₦airaland Forum

Lexusgs430:
Have you ever heard this term before, IR35....... 😂🤣

Yes, I have considered that and the company will be paying me as a PAYE, instead of as a self employed. Didn't want to make it a very lengthy but i suggested it in my post when i stated..

.....I should be able to invoice at a rate that almost meets my SOC salary threshold. I say "almost" because after accounting for employer National Insurance, corporation tax, pension contributions and so on,...

Lexusgs430:
Have you ever heard this term before, IR35....... 😂🤣

Also bro, completely unrelated but i stumbled on this exchange between us about 4 years ago and it made me laugh so much . My girlfriend at the time, now wife is now in the UK studying Nursing as well . Now we're hustling tuition fees for the next academic session as their mandatory posting won't let us be great! This life is a hot pot of beans.

jedisco:
Your ltd co can't be your primary sponsor.

Also, your company is a different legal entity from you. That your company makes 50k does not mean you make 50k. You company also needs to meet the IR35 criteria to be regarded as one. This is something the organisations you work for would sort.
You only 'make' what you take as benefits from the company- salary, dividends, loans, e.t.c
You'd only pay NI to the tune you pay yourself a salary.
If you pay yourself a salary, you can opt out of pensions if you wish.

If you don't think it's realistic to get the salary threshold in your sector, while still applying, you might consider pivoting to a different role or leveraging your experience here to seek opportunities in other nations. Not easy, but worth having a backup plan.

It’s actually the fact that the company is a separate legal entity from me that I want to leverage here, to both make the sponsorship route legitimate and ensure I fall outside the scope of IR35. To be frank, I hadn’t even considered the option of opting out of the pension scheme, so thank you for bringing that up. I’ll definitely look into it.

The truth is I haven't really considered another route/sector, because I really enjoy the role I play on site and the working relationships I’ve built with site managers, project managers and even the trades. As long as I don't lose my limbs in a terrible car crash. LOL. If i keep working, even with my current boss, I know I can keep improving and eventually become very good at what I do. I want to remain in this sector, and in the UK as well so when it comes to extending my stay here, all my eggs are in this one basket o. Haha. If this plan works out, then I’ll start building proper backup options. But for now, I’m giving this everything. I no get choice.

gabiomoesu:
Also bro, completely unrelated but i stumbled on this exchange between us about 4 years ago and it made me laugh so much . My girlfriend at the time, now wife is now in the UK studying Nursing as well . Now we're hustling tuition fees for the next academic session as their mandatory posting won't let us be great! This life is a hot pot of beans.

Call me Prophet Mohammed........ 🤣😁

Too late now, could she not chill, till she qualified for public funds + gained home student status ..... That FREE posting, nah charity learning work....... The END would justify the sweat, hang in...... 😁😂

brine:
Yes, I had to follow a similar path.Your ltd company can be your sponsor, it's termed unofficially as "self sponsorship". However, you'll need an authorizing officer that is either british or has ILR to be a director or a paid stafff. You'll need at least 5 of the documents below:
Companies House certificate of incorporation
Evidence of Employer’s Liability Insurance
VAT registration certificate
Proof of Business Premises(receipts for office space or deed if using your own house).
PAYE registration
Bank statements
Latest audited or unaudited accounts. (Please do your own research on these documents as things might have changed)

I also added screenshot of emails from clients requesting for my service and I did a report pitching my idea and why I needed the sponsorship license. Entire process for me was about 4months. I got the sponsorship license the next day after I submitted.

Tbh, this is not a route I’d recommend to someone planning to do it for a full 5 years. I’d only suggest it for someone who has about 1 or 2 years left before applying for ILR but hasn’t been able to secure a COS after being made redundant. You’ll need to pay yourself a salary and cover both employer and employee taxes every month, even if your company isn’t making any profit. If you’re able to keep generating income through your company, there will be much more peace of mind for you, since you obviously can’t fire yourself

I almost forgot, there's no amount specified for the bank statement but I'd suggest putting in something reasonable that'll show that you are able to pay yourself for several months.

Yes, I had to follow a similar path.Your ltd company can be your sponsor, it's termed unofficially as "self sponsorship".

Omo, see ehn brother, I wish you could see the joy on my face as I’m typing this! I’ve been researching this matter on and off for about two months now, and up till now, I’ve only seen guys on X who are still in the early stages of the process. Never actually come across anyone who has used this route to do a proper visa switch or extension.

And yeah, Self Sponsorship, that seems to be what the folks I found on X are calling it, and even some of the immigration ‘experts’ I stumbled on online. At first, I didn’t even know it was the same thing. Funny thing is, most of the people I saw doing it on X seem to be running food businesses, and they’re still in the ‘trading’ phase. They haven’t even applied for their visa yet.

However, you'll need an authorizing officer that is either british or has ILR to be a director or a paid stafff. You'll need at least 5 of the documents below:
Companies House certificate of incorporation
Evidence of Employer’s Liability Insurance
VAT registration certificate
Proof of Business Premises(receipts for office space or deed if using your own house).
PAYE registration
Bank statements
Latest audited or unaudited accounts. (Please do your own research on these documents as things might have changed. I also added screenshot of emails from clients requesting for my service and I did a report pitching my idea and why I needed the sponsorship license. Entire process for me was about 4months. I got the sponsorship license the next day after I submitted.

Wow! Your company got the licence in just one day? That’s amazing!

For sure, I’ll be doing my own research on the listed documents as well. As for the director part, where it needs to be someone who’s either a UK citizen or has ILR and lives in the UK, I actually have a few friends from uni I could approach.

I’ve even put together some notes I can share with them that explains what the role involves, the documents they’ll need to sign at the beginning, as well as what the company would need to have in place by the time I’m ready to apply for the sponsor licence. Stuff like how to avoid raising eyebrows with HMRC or the Home Office, the implications of what they’re signing up for, and the possible legal consequences if anything goes wrong or if certain duties aren’t carried out properly. Basically, anything that could put the company’s sponsorship licence at risk.

I think one or two of them might actually agree to it. But yeah, let’s see sha!

Tbh, this is not a route I’d recommend to someone planning to do it for a full 5 years. I’d only suggest it for someone who has about 1 or 2 years left before applying for ILR but hasn’t been able to secure a COS after being made redundant. You’ll need to pay yourself a salary and cover both employer and employee taxes every month, even if your company isn’t making any profit. If you’re able to keep generating income through your company, there will be much more peace of mind for you, since you obviously can’t fire yourself cheesy. I almost forgot, there's no amount specified for the bank statement but I'd suggest putting in something reasonable that'll show that you are able to pay yourself for several months.

Honestly, thinking about the expenses is no joke, especially the losses the company (basically me & all my family members I can bill. LMAO) will have to absorb over the 5 years I’ll be on the visa. And that’s not even counting the upfront costs: the visa application fee (for 5 years), IHS fee, insurance, PAYE expenses and all that.

I think the only way this becomes realistically feasible for the company is through getting a loan. If I can secure the amount I have in mind, then I think I can afford to operate at a loss for about 10 months: around 4-5 months of trading before the company applies for the sponsor licence, 1-2 months for the Skilled Worker visa application and wait time, and if granted, another 3-5 months post-visa before things stabilise.

After that, I believe the company can start turning a profit. Recruiters are already reaching out to me, but everything just goes quiet the moment I send my share code. Meanwhile, I’ve seen people doing what I do on site charging stupid money per day. Some are self-employed, others freelance through their own companies. Right now, I’m getting paid less than half of what they do. I even met a Nigerian guy in Central London about a month ago, he’s only been in the UK for two years, and he told me what he earns. It’s very decent money. Also, there’s this guy on diaspora social media, Toyyib Adelodun, he’s been gaining some popularity lately. He used to do/still does this same job, and that’s how he made his money in the UK.

I've got a few questions I’d love to ask. Let me know if that’s okay with you to ask here or if you’d prefer we take it to DMs instead.

[quote author=Lexusgs430 post=135935299]Call me Prophet Mohammed........ 🤣😁

LMAO, I’m telling you! It was a tough financial decision at the time. But we chose not to mortgage the future and pay the price upfront because the distance between us was just way too much. Truly, we cannot wait for the end to start justifying the sweat!

In addition to what Goke mentioned, you might have to look at the option of going back home weekly (reduce your 2 weeks stay to 1 week each on-site rota) this way you only have one week of food to manage (assuming you bring in bulk food from home) and can store in fridges at work. Moving family from north to London may have its own cost equivalent to what you currently spend in terms of accommodation. You can also decide to live lean while in the hostel by not cooking own food but feed on prepared English foods you can get from Tesco or Sainsburys, they cost less I think.

babajeje123:
Thank you. The challenge with hostels is that most don't allow cooking or don't have fridge.

Lexusgs430:
Call me Prophet Mohammed........ 🤣😁

Too late now, could she not chill, till she qualified for public funds + gained home student status ..... That FREE posting, nah charity learning work....... The END would justify the sweat, hang in...... 😁😂

Irunmole Lexus 😆

gabiomoesu:
Wow! Your company got the licence in just one day? That’s amazing!

Yes, I paid an extra £500 for priority processing, which usually takes less than 2 weeks for a straightforward application.

gabiomoesu:
I’ve even put together some notes I can share with them that explains what the role involves, the documents they’ll need to sign at the beginning, as well as what the company would need to have in place by the time I’m ready to apply for the sponsor licence. Stuff like how to avoid raising eyebrows with HMRC or the Home Office, the implications of what they’re signing up for, and the possible legal consequences if anything goes wrong or if certain duties aren’t carried out properly. Basically, anything that could put the company’s sponsorship licence at risk.

That's a smart move! Whoever you are using as your authorising officer needs to be fully aware of the entire process. Your authorising officer is the person they will contact by email or phone if needed. For some applications that aren’t straightforward, they may schedule a zoom call with you and the authorising officer, or even visit your business premises.

gabiomoesu:
I've got a few questions I’d love to ask. Let me know if that’s okay with you to ask here or if you’d prefer we take it to DMs instead.

Which ever works best for you

Goke7:
Shebi you Dey assure people for here 😂

Hope you have read the content of the white paper..... No changes to historic applicants.......... 😁🤣

gabiomoesu:
It’s actually the fact that the company is a separate legal entity from me that I want to leverage here, to both make the sponsorship route legitimate and ensure I fall outside the scope of IR35. To be frank, I hadn’t even considered the option of opting out of the pension scheme, so thank you for bringing that up. I’ll definitely look into it.

As someone added, there appears to be a pathway which although unknown to me (as of when I checked), doesn't surprise. The explanation is sensible.
You mentioned concerns about being able to get the required pay. If your pay as a contractor can cover the costs, then why not.

Hehe @ all your eggs in one basket. You're not alone and I wish you the best.
Good luck and keep us posted. If successful, others might explore that.

Lexusgs430:
Hope you have read the content of the white paper..... No changes to historic applicants.......... 😁🤣

For where? I've not seen anything like that so far, if you do, please post the link, sir

The first raft of immigration reforms announced in the White Paper are being put forward to Parliament today , with implementation set from July 22.

Summary of new policies:

- raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas, removing 111 eligible occupations


- closing the social care worker visa route to overseas recruitment in response to widespread abuse and exploitation

- only allowing time-limited access below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list and temporary shortage list, for critical roles only, with strict requirements for sectors to grow domestic skills

- commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the temporary shortage list including occupations, salaries and benefits

- Workers in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be able to bring dependants and will not be permitted salary and visa fee discounts.

- The occupations included on the List are time-limited until the end of 2026 and will only remain beyond that date if the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommend it.



https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-immigration-reforms-delivered-to-restore-order-and-control

The immigration reforms will receive very little coverage however and will most likely pass through unopposed as all eyes are on the Welfare Reform Bill which is to be voted on today.

Starmer is feeling the heat, and not just from this heatwave 🥵

The sweetest thing about this latest Muck v Rump catfighting is how Rump has now joined in emphasizing that Musk's "home" is actually in South Africa.

Before it was just fringe far right figures that talked about how Musk is actually an immigrant himself (and in some cases said he should be deported) but now Trump has joined in too.

There's a lesson here for those who care to take note.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-threatens-to-slash-tesla-subsidies-elon-musk-tell-him-to-cut-it-all-8806183/amp/1

Goodenoch:
The sweetest thing about this latest Muck v Rump catfighting is how Rump has now joined in emphasizing that Musk's "home" is actually in South Africa.

Before it was just fringe far right figures that talked about how Musk is actually an immigrant himself (and in some cases said he should be deported) but now Trump has joined in too.

There's a lesson here for those who care to take note.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-threatens-to-slash-tesla-subsidies-elon-musk-tell-him-to-cut-it-all-8806183/amp/1

😂 especially after baba has imported white South Africans into America as refugees perhaps baba should temper justice with mercy by granting Oga Elon refugee status

Goodenoch:
The sweetest thing about this latest Muck v Rump catfighting is how Rump has now joined in emphasizing that Musk's "home" is actually in South Africa.

Before it was just fringe far right figures that talked about how Musk is actually an immigrant himself (and in some cases said he should be deported) but now Trump has joined in too.

There's a lesson here for those who care to take note.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-threatens-to-slash-tesla-subsidies-elon-musk-tell-him-to-cut-it-all-8806183/amp/1

A Naturalised citizen is not gonna get deported
Especially a white one
Especially a rich white one
A rich white male billionaire
All these are theatrics

The only lesson to learn here is NOT to give oxygen to far right donkeys because this is what always come out of it

RodgersAkpafu:
A Naturalised citizen is not gonna get deported
Especially a white one
Especially a rich white one
A rich white male billionaire
All these are theatrics

The only lesson to learn here is NOT to give oxygen to far right donkeys because this is what always come out of it

Trump’s justice department issues directive to strip naturalized Americans of citizenship for criminal offenses

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/trump-birthright-citizenship-naturalized-citizens

....At the center of the move are the estimated 25 million US citizens who immigrated to the country after being born abroad, according to data from 2023 – and it lists 10 different priority categories for denaturalization.

...The directive gives justice department attorneys wider discretion on when to pursue denaturalization, including in instances of lying on immigration forms, cases where there is financial fraud or medical fraud against the US or against private individuals;

....It is kind of, in a way, trying to create a second class of US citizens,” said Sameera Hafiz, policy director of the Immigration Legal Resource Center, to NPR.




I'm sure the above doesn't apply to Elon cos he's a billionaire, but for most others, Trump's government has just made a distinction between those born in the US and those who immigrated and naturalised, the latter now being exposed to losing their American citizenship.

Zahra29:
Trump’s justice department issues directive to strip naturalized Americans of citizenship for criminal offenses

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/30/trump-birthright-citizenship-naturalized-citizens

....At the center of the move are the estimated 25 million US citizens who immigrated to the country after being born abroad, according to data from 2023 – and it lists 10 different priority categories for denaturalization.

...The directive gives justice department attorneys wider discretion on when to pursue denaturalization, including in instances of lying on immigration forms, cases where there is financial fraud or medical fraud against the US or against private individuals;

....It is kind of, in a way, trying to create a second class of US citizens,” said Sameera Hafiz, policy director of the Immigration Legal Resource Center, to NPR.




I'm sure the above doesn't apply to Elon cos he's a billionaire, but for most others, Trump's government has just made a distinction between those born in the US and those who immigrated and naturalised, the latter now being exposed to losing their American citizenship.

I saw that
But it is still NOT practical or practicable
They do not have the administrative capacity to scrutinise 25 million Natualised citizens

They are all playing
At best, they will nick one or two who "used misrepresentation" to apply for passport

RodgersAkpafu:
I saw that
But it is still NOT practical or practicable
They do not have the administrative capacity to scrutinise 25 million Natualised citizens

They are all playing
At best, they will nick one or two who "used misrepresentation" to apply for passport

They don't have to scrutinise 25 million naturalised citizens, just the ones who fall under their radar because they've committed one or more offences on the "priority list ".

They've apparently already denaturalised one British American citizen, possibly white, so it's real and feasible.

Lesson is that a naturalised citizen can now be denaturalised, and fairly easily too it seems.

Zahra29:
They don't have to scrutinise 25 million naturalised citizens, just the ones who fall under their radar because they've committed one or more offences on the "priority list ".

They've apparently already denaturalised one British American citizen, possibly white, so it's real and feasible.

Lesson is that a naturalised citizen can now be denaturalised, and fairly easily too it seems.

There is always room for denaturalization, even though very small and very limited in scope

But weaponising it in xenophobic fashion won't help America

America is the land of the free, all those stupid policies won’t fly, even those deported now will all return as most of them have been deported not once or twice before. Resources are just being wasted instead of focusing on more important matters as usual.

brine:
Yes, I paid an extra £500 for priority processing, which usually takes less than 2 weeks for a straightforward application.



That's a smart move! Whoever you are using as your authorising officer needs to be fully aware of the entire process. Your authorising officer is the person they will contact by email or phone if needed. For some applications that aren’t straightforward, they may schedule a zoom call with you and the authorising officer, or even visit your business premises.



Which ever works best for you

Thank you for not gatekeeping!
@gabiomoesu if you could, pls ask your questions here so we can learn as well.

RodgersAkpafu:
A Naturalised citizen is not gonna get deported
Especially a white one
Especially a rich white one
A rich white male billionaire
All these are theatrics

The only lesson to learn here is NOT to give oxygen to far right donkeys because this is what always come out of it

Whether he actually gets deported or not is irrelevant to the lesson I meant.

Although saying that, I recognize we can all see different lessons from any issue so it's alright that your takeaway is different.

Hi Guys, please a quick question for those who have become british citizens through the spousal visa route. My husband is british and having obtained my ILR last year , i was now planning to apply for citizenship. The form is asking for my husband naturalisation certificate number. My husband became a citizen since 2014, so he literally replaced his certificate. We also don’t want to pay 500 for a replacement, so i was wondering if i could put in a value like N/A in the response and just suit his british passport alongside other documents.


I really wonder why they would ask for this certificate number and not passport number. Someone who has a passport surely definitely acquired a certificate at some point

directonpc:
Let me drop this here for anyone looking to book driving test without paying resellers.

I built this app that you can use for advanced search on DVSA Website.

Give it a try.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.buildbrothers.dvsa_helper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur3MGm9lAak?si=ZSu2EvkMpi_xekKu

The iOS version of this is out now.

Download link:
https://apps.apple.com/app/uk-driving-test-booking-assist/id6746934429

Zahra29:
The first raft of immigration reforms announced in the White Paper are being put forward to Parliament today , with implementation set from July 22.

Summary of new policies:

- raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker visas, removing 111 eligible occupations


- closing the social care worker visa route to overseas recruitment in response to widespread abuse and exploitation

- only allowing time-limited access below degree level through a targeted immigration salary list and temporary shortage list, for critical roles only, with strict requirements for sectors to grow domestic skills

- commissioning the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to conduct a review of the temporary shortage list including occupations, salaries and benefits

- Workers in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be able to bring dependants and will not be permitted salary and visa fee discounts.

- The occupations included on the List are time-limited until the end of 2026 and will only remain beyond that date if the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommend it.



https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-immigration-reforms-delivered-to-restore-order-and-control

Zahra… How does this affect those on skilled worker visa in health and care sector, specifically NHS employees?

I’m seeing conflicting interpretations by people, some saying those on Health and Care would be moved to Temporary shortage occupation list, meaning they may no longer be able to renew their visa after the end of 2026…

Can you clarify please?

Goodenoch:
The sweetest thing about this latest Muck v Rump catfighting is how Rump has now joined in emphasizing that Musk's "home" is actually in South Africa.

Before it was just fringe far right figures that talked about how Musk is actually an immigrant himself (and in some cases said he should be deported) but now Trump has joined in too.

There's a lesson here for those who care to take note.

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-threatens-to-slash-tesla-subsidies-elon-musk-tell-him-to-cut-it-all-8806183/amp/1

Hehe... it's brewing and getting hot despite Musks earlier apology. Not got to the extent Musk is even threatening officials with their reelection. Classic case of bringing some termite infected wood home. In Trumps first tenure, virtually all his inner circle came out to denounce him. I don't think this would be different. Folks who hoped Trump would help fight their enemies might just become targets afterall.

Zahra29:
They don't have to scrutinise 25 million naturalised citizens, just the ones who fall under their radar because they've committed one or more offences on the "priority list ".

They've apparently already denaturalised one British American citizen, possibly white, so it's real and feasible.

Lesson is that a naturalised citizen can now be denaturalised, and fairly easily too it seems.

Youna dey see why I say make we fix Africa bah.

Time go tell

lavida001:
Youna dey see why I say make we fix Africa bah.

Time go tell

those in Africa should repair africa

Do you know how useless a people have to be to cry for their diaspora to come "rescue" them?

jedisco:
Hehe... it's brewing and getting hot despite Musks earlier apology. Not got to the extent Musk is even threatening officials with their reelection. Classic case of bringing some termite infected wood home. In Trumps first tenure, virtually all his inner circle came out to denounce him. I don't think this would be different. Folks who hoped Trump would help fight their enemies might just become targets afterall.

Trump is playing with fire 🔥
If Elon Musk throws in just 100m into this upcoming midterms
He will be so humiliated in the mid terms

and having no more terms to go, he will be a lame duck as early as late next year

jedisco:
Hehe... it's brewing and getting hot despite Musks earlier apology. Not got to the extent Musk is even threatening officials with their reelection. Classic case of bringing some termite infected wood home. In Trumps first tenure, virtually all his inner circle came out to denounce him. I don't think this would be different. Folks who hoped Trump would help fight their enemies might just become targets afterall.

What I see, is an opportunity to load up on #TSLA...... 😁😂

Hold, wait, jump ship...... 🚢🤣😁