₦airaland Forum

Let me clear 2 things.

First, on the issue of you handing your passport to them, it wasn’t your fault, after all aren’t you a first-time traveller? The innocent smile by the beautiful air hostesses is just a polite way of them saying “it’s okay, we know you are a first-time traveller and there’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Anyways, this incident always reminds me of the story of the king and his slave.

You see, long ago, it was told of a king who went with his slave on a long journey. They had disguised so passers-by didn’t know who they were. As their journey progressed, eventide came and with it a heavy downpour. Despite their attempt to seek shelter under a big tree, they were soaked and few minutes after the downpour, they saw an old man passing by. They approached the man and asked for assistance in lodging them since they couldn’t continue on their journey that night. Of course, during the journey earlier on, the slave had begged the king not to disclose to anyone that he was a slave – afraid of potential consequences or ridicule. The king had obliged him but also noted that he the slave would be the one to divulge his identity through his actions.

Back to the present, they had gotten to their hosts house who turned out to be a wealthy man in that city. He had offered them 2 rooms (1 each) and invited them to dinner when they were dressed. The king changed his clothes and hung the wet clothes to dry on a makeshift elevation in his room. The slave on the other hand had changed his clothes and sneaked into the kitchen to spread his clothes over the fireplace.

Series 3 (Aeroplane encounter for the Tier 2 immigrant)

Forget YouTube videos, it is always difficult not to be carried away entering an aircraft for the first time. Because this is your first trip abroad and most likely your first time entering a standard long-distance aircraft (not those “kabukabu” flown by Arik or Dana), you get dazzled by the sight that greets you.

Since its MMIA, all you may have recalled was first class and business class flyers including nursing mothers, parents, elderly and disabled being called to board first. Now it is your turn and village people have failed up to this level. You approach the aircraft door and meet smiling ladies (they say they are called air hostesses). Why they are always smiling I can’t understand.

Anyways, you hand them both your passport and your boarding pass and they politely with a smile hand back your passport to you (instinctively, you know that you have “jabor”). They point out the appropriate aisle to you and then you go past them and head down the valley of the commons.

Sincerely speaking, I do not have any remedy, only suggestions as individual circumstances vary.

First thing first, please move with the right set of individuals. You want to ensure that early enough you are comfortably on the £40K threshold to avoid stories that touch. It will thus be instructive to move with fellow minded folks or folks who have succeeded in doing that. In addition to moving with the right kind of people is networking with your colleagues and bosses alike at work. Schedule a chat with your bosses and inform them that you are willing to do all it takes to rise in the office and will be happy if they can inform you on what they think you can do to achieve expedited career progress.

Don’t come across as patronising or vulnerable – in the hands of a wrong person, they could make life a living hell for you. I have worked with someone who knew my contract was expiring in a few months and deliberately kept mute. Behind my back, he was telling my colleagues of his plan to deal with me. Of course, this was coronavirus period and the job market was sluggish. Guess what, I had 2 offers within the space of 6 weeks. I tendered my resignation and resumed in the first place shortly after. I have accepted the second offer and put a later date (they graciously agreed) while I observe my current place. In all these employments my salary always received a boost. Of course, I will not be worrying about salary threshold since my first salary was in excess and I’m now on a different visa route.

Second is strategy. Start planning your exit from your first day of resumption as an alternative. Apply for jobs and know why you weren’t selected for interview. Are there qualifications you think can give you an edge, please go for them. Also scout for uninteresting areas where people are not likely eager to work/live there. Seek out opportunities in those areas as long as they guarantee a salary boost. Don’t restrict yourself to jobs within a field. You are now in the UK and so no longer needing a restricted CoS. Spread your tentacles wide. Are there research jobs that fit your profile and for which you have the skillset, please go for it as long as there is a matching salary increment. In all your moves, please pay attention to your contracts (to ensure that there is enough notice time from employer to you – at least 2-4 months).

Please note this that moving into a new role must pay you your current salary at the worst-case scenario.

So no set rule, just strategy on your part and God’s mercy. Apply, apply, apply to places and attend loads of interviews. Attend conferences/workshops and network. Chat with your friends in other places and tell them to inform you if openings arise in their establishments. A word of mouth/recommendation is enough in most establishments to bring you in.

Remember that from January 2021, EU citizens will need CoS to work in the UK like you. This means that most employers will be Tier 2 sponsors – thus broadening the pool of potential employers. So please apply, apply, apply. If you don’t see progress in your current workplace – “Japa”. Sorry, sorry no dey o. Na your future you dey preserve.

You think about your age and aspirations and dreams. You envision yourself 10 years from now, married with 2 kids and a beautiful wife. You dream about your crib in the UK and perhaps your standing in society then – senior partner xyz IT company (UK) LTD and earning over £100K annually. You are about to think about your siblings and their requests when you hear “thank you ladies and gentlemen for your patience. We would soon commence boarding procedures and will like you to form a queue and have with you your boarding passes and passport please.” You slowly open your eyes to see a queue forming and the airline officials trying to organise the pre-boarding checks.

You jump with a start thinking abi e don happen. “Please, is this the queue for the 11pm BA flight to London Heathrow you ask someone nearby.” They respond in the affirmative and you slowly make your way to join the queue. “When I am airborne, I will continue my thinking” you tell yourself. As the queue progresses, you realise that the airline officials have prioritised aged, nursing mothers/parents and first class/business class flyers first. You make a mental note to inquire how much a first class/business class ticket even costs (don’t bother, you never actually do for a long time). However, you note sadly that there is some bit of sanity as the queue progresses. You are happy that the elderly and parents/nursing mothers can be prioritised. This is your first time of seeing this happen and you wonder why this can’t be replicated in Nigeria (you unknowingly think you have left Nigeria).

Well, you have been checked in and sent into the final departure lounge waiting for the airline officials to start calling out flyers based on their class (first, business) or zone. This will be your first time of knowing that your boarding pass has a zone.

It’s taken a while but finally, your zone is called, and you begin your final journey to the airplane preparatory for your flight to the UK.

Yes, please where is my seat?

See you in Series 3

You leave this group and sight the nursing mother. Yes, she is there with an infant child and you realise that even babies have been travelling and you sigh in pity about your life. Considering that you still have some time to fly, you let your mind wander as far back as possible. You remember your secondary school days and all your friends. You think back to specific instances and you smile. Your mind goes back to your JAMB/UTME experience and university life (no offense to poly students) and you sigh. All the struggles of life through university and then the hardships of NYSC. Ah, you remember that course you failed and how you had to do it twice before you passed. You recall that lecturer that vowed that you won’t graduate and how you spent 3 months prostrating for her to have mercy. Finally, you carry your 2-1 and head to “camp” only to spend 1-year teaching Mathematics and Basic Science to JSS/SSS students in a private secondary school in Kogi – inside life. You recall your NYSC days and all your escapades. You remember bae 1 NYSC (during orientation) and bae 2 NYSC (the remaining part of your NYSC). You fast forward to your numerous interviews for job and sleepless nights practicing aptitude tests. You recall with nostalgia your last attempt 5 years ago which landed you your last job and how the salary threw you off balance. Of course, you had the qualifications and certifications. You peruse your journey through the ranks until you became a senior manager all within 5 years.

You think about your life plans and your current bae. You recall all your promises to her which are in contrast to your promises to your family – things will sha sort themselves out you sigh. You travel down memory lane to recall how this journey started. You remember how your promotion at your workplace was because your bosses were all resigning and travelling out. You remember when you had a honest conversation with Etim who informed you that he needed to secure the future of his kids, hence his application for a PR to Canada. Busayo, you recall told you honestly that he was tired of Nigeria and needed to go raise his family abroad hence his seeking out employment in network management in the UK. You recall your current bae encouraging you to take the leap and seek out opportunities. Afterall, you had the requisite qualifications hence your rapid promotion. You remember the day you were sent an email scheduling an interview session for a job you randomly applied to in the UK. Today, that act had culminated into your relocation abroad. That thought and the role your current bae played further solidifies her position in your heart.

You observe almost instinctively “the fellow traveller”. This class is very easy to decipher. They are first time travellers like you (going to visit, work, study or join their spouse). They are usually “over-dressed” for the occasion with their bags new and they looked also reserved (actually apprehensive) like you. You move your eyes gently as they settle in on a couple with little kids. You pick up the accent of the kids and it has that British “poshness”, you size the couple – dressed in casuals and lightly packed. They are the frequenters – they are usually citizens/residents who perhaps have come in to visit or conclude a business deal or attend an engagement and are returning back. Don’t worry, you won’t see them again as they will be separated to the “left” as sheep while you with the “others” will naturally go through the “right” as goats to see an immigration officer. You leave them and you settle upon a young lad with gold-plated headphones on his head. He will probably be at most 19 years of age. He is carelessly waving around the latest iPhone and dressed like the typical teenager. That’s the student. He comes from a ‘comfortable” family and is perhaps returning back to uni after a brief visit back home. You will be shocked to discover that his mum must have instigated his visit because she hasn’t seen her first and only son for 3 months (people get money for Nigeria)!

As your eyes stray from the student, they settle on an elderly woman with an oversized duffel bag. Mama/papa will most likely be dressed in our local wear with oversized jacket and stockings (especially if it is winter). Mama will have a scarf on and will be constantly rummaging through her duffel bag bringing out bitter kola and kolanuts. She will have this strict outlook like “kilode”. You will also hear her on the phone telling someone at the other end “a timbo”. This class of oldies can be further grouped into 3. The first group are the returnees – these ones are resident in the UK and have their children abroad. They normally have no business in Nigeria but as they say, “you can take a man out of the village, but you can never take the village out of the man.” Their children have given up trying to dissuade them. Every year, they must return to Nigeria to attend village meetings and settle village issues (of course, village people get updated first-hand about their children during their visits). They wield a lot of influence in the village because they usually hand out gifts every time they come around (usually to placate village people to leave their wards alone) and if your name is not on their New Year’s honour list (apologies to the Queen), oyo is your case. The second group of oldies are those travelling to go and visit their kids. Their kids have now settled abroad and perhaps had a baby. Mama and papa are heading to the UK to do nanny job for a while and also stroll around. You will see them usually smiling, happy and playful with children in the departure lounge. They are fulfilled as their offspring has given them their greatest gift – a grandchild. When they return back to Nigeria, that area go hear am. The third group of oldies you will observe are those going for a child/grandchild graduation. Yes, they too are happy. Most times, they would be in a group all exchanging small talks and greeting other oldies going for similar missions too.

Incident two – baggage check-in. So you have loaded all the “loadables”. Afterall, @UKMigrant told you that you could come in with locust beans, dry fish (kpanla), garri, dried bitterleaf and dried ugu leaf, yam, plantain, palm oil, beans, “semo”, “elubo”, “agbo” and others. You arrive the check-in spot and they weigh your stuffs and it exceeds 46Kg (which is your allotted allowance). Thank God for the contingent that came with you to the airport. You find a convenient spot and start debagging many food and clothing items. After multiple iterations, you arrive at 47Kg and the nice lady at the check-in spot allows you in, you breathe a deep breath of relief – another battle won. Of course, you decide against a stopover flight since you don’t want to get lost in Amsterdam because you couldn’t find your way to your boarding gate (village people and the devil gnash their teeth, they have failed again).

Yes, we have now been cleared from those NIS officials and on to the security screening people. You get screened and pass on to the departure gate. It’s a British Airways flight, so its late-night flight (for early morning arrival). You get there and settle gently into your seat. This is your first time into MMIA and first time in this axis. You try to act calm, collected and cool. Your eyes dart around to examine the other travellers in the departure lounge (let’s call it that for simplification purposes) and you begin to see the variation in travellers.

Series 2 (MMIA airport encounter for the Tier 2 immigrant)

So oga/madam, “what do you do in Nigeria?” (I’m a thief ni), “Oh I used to work with Zenith Bank as a DBA which is the same role I’m going to be doing in the UK (who ask you for this extra).” Ok, so what job will you be doing in the UK?” (selling fufu agbaya), “Oh, like I said earlier, I would be working as a DBA with bla bla bla limited, in Bradford”. “What’s the meaning of DBA?” “Oh, it means database administrator.” Someone who has some idea among them chips in “That’s under ICT, so you are a yahoo boy abi?” Laughs around and then they probe about your address in Nigeria (but madam, I’m not visiting the UK, I’ll be living there), where you’ll be staying in the UK and lastly, but most importantly they ask about “egunge”. “Ah, me I’ve been here since morning and you just dey go UK, abeg find us small thing even if na £5” Well depending on your mood, you could “roger” them something or stand your ground (as na 6 hours before flight you arrive, insurance cover you!)

Yes, that is a typical convo at the NIS check point.

Wait, see me sef, I have forgotten about two important incidents.

First, when you received your offer letter and they offered you £40K as salary, you never complained. Perhaps your monthly pay in Nigeria was 1 million Naira and so, this was some breakthrough. I mean how can you write back to the employer and say, “thanks for your offer but currently, my take home after tax is 1 million Naira (£2K) which £40K translates to after tax and other deductions. Can you please raise the salary to £45K also considering the fact that I have dependents and would want to offer them commensurate living standard. Kindly find attached my most recent payslips and you can check conversion rates on Oanda.com” As we no even wan contemplate anything considering say na nonsense we dey earn for Nigeria (and considering that the devil and village people are still using binoculars to view us), we accept the salary hook, line and sinker. First mistake!

All is set now for your departure and we are back to the airport where you have arrived 6 full hours before take-off (village people and the devil won’t succeed). The family has sent representatives. Their “favoured” son/daughter is about leaving for the UK. They would have come in with the band and singers where it not for airport officials.

So, you have left them and about going through immigrations for the first time through MMIA thinking that at least, you will have some sanity but no, Nigeria must as usual show itself.

So welcome to NIS workers at MMIA.

“Ah Mr/Miss lagbaja, so you are travelling to the UK as a first-time traveller?” Yes, you reply. “That’s ok, we would need to interview you to ascertain that you are a genuine traveller.”

See you in series 2.

Yes, we are about done. You have promised to start repatriating money as soon as you arrive. Akin is dreaming of at least 50K Naira (just £100 abi) monthly while Ronke is expecting at least 500K Naira (just £1K na) from you to start her catering business. Your brother Ade is looking forward to joining you for his masters (worth about £17K for 1 year considering that he even got 50% scholarship reduction and lives outside London) in a year’s time while your dad/family head is expecting like 1 million Naira (just £2k) so the family can start with foundation – house will be built on ‘family land’. There are also so many numerous cousins and nephews and aunties and uncles like brother Tunde who will be expecting you to call from time to time and send some lizzy. What about your friends and their little expectations – original Chelsea Jersey, original Adidas, original PS4 and others who won’t mind some “rogering” as life dey hard. You make a mental note and nod in agreement. Your family informs you that God has sent you ahead of the family to make way for others (like Joseph in the Bible). They tell you how your trip abroad has long be prophesised and how you will be great in the UK.

So you are a single guy/lady in the late twenties or early thirties and no one is bothered that you are unmarried and that their interest should be your safe arrival, getting acclimatised to work and environment and building some financial independence so you can get married and then support the family. No, family must come first. This is their time to cash out from you. Well, we would see what becomes of their expectations.

Ah, see me, I almost forgot about family. So, for the majority, there may be some sort of family meeting where people raise expectations. You are reminded that Akin your younger brother is still an undergraduate and will need support. All of a sudden you are now big bros to Akin (from guy or Gbenga to big bros and you say nothing dey being an immigrant). The family also reminds you of Ronke and Ade (your elder siblings) who are graduates but unemployed. Ronke will need your support with starting her small business (catering) while Ade will need assistance from you with going over to the UK to do a masters (no be today African families start to dey craze sha). As if them never kill you finish, you are reminded by the family head that it will not be pleasant to still be living in a rented apartment. They intimate you that the family has decided to complete the bungalow or duplex and that you will play a crucial role in it – nobody asked how much you will be earning (perhaps £30K or £40K gross per annum).

So, brother Tunde jokingly asks how much you will be earning and because brother Tunde works in a bank and travels regularly, you say £40K. Ah, that is 20 Million Naira yearly brother Tunde shouts. He pops out his smart phone and does some calculations – “Gbenga, you will be earning over 1.6 million Naira monthly – that’s more than 3 times what I currently earn”. You forget that you are being set up big time to fail. Of course, people on Nairaland forgot to tell you that your gross salary is absent of Tax, NI contributions and Council Tax (if you don’t do retirement deductions). Don’t worry, nobody will tell you to have multiple sim cards when you reach the UK.

Back to bae, s/he will be worried. “So, what are your plans for me?” “I need you to assure me on our introduction/trad.” You will be like “calm down, I’m not running away (ah, for your mind abi), it’s just me going to prepare ground for you to come over (kai, guys can be wicked). For either the guy or bae, it can be a tough time. “What of if I see someone better?”, “What of if things don’t work out between us and all that?” These thoughts run through one’s mind especially when one has not been committed.

For the married couples, ah that one is simple. Both parties usually apply for everyone at the same time to avoid stories that touch. Well, for those who allow just the main applicant for whatever reason, may the good Lord see you through.

Well your Nigerian office may have/haven’t been aware of your departure – weren’t they supposed to have written a reference letter for you (Ah, Nigerians). “They” bid you farewell, and you promise to keep in touch (inside life).

You’ve set your affairs in Nigeria as you know for your mind say you no dey come back (despite say na 3 years your CoS dey last). You have converted all your Naira to £££, it’s in an envelope deep down your travel box. You’ve visited the barber for a last haircut. If you are single and your babe/guy is aware, na constant smooching and supply (you need not ask, it will freely be given).

Folks are now aware of your impending travel and for those who used to view you as that other guy, there would be a change in how they now address you. Forget it, your rep before their eyes has increased more than 1 million folds – you are going to the UK to work as a professional! You won’t be earning Naira anymore. You probably will be banking with the likes of Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, NatWest etc. They understand what that means and so you become a useful contact to have.

You are told that a temporary accommodation has been secured for you (residence, hostel or hotel) – fantastic. You Google the place to see how it looks. You look for fun sites around that locality. Yes, these useless Nigerian banks, let me get a “token” sef and register for email notification and online banking.

You start drawing up a list of things. First, you rummage through LinkedIn to see all those your friends and enemies who are now in the “abroad” (UK, USA, Canada, Australia and selected EU countries) and thought your destiny will end up in Nigeria – “On resumption day, I must update my LinkedIn profile and allow public notification to all my contacts so they know I have arrived”. Second, you draw up a list of those films you couldn’t watch in Nigeria due to “internet issues”. Afterall, internet is now a natural resource so, film don die finish (if only you knew). Third, you draw up a list of the places you would go – Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, Trafalgar Square, parliament etc. Fourth, you draw up a list of the original food/snacks you would eat – McDonalds (forgetting that the original is in the US), Starbucks, British fish and chips, beer (Lord have mercy). Fifth, you draw up a list of things you would buy (iPhone 11 pro max or S20 Ultra, PS4, original Nike/Adidas/Sketchers/TM, original perfume, Samsung/Apple watch etc.) and lastly, you draw up a spending/saving profile (hahahahahahahaha). I must save like mad (shey £1 = £540 on radiantlife, ah, I must be financially prudent).

Series 1 (pre-departure Routine For The Tier 2 Immigrant)

It will always involve a phone call or an email or even both. ‘Congratulations, based on your exceptional performance at the interview stage, I am pleased to say that you have been offered the job of a database administrator”. The letter/caller will further inform on the salary being offered (others get mentioned in the formal contract) and start date. You will be told that HR will contact you shortly and that folks is how the journey to the UK as a legal migrant starts.

As usual, you will be confused or shocked or just elated (if a first timer). Those who have earlier worked in the “abroad” will just smile (one of those things).

Well, for the majority of us, we start being circumspect in our actions. We no longer want to go out “anyhow” because the devil and village people can use SARS or “korofo” or anything to “dabaru” our movement, so we just start laying low.

We tell the least number of people – married folks tell their spouses; singles tell their parents and that responsible brother/sister/uncle/aunty (some even tell no one). Considering our religious inclination as Nigerians, some avoid talking to anyone about it until they have made an application and received the visa vignette (entry permit) in their passport.

We start checking our emails every day. We fill out forms from our new employer back to back (no time wasting, so they don’t change their minds), the devil is a liar. When we get issued with our CoS, we start scheming how to raise the application fee. Forget nonsense, that money will usually be raised.

We make the application and voila, the application is successful and there’s a chip on our shoulders. Things in Nigeria no longer appeal to you. That rude boss or colleague seems to be irrelevant to you nowadays. That hard to get girl all of a sudden loses appeal (you start to imagine the abundance and diversity of babes in the UK – thunder fire you there). In your dreams, you are already in the UK.

Nairaland travel section becomes your home (@Justwise, can you please assist with bla bla bla; @UKmigrant, how much did you pay for bla bla bla; @everyone I will be grateful if you can inform me on what and what I can carry as foodstuff on my flight; @ everyone, is palm oil allowed on British Airways etc). Accommodation, foodstuff, clothing, flight etc. become your daily search online. You distribute tasks – parents (foodstuff), church/exposed relation/nairaland (accommodation) etc. You get your flight sorted and on the day of departure you arrive 6 hours before take-off (no chance at all for village people).

Your parents/guardians have been praying. They must have informed their cleric about your trip. Everyone is praying for you to have a safe flight and safe entry into the UK. You must have joined numerous WhatsApp groups – Ah, this abroad, I no go dull myself o. You seek out information about Oyster card (whereas you are to be employed and live in Bradford), you try to know if Nigerian food is cheaper in Peckham (whereas your place of employment/abode is Aberdeen).

Remember that if you are forced to return back home on a Tier 2 visa, you will need to chill out for at least a year (cooling off period) before you can be allowed into the country again on a Tier 2 visa unless you are being offered over £159K annually as salary (chuckles).

Earlier analysis done by the Home Office showed that about 16% of Tier 2 workers will not meet the salary threshold. That number will increase from 2021 owing to the lowered salary threshold.

Don’t be among the 16%!

It may seem inconsequential now but considering the global climate and increased competition among workers coming into the UK, it may be necessary to have a plan on how to make sure your salary does fall into the threshold long before your application for ILR.

Yearly salary increment is around 1.8% – 2% (it follows CPI). So, this means that if you are employed January 1, 2021, to come work in a job not on the SOC and classified as a “new entrant” with a yearly salary of £30K, you would need to be earning at least £41100 (by my modest projections) when you apply for ILR. Over five years, at an astronomical 3% annual salary increment, you would have £30900 (year 2021), £31827 (year 2022), £32782 (year 2023) and £33765 (year 2024) and £34778 (year 2025) leaving you with a shortfall of £6322. Of course, my analysis assumes salary increment of around October each year hence the increment for 2021.

You may thus want to consider your options very diligently and decide if staying with an employer is your best shot or perhaps seeking out other opportunities that offer higher salaries. Additionally, you will have to work on your negotiation skills especially in asking for a salary raise. This may involve you acquiring additional certifications/qualifications.

However, beneath all the hype about the reasons for the reduced salary threshold, there is the looming crisis that is currently brewing (or stewing?).

After five years of continuous stay in the UK on a Tier 2 visa, you are entitled to apply for ILR. However, among other factors you must be earning at least the following:

1 £36,900, if you apply for settlement on or after 6 April 2021
2 £37,900, if you apply for settlement on or after 6 April 2022
3 £38,800, if you apply for settlement on or after 6 April 2023
4 £40,100, if you apply for settlement on or after 6 April 2024

The above salary thresholds are from your sponsored jobs and not some “side hussle”. You will thus not be able to combine income from multiple roles. You are only exempt if you are under Tier 2 (minister of religion), employed for a role under the shortage Occupation Classification (SOC) for 6 years, employed for a PhD-level job, a work permit holder or having a CoS issued before 6 April 2011.

2 important rules include:
1 This visa can only be held for a maximum of 6 years
2 Application for settlement (ILR – Indefinite Leave to Remain) under this visa category is subject to minimum salary threshold.

Both points are very subtle and hold no meaning initially until the implications become REAL.

If you have been following the news recently, you should have noticed that the Home Office has proposed new salary thresholds beginning from January 2021 to assist EU applicants especially (my own view). Recall that EU citizens normally are not subject to visa controls as per the UK still being part of the EU. EU citizens currently do not need any certificate of sponsorship (CoS) to work – as a matter of fact, they are ranked after British citizens in job placements. However, come January 1, 2021, EU citizens who want to work in the UK will need to meet the same requirements as a Nigerian, American, Canadian etc. to be eligible for a CoS. A lowered salary threshold thus means that companies will have to go through the rigours of selecting only the “top crop” from the EU as against the free for all that is currently available.

The Tier 2 visa category is the major route through which the UK regulates immigrant workers coming into the UK to work. Other categories like spousal, dependents (Tier 1 (innovator/start-up) and Tier 4) and exceptional talent/promise (now Global Talent Visa) allow working too, but as a main applicant who wants to work, Tier 2 it is (and if exceptional, then Global Talent).

However as expected, the majority of workers who immigrate to the UK on this visa do it in order to become settled residents – with the right to come in and go out without further restrictions (they become permanent residents).

This visa category (Tier 2) does have some important howbeit subtle rules which many do not take note of until the late moments.

Yes, the UK is in for a jolly ride with BoJo (Yes, Minister) and with it comes all the works – confusion, deceit, hypocrisy and lack of foresight – do you agree? I’m at crossroads as I’m finding it difficult placing this government, but one thing I can assure you is that she is indeed “intentional” in her confused actions.

Let’s get cracking to what really matters – Tier 2 visa category.

You see, if one must really get to know how the British think and reason, one must be prepared to read in between the lines. I dare say this – the British may present themselves as “elite”, “reasonable” and “posh” – you know that “British Poshness” with all the accents, candour, diplomacy, bla bla bla – let’s just say “packaging”, but on deeper assessment, what one will find is left to be determined.

Dear Potential Immigrant,

Congratulations!

Indeed, the world has been and is going through tough times – and you are set for a ‘windfall’, yes you are, for with great challenges come great opportunities.

You may have heard (of course I see you popping champagne bottles) of the UK’s desire to attract “the best and the brightest” (don’t laugh, this is usually said with a straight face). The UK is leaving the EU come December 31, 2020 and by God will do all within her power to make sure she is set to house all the best brains in the world – hahahahahahaha, what a load of buffoonery.

Yet, it does seem confusing, you know. I mean with respect to Coronavirus; she has the second highest death toll world over and potentially the worst death rate across the world (when you factor in excess deaths) and that reminds me – she has the now abandoned “world beating test and trace app”. God rest the soul of England’s founding fathers.