I have the option of choosing between these cities to work and I kindly need your opinions about these cities in terms of affordability for a single. There is almost nothing about it online.

Mid Essex (Chelmsford)

Southend-on-sea

Salisbury

Thank you for your inputs.

Neyoalao:
I have the option of choosing between these cities to work and I kindly need your opinions about these cities in terms of affordability for a single. There is almost nothing about it online.

Mid Essex (Chelmsford)

Southend-on-sea

Salisbury

Thank you for your inputs.

So in essence it's between Essex vs Wiltshire?

I would select Essex, your people go plenty for Essex than Wiltshire..... ..

EngrSaks:


The major things the entry clearance officer looks out for are
1. Can you sponsor the trip, that includes her flight ticket to and fro, her accommodation during the period of stay, her upkeep and the duration of stay. The longer she stays, the more money you should have.
2. On her part she must prove that she has strong ties to Nigeria meaning she would return after the trip...strong ties include having a good paying job, landed property, a business and things she would want to get back to. Her finances should also be well explained, usually cash deposits into her account need to be explained especially if the deposits are in large sums of up to 50k at a time...cash deposits from you is kindof a disadvantage as it shows she would be dependent on you during the visit

Nice reply!

Curious, must it be 6 months statement? Can’t it be 3? Husband had an overdraft in his salary account but he moved some of his savings into the salary now Andria looking great, but 5-6 months ago, it was in the minus. Won’t this affect us when I use his 6 months statement sponsor with the overdraft to sponsor a relative?

Or will the last 3 months from me and him just be enough?

Aphrodite007:


Nice reply!

Curious, must it be 6 months statement? Can’t it be 3? Husband had an overdraft in his salary account but he moved some of his savings into the salary now Andria looking great, but 5-6 months ago, it was in the minus. Won’t this affect us when I use his 6 months statement sponsor with the overdraft to sponsor a relative?

Or will the last 3 months from me and him just be enough?

You can use a statement covering a 5 month period, anything shorter will be taking a risk...I believe the statements amongst other things help to show your spending and saving habits. To be able to sponsor a relative you are expected to have decent saving and spending habits.

My advice in this case will be to wait to get a clean account statement of at least 5 months before sponsorship...Also, if you move funds from the salary account to save in another account you should also add a statement of accounts from the savings account to show the movement of funds.

However the key in Visa applications is to be able to explain yourself properly in you cover letter. It is adviced to add a cover letter with subtitles explaining every detail in your application (then on the online application state that you have a more detailed cover letter attached to the supporting documents)

olioxx:

.
.
I gbadun this ya innglesh.

Innglesh is amazing innit?

When I applied for my MIL, she was given at first attempt while my mum got on second attempt..my MIL used 3 months statement while my mum used 6 months..the former had a migration history while the latter had none

Morale: many factors are considered by ECO before decision making.

Hope this helps


You can use a statement covering a 5 month period, anything shorter will be taking a risk...I believe the statements amongst other things help to show your spending and saving habits. To be able to sponsor a relative you are expected to have decent saving and spending habits.

My advice in this case will be to wait to get a clean account statement of at least 5 months before sponsorship...Also, if you move funds from the salary account to save in another account you should also add a statement of accounts from the savings account to show the movement of funds.

However the key in Visa applications is to be able to explain yourself properly in you cover letter. It is adviced to add a cover letter with subtitles explaining every detail in your application (then on the online application state that you have a more detailed cover letter attached to the supporting documents)[/quote]

Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an account with HSBC, registered with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my account gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

perfectme:
Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an account with HSBC, registered with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my account gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

Congrats. My testimony is coming soon

perfectme:
Hello house,


My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.
.

Very nice to read ... i didn't even know this was still possible to relocate to UK with easy on work tier 2 visa

Congrats and welldone

perfectme:
Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an account with HSBC, registered with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my account gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

beautiful piece. congratulations and welcome.

perfectme:
Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an account with HSBC, registered with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my account gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

It goes to show that out of all the clutter and chats, sense does exist..............

Lexusgs430:



It goes to show that out of all the clutter and chats, sense does exist..............

Not just sense sir, a lot of sense.
May God enrich all of you that held this thread with more knowledge.
You all are doing a great job

perfectme:
Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an account with HSBC, registered with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my account gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

Congratulations on your move and welcome to the brioche gang

Update on Moving house:

Moving house in this country is sooo stressful but for this our own move ehn it's worth it. After battling rats and mould everywhere in our old place (story for another day).

Using the advise I got here for house removals on gumtree and shpock, I was able to get someone to move all our stuffs for £40 and he also did pick up a wardrobe from store for £30 which was not a bad deal, I guess.

Now onto the business of organisations to contact. I wrote a comprehensive list from this link
http://omarsguidelines..com/2017/07/checklist-of-things-to-sort-out-when.html?m=1, which was helpful as a Tier 2 migrant (for doctors migrating, it could be nice to check the guys diary, it helps with some guidelines).

My Own list:
1. UKVI
2. Utilities (Gas, Electricity, water and internet)
3. Banks
4. Car Insurance
5. DVLA for licence and V5C docs
6. GP
7. HMRC
8. Employers
9. Nursery
10. Pension provider
11. Council Tax

It was straight forward contacting alot of them and updating the details, though we have issues with SKY because it is a new build property. We recently switched to Sky because we were absolutely tired of boring BT channels so getting open reach to come out and do the installation is still a lot of hassle so we are "broadbandless" and hopefully will be sorted in 2weeks.

On Assembling things, omo!! I appreciate my handy Nigerian men more oo. I had to post the job (wardrobe assembling) on my builder website because all the shpock and gumtree people were quoting high figures and eventually I got it for a reasonable amount on there.

I beg na who know best Housing association wey dey for average income earners in South East England because all my paddy wey dey London don migrate go Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Newcastle because you can get 2bedroom flat for £400.
Mine rent here for Sussex na over £1000.

Lesson Learnt on cancelling TV/Broadband contract

If possible, I will advise one to stick with any of the service providers until the end, if not be ready to make lots of calls and fight your charges.

On one cool windy day as I was going on my way o, d SKY agent sha lured me to their kiosk and with all amazing offers (box sets, kids, full sports package, latest Qbox with voice control remote and broadband) all for £61 for 18months.

Ofcourse I was reluctant because we still had 6months left with BT( £46) but the boring channels kept pushing me to.stay put and hear what he had to say, then he told me SKY can pay up to £200 of my termination charges once I am.able to send my final bill over and all that. That was how i was completely sold on to the idea but still told him I had to contact BT to know the actual cost before terminating.

I called BT and was told the only charges I would pay will be 80 pounds as long as I return the broadband and TV equipment so that sealed the deal and we proceeded. Then came the final day of the contract and suddenly I was updated with a final bill of £318, my brain went into fireworks mode oo.

I called them and made my case to the agent and she didn't really know how to handle it then offered to raise a complaint for me and have her manager call me in 4days. The manager called and apologised and said it will be difficult for them to trace the call that assured me £80 pounds but he can remove my last month charges which was added twice to the new bill and also once i return the equipment another £65 will be removed, so the new bill came to £245.

The next day, I sharply posted the equipment and all back to them even with the carton it was sent in and waited few days and still my bill was not changing, I called them again and then the agent I spoke to, told me I have to pay for the equipment as it is useless to BT bla bla, I just referred him to my call with the manager who assured me of the refund, na so he put me on hold oo for some mins and then apologised that he was not aware they do that etc so eventually I paid £180 for termination and hoping sky will redeem theirs even if it is £100 out of it, I still feel it is to my benefit.

So in one talk, if you are not ready to make call and fight your charges and also get a good deal from the provider you are changing to as per they are all poaching customers, don't end all those contract. Just push till the end

Phenmeson:
I beg na who know best Housing association wey dey for average income earners in South East England because all my paddy wey dey London don migrate go Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Newcastle because you can get 2bedroom flat for £400.
Mine rent here for Sussex na over £1000.

Yepa, is it a mansion? Better move to the Midlands oo . You can try your local authority council group, they do have some houses to rent if application won't be a hassle

fatima04:


Yepa, is it a mansion? Better move to the Midlands oo . You can try your local authority council group, they do have some houses to rent if application won't be a hassle

The council here na case study. U need to prepare a big lie � 4 dem before they consider you jare. Them dribble pass Cr7. More so na because here dey close to the second busiest Airport in UK.

perfectme:
Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an account with HSBC, registered with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my account gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

Welcome to abroad.

fatima04:
Lesson Learnt on cancelling TV/Broadband contract

If possible, I will advise one to stick with any of the service providers until the end, if not be ready to make lots of calls and fight your charges.

On one cool windy day as I was going on my way o, d SKY agent sha lured me to their kiosk and with all amazing offers (box sets, kids, full sports package, latest Qbox with voice control remote and broadband) all for £61 for 18months.

Ofcourse I was reluctant because we still had 6months left with BT( £46) but the boring channels kept pushing me to.stay put and hear what he had to say, then he told me SKY can pay up to £200 of my termination charges once I am.able to send my final bill over and all that. That was how i was completely sold on to the idea but still told him I had to contact BT to know the actual cost before terminating.

I called BT and was told the only charges I would pay will be 80 pounds as long as I return the broadband and TV equipment so that sealed the deal and we proceeded. Then came the final day of the contract and suddenly I was updated with a final bill of £318, my brain went into fireworks mode oo.

I called them and made my case to the agent and she didn't really know how to handle it then offered to raise a complaint for me and have her manager call me in 4days. The manager called and apologised and said it will be difficult for them to trace the call that assured me £80 pounds but he can remove my last month charges which was added twice to the new bill and also once i return the equipment another £65 will be removed, so the new bill came to £245.

The next day, I sharply posted the equipment and all back to them even with the carton it was sent in and waited few days and still my bill was not changing, I called them again and then the agent I spoke to, told me I have to pay for the equipment as it is useless to BT bla bla, I just referred him to my call with the manager who assured me of the refund, na so he put me on hold oo for some mins and then apologised that he was not aware they do that etc so eventually I paid £180 for termination and hoping sky will redeem theirs even if it is £100 out of it, I still feel it is to my benefit.

So in one talk, if you are not ready to make call and fight your charges and also get a good deal from the provider you are changing to as per they are all poaching customers, don't end all those contract. Just push till the end

@ the bolded. Don't have broadband yet but was seriously considering BT because I believed I will get BT sports. So you are telling me to stay away from BT? Sure say I no go tell madam to bring GOTV when she de come?

Lexusgs430:


You can only apply to Housing associations, in the borough you are resident......

Lack of housing stock, is the main reason for the shortage....

Applying through housing associations, you could be on the waiting list for over 15 years........

YOUR OPTIONS - :

Private rental market

OR

Purchasing (mortgage)

Presently with Private rental. So scared of moving to a county where job hunting will be difficult eventhough the rent are cheap.

Phenmeson:


Presently with Private rental. So scared of moving to a county where job hunting will be difficult eventhough the rent are cheap.

You don't have to live and work, in the same county..... You can train it, bike it or car it (obviously weighing cost vs risk factor).......

fatima04:
Lesson Learnt on cancelling TV/Broadband contract

If possible, I will advise one to stick with any of the service providers until the end, if not be ready to make lots of calls and fight your charges.

On one cool windy day as I was going on my way o, d SKY agent sha lured me to their kiosk and with all amazing offers (box sets, kids, full sports package, latest Qbox with voice control remote and broadband) all for £61 for 18months.

Ofcourse I was reluctant because we still had 6months left with BT( £46) but the boring channels kept pushing me to.stay put and hear what he had to say, then he told me SKY can pay up to £200 of my termination charges once I am.able to send my final bill over and all that. That was how i was completely sold on to the idea but still told him I had to contact BT to know the actual cost before terminating.

I called BT and was told the only charges I would pay will be 80 pounds as long as I return the broadband and TV equipment so that sealed the deal and we proceeded. Then came the final day of the contract and suddenly I was updated with a final bill of £318, my brain went into fireworks mode oo.

I called them and made my case to the agent and she didn't really know how to handle it then offered to raise a complaint for me and have her manager call me in 4days. The manager called and apologised and said it will be difficult for them to trace the call that assured me £80 pounds but he can remove my last month charges which was added twice to the new bill and also once i return the equipment another £65 will be removed, so the new bill came to £245.

The next day, I sharply posted the equipment and all back to them even with the carton it was sent in and waited few days and still my bill was not changing, I called them again and then the agent I spoke to, told me I have to pay for the equipment as it is useless to BT bla bla, I just referred him to my call with the manager who assured me of the refund, na so he put me on hold oo for some mins and then apologised that he was not aware they do that etc so eventually I paid £180 for termination and hoping sky will redeem theirs even if it is £100 out of it, I still feel it is to my benefit.

So in one talk, if you are not ready to make call and fight your charges and also get a good deal from the provider you are changing to as per they are all poaching customers, don't end all those contract. Just push till the end

Funny story. You should have stayed with BT. They provide the backbone which all other providers piggyback on.

Netflix 7.99 per month would have solved your problem.

So After 2 fails I’ve sha finally passed my Practical Driving Test. Grateful to God.
.
Decided to post incase someone is failing and feeling bad, don’t! I felt very bad too initially, especially because the 2nd fail In particular was cause of a very silly reason IMO... But the experience has sha made me a better driver. So incase you’re here and seeing stories of people passing the 1st time and wondering why your case is different , don’t worry; You’re not alone and you will definitely still pass.

Thank God you passed on the 3rd attempt

I fail am 4 times and I've heard those who've failed 7 times

Mamatukwas:
So After 2 fails I’ve sha finally passed my Practical Driving Test. Grateful to God.
.
Decided to post incase someone is failing and feeling bad, don’t! I felt very bad too initially, especially because the 2nd fail In particular was cause of a very silly reason IMO... But the experience has sha made me a better driver. So incase you’re here and seeing stories of people passing the 1st time and wondering why your case is different , don’t worry; You’re not alone and you will definitely still pass.

Bourne007:
Thank God you passed on the 3rd attempt

I fail am 4 times and I've heard those who've failed 7 times

Wow! Well done for not giving up! Can be demoralizing

sutelk:


@ the bolded. Don't have broadband yet but was seriously considering BT because I believed I will get BT sports. So you are telling me to stay away from BT? Sure say I no go tell madam to bring GOTV when she de come?

We subscribed for the BT sport as well but we discovered most of the stations don't show alot of matches, basketball etc and if we wanted we have to upgrade with like £40 more. Also no naija station featured

wonlasewonimi:


Funny story. You should have stayed with BT. They provide the backbone which all other providers piggyback on.

Netflix 7.99 per month would have solved your problem.

Yeah true, BT is excellent for broadband but TV ehn no no. Netflix doesn't have a lot of the movies I follow thats why oo, then also sport is greatly needed in our laif, hence the switch

Mamatukwas:
So After 2 fails I’ve sha finally passed my Practical Driving Test. Grateful to God.
.
Decided to post incase someone is failing and feeling bad, don’t! I felt very bad too initially, especially because the 2nd fail In particular was cause of a very silly reason IMO... But the experience has sha made me a better driver. So incase you’re here and seeing stories of people passing the 1st time and wondering why your case is different , don’t worry; You’re not alone and you will definitely still pass.

Yay, let's enter motorway oooo sharply..Congratulations sis. Success story is loading......

fatima04:


Yay, let's enter motorway oooo sharply..Congratulations sis. Success story is loading......

Amen Oh! It will be easy for you! I haff enter motorway since oh I rocked my international license well!