₦airaland Forum

dustydee:
When I first applied for a relative, it was 6 months and when the visa was issued, there was also a note that said I could apply for multiple years instead of 6 months. This was some years ago. So yes it is possible.

Thank you.

Hi guys, I’m in the process of applying for my MIL visiting visa. Is there a rule that states that first time applicant must be 6 months visitor’s visa. I am planning to apply for 2 years visa ( plan is for her visit multiple times during the period). Everyone I have come across seems to do 6 months first, then the 2 years visa for subsequent ones. Thanks.

Hi everyone, can we apply for funded childcare hours for our 2 year old even if it’s just one parent that has ILR. My partner is yet to qualify for ILR as she’s yet to clock 5 years in the UK or both parent need to have access to public fund before we can qualify? TIA

Zimzee:
Hello everyone,

I am currently in the process of finalizing a mortgage protection policy and would appreciate some insights and advice from the community.

My mortgage broker has recommended a policy from Aviva, which covers the specific amount needed to protect my mortgage. The monthly premium for this policy is £20.78 for £135,000 over 22years. While this seems reasonable, I have come across other policies offering similar coverage at lower monthly premiums (e.g., Royal London offering £166,500 coverage over 32 years for £16.09 per month) for someone I know.

I understand that insurance premiums can vary based on individual factors such as age, health, and specific coverage needs. However, I am unsure whether I should proceed with the Aviva policy or insist on exploring other options to potentially lower the monthly cost.

My main concern is striking a balance between affordability and comprehensive coverage. Given that my broker assures me that the Aviva policy is the most cost-effective for my needs, I am seeking advice on whether I should accept this recommendation or continue to pursue alternatives with lower premiums.

Has anyone else faced a similar decision? Is it generally advisable to go with the policy recommended by the broker, even if other seemingly cheaper options are available?


Thank you in advance for your help!
Please gurus in the house

In my case, the brokers tried upselling the various insurance policy to me. The main ones were Life insurance and Home insurance. I did my shopping around and went for one which was suitable. For the life insurance, I made sure the cover amount and period were greater than the mortgage amount and mortgage period respectively. One of the brokers was on my case and even matched my quote when I showed him a cheaper one. They are mainly after their commissions. Just make sure that any cover taken sufficiently takes care of the mortgage.

profemebee:
NHBC inspection? thought that happens very early in the process

kaiii.. airbnb for 3weeks

where did you keep your house items?

thanks for letting me know and sorry about your experience..

how has the new build experience been tho?

There is a final inspection from NHBC once everything is completed and ready to be moved into. We put our stuffs in storage for the period. It was a stressful period but all in the past now. It's been two months since we moved in and the experience have been good so far, developer (barratts) has really been responsive in rectifying issues (all minors and nothing major).

profemebee:
it is a new build, therefore no chain.. and the house is already built .. just additions like dishwasher/washing machine, wardrobes and snagging list survey to be done

Actually new builds are notorious for delays. We had about three weeks of delay, ranging from timing of NHBC inspection, an item on the roof which has been ordered but wrong size etc.. Had to arrange for an airbnb as our rent has expired and not planning to sign a new contract.

Infact, most builders won't commit to an exact completion date until 3 weeks before the time.

specialenvoy:
Please for those that have withdrawn funds from Moneybox for Home Purchase, How long does it take Moneybox to credit your solicitor?

Mine took a week

mex551:
Happy new year Fam. Has anyone ever made a house deposit with proceeds of Contributions (Ajo/isusu) ? What was the reaction of the bank when they sight the monthly contributions in your bank statement?

I need direction here. For the past 8 months , I have been in a contribution, the aim is to prepare for mortgage. Sometimes in this new year around August, I intend to utilise it for mortgage deposit. I would have packed four times. (We are four in number). The question is , will this not affect my affordability when the bank check my statement and see that I pay this sum monthly? I guess is that they will see it as a monthly commitment(loan which I am paying back) and will likely affect my affordability and approval . Do you suggest I stop the contribution and rather be saving it in my account to avoid this scrutiny?

Just trying to be proactive.

I think the main issue with ajo is primarily with respect to source of fund verification. For me, there was no issue with affordability and the outflow wasn’t queried. I used Ajo as part of my deposit, I thought all was good till I started the house purchase stuff and I started reading stories of how some solicitors/lenders have issues with Ajo ‘cos of inability to verify the source of fund.

There was no issues with mine at the end of the day maybe primarily because I used LISA, so that was the source of fund (moved ajo money into my LISA account).

What I’ll suggest is that if you can help it, have a separate account for the ajo, then use the ajo money to settle expenses like rent etc while your primary salary account remains untouched and will form your deposit. This way proofing source of funds will be easy.

080bjaked:
Huge congratulations. You've also stayed beyond 2 years right?

Yeah 4+ years

To the glory of God, we completed the purchase of our house (new build) last week. Mentally exhausting but totally worth it. Mortgage was with Halifax (90% LTV). Relatively smooth process with attentive mortgage brokers and pro-active solicitors. We had our snagging on Friday and all issues were cosmetic, which made me so happy 'cos of the horror stuffs I've read about new builds.

Monthly mortgage is about £400 above our previous rent, we fixed for 2 years so hopefully, there will be some calm in the interest rate by the time we re-mortgage.

Grateful to everyone for the invaluable comments and advice.

Ogonsbaba:
I haven't confirmed if Barclays bank offer the product. But please, how can I open a Lifetime ISA account? I bank with Lloyd's and Barclays bank. I'm not seeing anything related to Lifetime ISA in my bank apps. Thanks!

My LISA is with moneybox, and no issues at all. Just downloaded the app and follow the instruction.

Solumtoya:
Absolutely! I know the feeling, I was similarly worried, but 99.9% of the time, just sit and wait and it will be all fine. My Lender did nothing. In fact, I need to even sort out my building insurance as at no point was I told to do it.

Thanks for your response. Quite relieving 😊

Hi everyone,

Our completion is next week (20th) and I've been overthinking things. LISA has been withdrawn by solicitor and we've paid all fees. Please what should I expect to happen between now and Wednesday when we complete. Are they still going to ask for payslips, bank statements etc, is the lender still going to ask for documents from us before releasing the fund...Just worried of something happening between now and next week and need to be prepared.

This may be needless overthinking but just felt to ask

cc: Solumtoya, as you just completed and it's still fresh in mind. A big congratulations to you and I look forward to putting up my completion post next week.

Hi everyone - Looking for recommendations as I'm looking to get a good vacuum cleaner for carpet. TIA

Hi everyone,
We are planning on travelling to Nigeria in December and will be the first time going home with our little one (under two). Just need any practical guidance on malaria prevention while in Nigeria. I checked Boots travel advisory and they do not have anything for under-twos. Thank you.

Viruses:
I called this builder to reserve a property, told them I have a DiP, they said okay but asked that I call their mortgage advisor, that their mortgage advisor needs to see my DiP before they can go ahead with the reservation.

After speaking with their mortgage advisor, they didn't ask for my DiP, they carried their own assessment and are giving me the same lender as the former advisor.

I want to go with the former advisor, should I insist or play along?

I experienced this also. I spoke with the developer's broker as recommended, they did their financial assessment (affordability checks) and passed it on to the developer but I told them during the conversation that I already have my broker. Made it clear to the sales advisor as well during reservation that I've got my broker. I went for the developer's solicitor though (so maybe a win-win), as the solicitors recommended by my broker were either slow in responding to my initial mail or just too expensive. All going good so far and the solicitor has been great.

Zahra29:
These days there are more formal ajo type arrangements (originally brought into the UK by the windrush generation - called "pardner) i.e. rotating savings clubs/peer to peer lending companies e.g. Stepladder that people use when raising the deposit for a house.

It's hard to say. It mainly depends on the lender. They might view it as a loan or a gifted deposit. Some are strict on gifted deposits, only accepting gifts from family members, others are more flexible but may want to check the ID of the gifter, and typically ask for a gifted deposit letter.

Thanks for this. Let's see what the solicitor comes back with , if I had known that it's not widely acceptable, would have explored other alternative saving options.

Hi everyone, I just need someone to allay my fears and worries as I've been refreshing my mail every seconds.

We are currently in the process of buying an apartment. Our deposit is in a LISA account and the source is savings from salary and ajo/esusu/thrift. Coincidentally, the day we made reservation was when i came across a post on facebook group that some solicitors reject savings from thrift due to AML (and I think it's simply because some of the solicitors are rigid or simply do not understand the concept) while some are flexible about the whole thing. I've been on panic mode and really worried. Our solicitors have asked for proof of funds which I've supplied, I also explained all required inflows and attached the ajo agreement, hoping that would suffice, but haven't heard anything back from them (though I sent it 24 hours ago smiley).

Just wanted to ask if anyone used savings from Ajo for house purchase (as I'm guessing it should be a common thing with Nigerians here). How did you go about it? and did you encounter any issues?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone, I just need someone to allay my fears and worries as I've been refreshing my mail every seconds.

We are currently in the process of buying an apartment. Our deposit is in a LISA account and the source is savings from salary and ajo/esusu/thrift. Coincidentally, the day we made reservation was when i came across a post on facebook group that some solicitors reject savings from thrift due to AML (and I think it's simply because some of the solicitors are rigid or simply do not understand the concept) while some are flexible about the whole thing. I've been on panic mode and really worried. Our solicitors have asked for proof of funds which I've supplied, I also explained all required inflows and attached the ajo agreement, hoping that would suffice, but haven't heard anything back from them (though I sent it 24 hours ago ).

Just wanted to ask if anyone used savings from Ajo for house purchase (as I'm guessing it should be a common thing with Nigerians here). How did you go about it? and did you encounter any issues?

Thanks in advance.

Hi guys - I'm travelling to Canada (from the UK) for a couple of weeks, please what's the best card/bank to use while abroad. Will appreciate any input.

Hi guys - for goat meat lovers, please where do you buy your goat meat (I mean the naija type or something similar). Please help a brother

JaySterling:
Hey guys, please I need your guidance

Can I send items apart from letters through a UK post office ?

Like I have this luggage I wanna send to a friend in another city. How can I get it delivered to him please advise

Thanks!

You can use royalmail. Used them a couple of times and they even come collect it for free from your address. The prices depends on the size and how fast you want it to get there.

https://send.royalmail.com/

HollyMadison:
Hello elders,

Thank you for your help and advice, I have been liking responses to my visit visa questions.

I have one more question for now

Grandma is not paying anything towards her visit. So how do I answer the question below, I tried to put 0gbp but it wasn’t accepted.

Should we send some naira for her to use as her personal contribution to the trip?
Or
Should we leave the 4k there (though it’s our contribution, not hers)?

This was from my Mum's application last month.

HollyMadison:
Hi elders, hope we are all good..


1. Please can anyone share tips on inviting grandma for omugwo? due date is mid 2023 and we want to start processing visit visa now.

2. In applying for the visit visa, which case is stronger?
a. Grandma coming for omugwo (visa application will be done by her daughter who’s on tier 2 dependent visa)
Or
b. Grandma coming for her brother in laws burial (visa application will be done by the her sister, the widow who’s a British citizen)




Thank you 🙏🏽

My mum's visa was approved 2 weeks ago (8 days after her biometrics). I think it's more of making the application as straightforward as possible. Some folks suggested not including the fact that she's coming for Omugwo which makes sense as this may be interpreted as coming as a carer (paid). The documents we submitted are:

1) Invitation letter stating the purpose of her visit (tourism) and stating all expenses will be borne by us
2) Payslip/bank statements/employment contract
3) Rent agreement to prove accommodation arrangement
4) My passport and BRP
5) Her bank statements - had about 100k naira
6) She's retired and petty trader (did not state this so that she won't be asked for tax docs etc..), instead we got her pastor to write a letter that she's a volunteer in church bla bla...just to prove ties to Nigeria. We got my father-in-law to write a consent letter for my MIL when she was coming last year.
7) My birth certificate- I think this is very important as I know someone whose application was rejected with the VO stating that they weren't able to prove ties. They reapplied and attached the birth certificate and was granted.

Hope this helps!

tushqueen:
Olbas oil works as well. Buy at boots and put on baby's beddings or clothes. It helps relieve breathing and helps get rid of cattarh easilu

Thank you.

Cleanworld:
Hi, I've been in your shoes before I found this
'miracle' dehumidifier. . Drug doesn't have much effect in this type of cough and cattarh thats cause by weather,children's toys and moulds. Please go and get Dehumidifier and put in every room in your house. The effect is almost immediate.
Check on Amazon or eBay for different ranges. Unibond Aero 360 is easy to replace,cheap and very effective.
Good luck.

Many thanks for this. I'll try the dehumidifier out.

LagosismyHome:
That why I am dreading nursery and have been doing nanny. Although I prefer nursery than nanny .... however nursery they spread germs up and down so what you are seeing is quite common. When I went to pick nursey form there was a big sign that foot and mouth is here

Don't bother with different remedies.... viral infection clears on their own. Capol occasionally is fine

Thanks a lot.

Chreze:
I can imagine how you feel. We had same feeling when our son started nursery. They claim here you should expect that fever and flu 10 times in a year. So that’s like ruffly once a month. They see it as normal and doctors too told us “welcome to the club”. I have accepted it as normal. For our son we use honey for everything, food and sometimes some spoon to clear cough. It’s not a good feeling but I will advise you to join the club like they said.

We started giving our son fruits when he clocked 6months, that was in Naija, we gave him blended apple and banana. Avocados and tangerines on a regular too. The aim was/is to boost his immune function and it worked cos he didn’t fall sick at all till he joined nursery n covid. Just ask doctors if it’s fine to give your child fruits like tangerines, apple, bananas, avocados n its likes. I think it will help fight some of those little ones.

So good to read your experience, at least I know we are not alone. We've been giving her fruits but just occasionally. Guess we have to be deliberate about it. Thanks once again.

Hi everyone- will appreciate every input or tips I can get especially from experienced parents.

Our little one (9 months plus) started day care last month when wifey's maternity leave ended. Ever since she started, if it's not cough today, it's cattarh or fever, infact there was a time she had conjuctivitis (apolo) also. It's just two months now and we are tired. We are currently battling cough, cattarh and fever (2nd time in 4 weeks). We've taken her to the GP twice and the doctors more or less just said "welcome to the club" and that it's normal. Just said we should continue to use calpol, calcough or nurofen.
To be honest, the cough/fever is not weighing her down as she feeds and plays normally, just that it's always worrisome having to watch her breath with blocked nose and bouts of cough. If it were to be in naija, grandparents would have swung into action with different remedies but over here, na only calpol we here .End of rant!!!

Please is this normal? What other home remedies can we explore? Looking forward to your responses

IamE:
hello .
-i flew with turkish airline in April.
-no transit visa required
-had stop over of about 6hrs plus
-didnt see my load till i arrived MAN airport. - no need to check in

-no need for covid too

Thank you!!

HondaLover:
Turkish airline isn't bad and they only have a stop

Please can I ask if a transit visa is required for Turkish airline? Also, do you have to claim your checked-in luggage at Instabul during stop-over or are they transported directly to UK?

fatima04:
It doesn't influence ILR ir citizenship especially for Tier 2 visa holders
. The major advantage to not adding her to your visa is saving Tier 2 visa fees, biometric fees, ILR and reduced citizenship cost. Adding this up for the child could be almost £4000 or more depending on how long you have got before you are due for ILR.

If you don't intend travelling out of the UK with her anytime soon. You can chill and if you see a need then simply apply.

The baby would not be denied care or schooling for any reason as she was born here.

Thanks for the response.