₦airaland Forum

Goke7:
When I get my Tax summary and see how the government spends it every year, and see what goes in from my tax towards healthcare, and consider what I have also paid for IHS, when I add it up, I feel scammed, the so-called free UK healthcare being preached is over-hyped! and that's the conclusion most skilled professionals have realised. This is not to bash the UK, but stating the obvious from personal verified data.

The UK health model is brilliant but gone are the days of it being the lone-shining star. The entitlement it breeds might ultimately be it's downfall.

IHS is double taxation for anyone paying income tax and NI.

Even if we went to a mandatory co-pay insurance model, it'd cost much less than the IHS to get health insurance for most.

The way resource utilisation in health systems work is like an inverted cone in many regards. It's said that roughly 10% of the population will consume 90% of the health budget. Due to number of reasons, many migrants are unlikely to be in that 10% for a good period.

jedisco:
The UK health model is brilliant but gone are the days of it being the lone-shining star. The entitlement it breeds might ultimately be it's downfall.

IHS is double taxation for anyone paying income tax and NI.

Even if we went to a mandatory co-pay insurance model, it'd cost much less than the IHS to get health insurance for most.

The way resource utilisation in health systems work is like an inverted cone in many regards. It's said that roughly 10% of the population will consume 90% of the health budget. Due to number of reasons, many migrants are unlikely to be in that 10% for a good period.

this was the reason they exempted those on a healthcare visa and also refunded those who worked in the healthcare sector who paid IHS previously.

I have seen a British couple who migrated to the US do the math to prove that the health insurance they are paying in the US was cheaper than the amount allocated to healthcare from their yearly taxes in the UK. Now, those are citizens born in the UK, before we even talk about immigrants who paid IHS and are not working in the healthcare sector, to even get a refund. omo e get as e be. Like you said, it may make sense to very low-income earners or those not working at all, but to many middle and high-income earners it's a very big NO!

Goodenoch:
1. We're discussing individual choices but overall statistics give an inkling of the average experience, as opposed to focusing on outliers which is what people earning 75k in the UK or 150k in the US are (both circa top 15% earners in each country).

You're fully right though, about using savings to self-insure, and that's where individual analysis comes into play. There are certain salaries which would make me pack my bags and get on a flight this evening to NY, but again statistics reflect that such offers are very rare and that's where using public health stats to assess individual risk vecomes neccessary.

2. As to why most US people aren't calling for a public healthcare system, I don't know but it doesn't matter. Populaces around the world regularly vote for foolish things that come to bite them in the butt.

3. I'm not saying the UK NHS is the best healthcare system in the world. It's very good and substantially justifies the tax levels, is my sole point. Obviously there are a lot of areas that need to be optimized but the UK ranks very high on the vast majority of public health metrics.

Another thing is job security. Women in the USA routinely go back to work weeks after childbirth, because they have little or no statutory maternity leave and very little paid time off, which I find absolutely insane.

Now even with employment, there's much less security and the job that gives you your healthcare insurance and/or the income with which you pay for it yourself can be taken away with very little notice.

Again it boils down to the specifics of each person's job and contract but the prevailing statistics are key because things usually regress to the mean in stats and also in real life.

Edit: Just checked the stats and apparently One out of every four mothers in the US returns to work less than 2 weeks after having her baby. Worse than I thought. https://newmomhealth.com/selfcare/returning-to-work/

Goodenoch:
1. We're discussing individual choices but overall statistics give an inkling of the average experience, as opposed to focusing on outliers which is what people earning 75k in the UK or 150k in the US are (both circa top 15% earners in each country).

You're fully right though, about using savings to self-insure, and that's where individual analysis comes into play. There are certain salaries which would make me pack my bags and get on a flight this evening to NY, but again statistics reflect that such offers are very rare and that's where using public health stats to assess individual risk becomes neccessary.

Is £75k actually top-15% in the UK? Interesting.
I agree, certain pay uplifts there are surreal. But even on a direct level, on comparing the pay for most roles - nurses, engineers, IT folks e.t.c, the average pay there does come out significantly higher. This is not even taking into consideration that the U.S is a more vibrant economy with better labour mobility and options to choose from both within and among states. This would allow many build side-gigs e.t.c. Housing is for the most part, relatively cheaper too or at least, you get a bigger house for your money.

2. As to why most US people aren't calling for a public healthcare system, I don't know but it doesn't matter. Populaces around the world regularly vote for foolish things that come to bite them in the butt.

Hehe.. Brexit. For some reason, they generally seem more opposed to universlly free healthcare. Maybe it's capitalism at work

3. I'm not saying the UK NHS is the best healthcare system in the world. It's very good and substantially justifies the tax levels, is my sole point. Obviously there are a lot of areas that need to be optimized but the UK ranks very high on the vast majority of public health metrics.

The UK system is brilliant but I don't think it justify the tax paid. Or better put, the cost would be much less if certain safeguards were in place. I manytimes tell myself that if people paid £5 per visit (with appropriate safetynets), that would at least cut the number of contacts I had by upto 25%. Imagine what the consumption of petrol would be if it was 'free' at gas stations
Free stuff no dey belleful.

jedisco:
Is £75k actually top-15% in the UK? Interesting.
I agree, certain pay uplifts there are surreal. But even on a direct level, on comparing the pay for most roles - nurses, engineers, IT folks e.t.c, the average pay there does come out significantly higher. This is not even taking into consideration that the U.S is a more vibrant economy with better labour mobility and options to choose from both within and among states. This would allow many build side-gigs e.t.c. Housing is for the most part, relatively cheaper too or at least, you get a bigger house for your money.



Hehe.. Brexit. For some reason, they generally seem more opposed to universlly free healthcare. Maybe it's capitalism at work



The UK system is brilliant but I don't think it justify the tax paid. Or better put, the cost would be much less if certain safeguards were in place. I manytimes tell myself that if people paid £5 per visit (with appropriate safetynets), that would at least cut the number of contacts I had by upto 25%. Imagine what the consumption of petrol would be if it was 'free' at gas stations
Free stuff no dey belleful.

I completely agree with everything you've said. That ability to start and run one's own business with great ease is, in my view, the biggest positive about the USA, and definitely the biggest attraction for me.

That's why they're the center of innovation.

jedisco:
Is £75k actually top-15% in the UK? Interesting.
I agree, certain pay uplifts there are surreal. But even on a direct level, on comparing the pay for most roles - nurses, engineers, IT folks e.t.c, the average pay there does come out significantly higher. This is not even taking into consideration that the U.S is a more vibrant economy with better labour mobility and options to choose from both within and among states. This would allow many build side-gigs e.t.c. Housing is for the most part, relatively cheaper too or at least, you get a bigger house for your money.



Hehe.. Brexit. For some reason, they generally seem more opposed to universlly free healthcare. Maybe it's capitalism at work



The UK system is brilliant but I don't think it justify the tax paid. Or better put, the cost would be much less if certain safeguards were in place. I manytimes tell myself that if people paid £5 per visit (with appropriate safetynets), that would at least cut the number of contacts I had by upto 25%. Imagine what the consumption of petrol would be if it was 'free' at gas stations
Free stuff no dey belleful.

They will soon be here to remind you that Nigerians are not qualified or there are shootings everywhere, take ya time o! I no like wahala

Goke7:
this was the reason they exempted those on a healthcare visa and also refunded those who worked in the healthcare sector who paid IHS previously.

I have seen a British couple who migrated to the US do the math to prove that the health insurance they are paying in the US was cheaper than the amount allocated to healthcare from their yearly taxes in the UK. Now, those are citizens born in the UK, before we even talk about immigrants who paid IHS and are not working in the healthcare sector, to even get a refund. omo e get as e be. Like you said, it may make sense to very low-income earners or those not working at all, but to many middle and high-income earners it's a very big NO!

Hehe.. this your 'no' carry vex.

I thank God for the covid claps and evident need which made taking away IHS for health workers a sensible thing to do. Even for those working outside healthcare, they already pay income tax and NI which is used to fund healthcare. Unfortunately, I don't see it being removed anytime soon.

True, the cost of regular health insurance in the U.S doesn't seem to be exorbitant and with good enough cover you get prompt and good care. The downside is that it manytimes leads to over-investigation but thats a story for another day.

jedisco:
Hehe.. this your 'no' carry vex.

I thank God for the covid claps and evident need which made taking away IHS for health workers a sensible thing to do. Even for those working outside healthcare, they already pay income tax and NI which is used to fund healthcare. Unfortunately, I don't see it being removed anytime soon.

True, the cost of regular health insurance in the U.S doesn't seem to be exorbitant and with good enough cover you get prompt and good care. The downside is that it manytimes leads to over-investigation but thats a story for another day.

e reach to vex na, on top of it 'no recourse to public funds' and still you're made to feel like a burden or leech to the system, and who says there is no over-investigation here. I know what my wife went through for a so-called diagnosis of brain hemorrhage. Let's not even go there!

My take is that the so-called idea of free healthcare is overrated, especially when it's being compared to what happens elsewhere. If people have very bad experiences of what happens in places like the US, people also have unpleasant stories of what happens in the UK.

Nice to hear from you again Hustla.

Your analysis was detailed, pragmatic and much appreciated.

It's up to folks to approach investing in the U.K with extreme caution (looking at you the Mortgage preachers).

This is not the time for emotions.

Ehizario2012's advise comes to mind.

Please for someone that applied for skilled worker visa - construction from Nigeria, is an interview expected after biometrics? I need a real life experience because ChatGPT says there’s no interview.

Goke7:
Wow, UK, you do this one!

Lol, I just want to have my options open. I've actually had a draft on my G:Drive since 2023 but just never proceeded.

I am still extremely reluctant but the way the new whitepaper is implemented will determine our calculations.

jedisco:
Policy-wise, the WFA seems to have done them the most havoc. Haven't met any older person who wasn't seething at the mention of it.
It makes the prospect of our triple-lock more interesting as years roll by.

Many older people who don't need the WFA have actually said that they would happily give their share to charity or forego it for others in need.

It's those who need it and fall on just the other side of pension credit that have been seething.

Goodenoch:
Lol, I just want to have my options open. I've actually had a draft on my G:Drive since 2023 but just never proceeded.

I am still extremely reluctant but the way the new whitepaper is implemented will determine our calculations.

True, we are many on this table, waiting for the next colour that white paper will turn into.

hustla:
Future plans | What to do?

As for me, I believe the 10 yr route / point based system will be blanketed for everyone (based on what I have seen). If you don't know what a PBS looks like, it looks like what is here - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/check-score.html

There will also be an opportunity to make it 5 yrs if you meet some certain criteria which for me, points to a target on folks in the HC sector for the most part, which effectively ignores that they do a very demanding job with long hours and very little protection from abusive clients etc.

The reason for the 10 yr route is hinted here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-annual-report-2024/migration-advisory-committee-mac-annual-report-2024-accessible (there is one where it was discussed extensively, cant seem to find it).
It says "The typical household for a Skilled Worker in the H&C route has a lower positive net contribution than for the typical household of workers outside this route due to the relatively lower incomes and higher number of dependants of those on the health and care route"

Well said. It was quite clear the rumblings that were going on behind the scenes but the message is often missed when people focus on emotions instead of facts.

Added to the above, other studies that highlighted that the surge in H&C visas and dependents (which is the biggest contributor to the overall skilled visas category) was almost entirely from Southeast Asia and Africa, and it doesn't take a
wise man to predict that a country that voted for Brexit, in part because they felt that there were too many Eastern Europeans, would not be delighted at these stats. Not saying it's right, but that's the reality.

Lilymond:
Please for someone that applied for skilled worker visa - construction from Nigeria, is an interview expected after biometrics? I need a real life experience because ChatGPT says there’s no interview.

I believe the Home Office is now conducting interviews for skilled visa roles. Not sure though if it's universal, but best to be prepared just in case.

Goke7:
this was the reason they exempted those on a healthcare visa and also refunded those who worked in the healthcare sector who paid IHS previously.

I have seen a British couple who migrated to the US do the math to prove that the health insurance they are paying in the US was cheaper than the amount allocated to healthcare from their yearly taxes in the UK. Now, those are citizens born in the UK, before we even talk about immigrants who paid IHS and are not working in the healthcare sector, to even get a refund. omo e get as e be. Like you said, it may make sense to very low-income earners or those not working at all, but to many middle and high-income earners it's a very big NO!

I believe the IHS exemption was implemented during Covid as a practical way to show appreciation for front line healthcare workers, especially as some lost their lives treating patients.

As for migration, records show that an increasing number of Americans are moving over to the UK, some of them because of our "generous" health care system (compared to the US).

So it's all Swings and Roundabouts lol

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/world/europe/americans-british-citizenship-applications-record.html

Zahra29:
I believe the IHS exemption was implemented during Covid as a practical way to show appreciation for front line healthcare workers, especially as some lost their lives treating patients.

As for migration, records show that an increasing number of Americans are moving over to the UK, some of them because of our "generous" health care system (compared to the US).

So it's all Swings and Roundabouts lol

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/world/europe/americans-british-citizenship-applications-record.html

Don't let those planning to go the other way, see this post....... 😁😂

America would be great again..... 🇺🇸😊

ahmedio2017:
Ahh that will be serious o I won't deceive you, is not easy, one will pack shït for a good 10years Omo.

Are you afraid of the shit or the Wait 🤣🤣

Lexus na weray I swear

lavida001:
Are you afraid of the shit or the Wait 🤣🤣

Lexus na weray I swear

I need to be sectioned....... 😊😁

Zahra29:
I believe the Home Office is now conducting interviews for skilled visa roles. Not sure though if it's universal, but best to be prepared just in case.

Okay thank you.

Chukwuka16:
What really motivates you?

I wish you a merry Christmas
I wish you a merry Christmas
I wish you a merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year

I recently had to start using medication because of elevated blood pressure – I will be fine. When you have to worry about staff salaries and sundry business expenses (for 12 months, this was £100k/monthly) with no hope in sight and then spend 12-15 hours daily for months working on product development and iterating, you get to acquire some unnecessary companions. I’m working hard to get myself rid of them.

I recall sometime back, and I was having a frank discussion with myself. I remember telling my heart that I was cool parting ways with it. I told it that I was so convinced that I could run my body without it and it just had to behave if it wanted to be part of me. My wife when I later told her of my brief meeting with myself concluded I needed help.

I mean I recall weeks where I slept on the carpet in the living room. I needed to be close to the designated space I work best from in the house. I had no choice. If I needed to wake up when my alarm came on, I needed to be as uncomfortable as possible. The carpet was the best solution. God bless my missus. She had to buy some inflatable contraption for me and was from time to time keeping me company there. She has a good heart.

In the midst of all of these things, one question that I have always been asked by my wife but for which I have never given her the answer has been – Chukwuka, what drives you like this? With all of the pains and difficulty and costs accompanying building, accreditation, compliance, research and all, why do you still work this hard? I mean I could take a consulting gig and be fine. I could sell our businesses and their IP, be a dollar millionaire and just be living on interest rate!

I will today answer this question.

I grew up in Deeperlife and as I matured, there was something about Deeperlife and later Winners and other notable Pentecostal churches that awed me. You see, these churches were global. With branches across nations all around the world, they had set up a network that allowed them to do something amazing – they could literally take someone from a village in Ebonyi State and transfer that individual and their families to Plano, Texas or London, UK. I mean, there is no other level of empowerment or opportunity for human fulfilment than that. This was something that was common among the MNCs especially the oil and gas companies. I mean, I left Nigeria to the UK for master’s same day my undergrad classmate also left for France for training with one of the major oil servicing companies as a new recruit. This has always fascinated me. A “local boy” from Nigeria could set up a church in Nigeria, expand it globally and practically move other “local boys” as pastors from one station to another. Nothing beats this for me.

I believe in human capacity development. I am always eager to see humans live fulfilling lives and access every opportunity they can and need for their fulfilment. In today’s world, mobility is the single most important factor for Nigerians to enjoy fulfilled lives. In my many travels, when I see young folks just expressing themselves and shining, I smile. This here is life – people living their lives confidently and with all the support needed to live fulfilled.

I thus work hard because I want to set up something similar for my staff. One thing I know for sure is that in the next few years, I would have achieved this. Staff being able to move from Nigeria to the UK or Amsterdam or Dubai or San Francisco within the business. Staff being able to attend executive training programs in Lagos, Stanford or London or Oxford or Paris routinely and paid for from their training allowance. Staff being able to earn equivalent competitive salaries irrespective of where they want to be based. Staff being fulfilled. I have no business with customers, that is the job of sales and marketing. My business is with the staff who have decided to partner with me on this journey. This is what I want to achieve for our business. I want to setup the ecosystem that will allow them grow, develop broad range of skillsets and command global respect. I want to provide them that platform. I don’t need it – their fulfilment is all I dream of. I want my staff well empowered and confident in their roles. I am working hard daily to set the foundations to achieve these tall dreams.

Why, someone may ask. It is because I want my staff to have this as a lifestyle so that when they leave to start their own businesses, they can take this culture they have imbibed from us and improve on it in their own businesses. I want to catalyse a chain reaction of business owners who deliver excellence in both products/services they offer and in the quality of opportunities and remuneration they provide their staff.

Some time back, some acquaintance was discussing with me and passionately advising me to get a house and a car. He told me of folks around and in church who had theirs. Sincerely, I celebrate them. As I write this, I don’t still own a home, nor do I have a car. My spreadsheet analysis shows I can’t afford either. When my wife passed her driving exams (I am yet to even do my theory test), she was adamant on getting a car. I advised her to do a spreadsheet analysis for 1 year. She came to the same conclusion as I did. We trek a lot (helps with weight reduction and fitness), use the bus (my wife is an expert on their schedule) and complement a lot with Uber. I hope to be in the comfortable position to afford these luxuries someday in the future.

This is my motivation. Building a global brand that will compete with the Octopus and Flexitricity of today but globally and give “local boys” and “local girls” the opportunity to be fulfilled people.

What is your motivation? Does it just revolve around you and your family alone? We have been blessed with an incredible opportunity of travelling to “the abroad”. Can we use this opportunity to unlock more opportunities for more folks (local boys and girls) back home. It will put a smile on the face of our creator up there.

Have a splendid evening.

Hope you know Rent Money is Dead Money.

lavida001:
Hope you know Rent Money is Dead Money.

Oga Dey talk about global brand you dey yan about rent money, Oga Lexus be calming down jor.

It appears that the difference between the pace at which this woman's mouth runs and that at which her brain functions is growing larger with each passing day - https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2060321/russians-seize-kemi-badenoch-comments

Goodenoch:
It appears that the difference between the pace at which this woman's mouth runs and that at which her brain functions is growing larger with each passing day - https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2060321/russians-seize-kemi-badenoch-comments

😂 the Russians have seized on the rhetoric but what do I know before e go increase ilr to 20 years make I mechonu!

Goodenoch:
It appears that the difference between the pace at which this woman's mouth runs and that at which her brain functions is growing larger with each passing day - https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2060321/russians-seize-kemi-badenoch-comments

I fear for her security now, she is so desperate to be on the headlines that she is willing to say just anything to remain relevant

Goke7:
😂 the Russians have seized on the rhetoric but what do I know before e go increase ilr to 20 years make I mechonu!

Just imagine what this trip wire will do if she gets elected as a PM by mistake?

justwise:
Just imagine what this trip wire will do if she gets elected as a PM by mistake?

Similar error braverman did in trying to please the Israelis she bashed the British police as Home Secretary!

Goke7:
Oga Dey talk about global brand you dey yan about rent money, Oga Lexus be calming down jor.

Oga, no be me talk nah..... 😊😁

Be like say I dey fascinate you..... 😉

Hi All,

Quick question, please. I recently went for passport renewal at the Nigerian High Commission. At the end of my biometrics, I was given back my expired passport. Is this how it is done now?

Jlaw1:
Hi All,

Quick question, please. I recently went for passport renewal at the Nigerian High Commission. At the end of my biometrics, I was given back my expired passport. Is this how it is done now?

Yes while you await the new one by post

Goke7:
Oga Dey talk about global brand you dey yan about rent money, Oga Lexus be calming down jor.

Na still Lexus talk this one. Dem really suppose section that lad.