told that had been the trend for a few years.

jedisco:
You capture this succinctly.

1-2 years ago, when the PSW and student visa changes were made, it became clear that many would end up being shafted. Remember having that discussion here.

Imagine a masters student who arrived earlier with family- had to cough up > £20k as Uni and PSW fees now facing removal 3 yrs in. How would they handle it? Many are frantically seeking a care visa now.
Compare that to someone who arrived via Care at same time. That person has 2 years left to ILR and may have got a desired role in or outside care. It's these disparities that drive crazy desperation

If only we can channel all the desperations, energy, funds, knowledge towards challenging Nigeria's political class.

What do i know the struggle continues for Africans.

Elders in the house, all protocols observed.

Please has anyone used Goskippy insurance before. I am looking to change my insurance providers from Admiral to Goskippy as they have the cheapest insurance quote from compare the market. My renewal on Admiral is quite still high.

@lexus
@justwise and all our gurus.

Thank you.

[quote author=jedisco post=134819534]I still continue to wonder why the care visa changes took so long to muster. The media had been rife with stories of abuse for more than 3 yrs yet the pathway was purposely left open as we were continually being told the next review would change it. It's a scandal.

There are enough folks locally to fill the roles. Also, folks who come as students should have that as a fallback option[/quote]

History check pre 2010 , heck as far back as 2003 and earlier care assistant jobs were mainly done by students. Those who were in Care full time were doing it as a career. But the 20hrs 16 hrs or any available shifts were what I intl students used as back up option to pay rent and house expenses or spend on night outs.. it was care assistant or night security jobs

Goke7:
You see those ones dem sabi the system wella, I watched a documentary on GB news days ago where it was alleged that those kebab shops are just bringing in and sponsoring skilled workers steady 😂 the argument was when did working in a kebab shop become a high skilled job 😂

What do you mean..cutting meat is a skill o.
Suya is not easy

Taal17:
My sister, just 3 months. Back then I just wanted work experience with my degree I didn't even want to stay. They made it seem like year work visa is a walk in the park.

This era is soo easy.

Uk immigration is like a cycle same thing different eras.

I still remember those who got caught up in the HSMP phase. Many had to be bailed out by family in Nigeria.

Brexit made it look easy, lest we forget

RalphJean:
Hello Jedisco…
Healthcare express? Can k have some more info about that, please?
You can help me right here, or I can mention you on a dead thread. Or I can send you a Nairaland email message, please?

It's been on for over a year now. I gather it's now being flooded by many who came to the UK for masters, worked in care and pivoting over under 'Nursing aides, orderlies...' job code. Cutoff scores have expectedly risen with time. It's quite encompassing and covers a number of healthcare roles. The interesting thing is that someone who has masters and worked as a health care assistant would have thesame or even a higher baseline score (due to likely being of a younger age) that a medic with post-grad training... so it was fairly easy for many to get in.

Regarding requirements, the main ones are meeting the work experience criteria, certifying educational credentials, IELTS general and minimum funds.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations/category-based-selection.html#wb-auto-20

Usually, there are about 4 healthcare draws per year. There's been none this year. Would be interesting to see what the cutoff for the next is
https://www.nationwidevisas.com/canada-immigration/express-entry-next-draws-prediction/

Taal17:
What do you mean..cutting meat is a skill o.
Suya is not easy

I doubt if the Brits will agree with you, o, Highly skilled bawo!

Zahra29:
The bolded is not accurate.
The health and care visa route was extended to care workers in Feb 2022. Only 2 years later in March 2024, the government clamped down on the care route, revoking hundreds of licenses, banning care dependants and introducing new CQC regulations. So it's not true that stories of abuse were in the media for >3 years.

It has been accepted that the Home Office should have forecast better and should have had the proper resources and controls in place. Most of these failings have since been addressed and lessons learned.

What is a scandal is that even with much tighter controls in place and the widespread coverage and warnings on CoS scams, some people are still trying to find a way to buy CoS even when they know/ought to know that it is wrong. The scammers are still able to operate (even issuing fake CoS) because people are still providing a market for them.

I think we overrate widespread coverage.
Not everyone has similar levels of access to media. They would be more likely to listen to a person they know than media far removed.

And I would still hold Home Office accountable. This 2yrs you mention on media is because it was Uk media. That's the only reason they even bothered plus it became an election matter as immigration usually is .

The abuse of this route was in media on social groups even here on Nairaland.

Heard from students during covid 2019/020/21 era who found care homes charging them 500, 1000 for COS till it overflowed overseas as greed usually follows loopholes like this.

OgbeniOptional:
Yeah. That route was abused. I am not surprised restrictions are being placed on the care visa. Got so bad that people are advertising dependent visa slots on WhatsApp.

Gosh it reminds me of how agents would arrange spouses for DV lottery.years ago.

[quote author=Goke7 post=134832441]Brexit made it look easy, lest we forget[/quote
]

Deliberately of course.
When Uk needs you they ease controls when they don't they restrict controls.

I understand your perspective, but the issue of abuse and exploitation in the care visa system was being raised in reports and discussions well before the official policy changes in 2024. While the formal extension to care workers happened in 2022, concerns around unethical recruitment practices, exploitation, and fraud were surfacing for years, even if they didn’t always dominate mainstream media. The government's response, though delayed, acknowledges these long-standing problems. However, I agree that ongoing demand for fraudulent CoS is sustaining the scam market, and addressing that remains a challenge.