Hiii,

I and my husband came into the UK exactly in December last year via student visa with him as the dependant. He started with Care and told me he was going to work for only 25hours weekly as he didn't want to get absolved in care. This time would also allow him apply for jobs, prepare and attend interviews. The interviews were coming with so many "unfortunately" attached to it. While for some applications we didn't hear back from the recruiter. We were discouraged as we had bills to pay with the limited income but he was so determined not to take more hours.

It was exactly 4 months after that all the sleepless night yielded it's fruitage. He got 3 jobs offers and all with sponsorship. He's in a much better place today with better pay

P.s I am not in anyway berating Care work, I also did care but if you have the skills from Nigeria please don't give up in searching and even if you don't, learn them especially when you know exactly where and what you want to be..

mizGene:

I wish you would still post your story. If there are no direct insults to anyone, I don't know why they would take offence, this is an anonymous forum. If they do, it doesnt matter either if other ppl can learn something positive.
If everyone starts holding back, it will defeat the purpose of this forum.

Yea you can do this

Exchange Naira for Pounds via any of those apps that supports this and from the app do a transfer to your Revolut account. Saves you stress and comes handy when you need to move funds here from home.

Phil46:


Thank you very much. Someone just advised me to withdraw the funds, change to pounds and come with that instead of using dollar-pounds conversion over there. And I think I'll just go by that.

lightnlife:
Does any anyone know a platform to receive and send USD to a Nigerian USD account.

Wise has stopped sending USD to Nigeria. Chipper cash is trash with poor customer service. Send can't receive.

Thanks in advance

There are a lot: Sendwave, WorldRemit, etc

Lindakam:
Hiii,

I and my husband came into the UK exactly in December last year via student visa with him as the dependant. He started with Care and told me he was going to work for only 25hours weekly as he didn't want to get absolved in care. This time would also allow him apply for jobs, prepare and attend interviews. The interviews were coming with so many "unfortunately" attached to it. While for some applications we didn't hear back from the recruiter. We were discouraged as we had bills to pay with the limited income but he was so determined not to take more hours.

It was exactly 4 months after that all the sleepless night yielded it's fruitage. He got 3 jobs offers and all with sponsorship. He's in a much better place today with better pay

P.s I am not in anyway berating Care work, I also did care but if you have the skills from Nigeria please don't give up in searching and even if you don't, learn them especially when you know exactly where and what you want to be..

That is the spirit! Thanks for sharing.

bigtt76:
Yea you can do this

Exchange Naira for Pounds via any of those apps that supports this and from the app do a transfer to your Revolut account. Saves you stress and comes handy when you need to move funds here from home.

Another good option. Thank you very much, I'm grateful!

lightnlife:
No, I've not encountered any issue with withdrawing at the ATM with a Nigerian USD card.

My singular concern is the exchange rate. Which is marginal compared to directly receiving the funds in USD.

NB: Use a bank ATM as against a random machine when withdrawing to avoid unnecessary withdrawal charges. My withdrawals at bank ATMs have been billed for $3, while random ATM cost me $30 or so.

Hope that helps.

Thank you so much for the info, pls which Bank ATM do you use mine is first Bank and how much can I withdraw once? upto 1k or 2k pounds. pls help thanks

Estroller:


may the teranga win the battle of the lions tonight

Hand don touch Lions laidis

I am a Tax Consultant so let me advise you for free. The taxes that individuals who are resident in the UK pay is called Income Taxes. The UK tax laws charge you as an individual to tax based on your resident status and there are rules for determining resident status. If you have qualified to be deemed as a UK resident, you are under obligation to pay tax on your WORLD-WIDE income. I capitalize Word-wide because I want to place emphasis on it- this means that any income you derive from any part of the WORLD, whether in the UK or outside the UK is chargeable to tax. So you are required to declare it and pay taxes on it.

The only opportunity you might have to AVOID paying taxes on this your income is to prove that you earned these incomes before you became a UK resident. That is the only way. If you continue to earn this income even when you have become a UK resident, then you have to make a self assessment and file this tax before HMRC. Even in the process of filing for HMRC, you could file and even get some refund from HMRC instead of paying depending on how well you have taken advantage of the loopholes in the UK Tax laws.

Let me stop here. If you need a tax advisor to help you file taxes with HMRC, then you can reach out to me to help out at a fee.

lightnlife:
Thanks for the insight.

It's gets interesting with this twist.

Essentially, I'm trying to avoid paying tax on the funds. The contract was awarded in Nigeria and payment needs to be made to the workers in Nigeria in USD. I'm unable to transfer from my Nigerian USD account while here as per CBN/Forex issues in Nigeria. Having the funds taxed will be a huge burden on me as 80% is meant for workers - my profit would have been lost to tax and transaction fees.

If I decide not to declare the income to the HMRC, what are the consequences?

Or what alternatives do the advise to receive and send USD without being taxed in the UK. Thanks

Lindakam:
Hiii,

I and my husband came into the UK exactly in December last year via student visa with him as the dependant. He started with Care and told me he was going to work for only 25hours weekly as he didn't want to get absolved in care. This time would also allow him apply for jobs, prepare and attend interviews. The interviews were coming with so many "unfortunately" attached to it. While for some applications we didn't hear back from the recruiter. We were discouraged as we had bills to pay with the limited income but he was so determined not to take more hours.

It was exactly 4 months after that all the sleepless night yielded it's fruitage. He got 3 jobs offers and all with sponsorship. He's in a much better place today with better pay

P.s I am not in anyway berating Care work, I also did care but if you have the skills from Nigeria please don't give up in searching and even if you don't, learn them especially when you know exactly where and what you want to be..

Thank you so much for sharing this!

You honestly have a right to HATE care work if you don't like it and you should never feel bad for not liking it. Your hubby's tenacity got him the job cause the rejections didn't deter him and he exercised his right to refuse to get comfy in the care job.... A personal determination

We always have a choice no matter how hard it is and we're individually responsible for our choices in life. Nothing in your write up berated care job in any way at all so if anyone takes offense, they should take it up with themselves and not your testimonial.

@Amaratripple0 please keep up the good work of reminding some of us not to forget we can snatch that high paying job we came prepared for. Ain't nobody gonna make me doubt myself for a sec! Anybody that wants to aim high should be freely allowed to do so without any guilt. If it's unrealistic, na me get my 'unrealistic'

dear Herbert macaulays, Mary Slessors and not so old ancestors.....with rates way above 5%, is this a good time to buy houses on mortgage? when repayments seem costlier than rent?

japhethGold:

I am a Tax Consultant so let me advise you for free. The taxes that individuals who are resident in the UK pay is called Income Taxes.

The only opportunity you might have to AVOID paying taxes on this your income is to prove that you earned these incomes before you became a UK resident. That is the only way. If you continue to earn this income even when you have become a UK resident, then you have to make a self assessment and file this tax before HMRC.

Permit me to ask this question

I have a thriving multi million naira business in NGA, and as a UK resident, I’m expected to declare my earnings/profits to HMRC ?

Is it realistic and enforceable ?

ps: All transactions are done in naira.

Iruosonobrugwhe:
dear Herbert macaulays, Mary Slessors and not so old ancestors.....with rates way above 5%, is this a good time to buy houses on mortgage? when repayments seem costlier than rent?

It depends on several factors such as your location and your LTV%. Increasing demand for homes in many areas has pushed rent up to historic levels. Demand is set to increase even further as more landlords sell up and more people can no longer afford to buy and have to rent instead - so there is no telling how high rents will rise.
Conversely, house prices are falling or stagnating in many areas so this could be a good time for a cash buyer or someone with a very good LTV to snap up a decent bargain(compared to recent years)

MrMash:
Or could it be that this type of Boiler is not energy efficient?

This boiler is mainly in electric-only houses. It is not energy efficient.

[26 Aug '21] As for career paths, anybody can do anything you are hired to do, apply to anything you feel you can do, manage your expectations realistically and don't expect to get a job in the field in which you apparently get or have had a qualification
[03 Dec '22] As for career paths, anybody can do anything you are hired to do, apply to anything you feel you can do, manage your expectations realistically and don't expect to get a job {straightaway} in the field in which you apparently get or have had a qualification: you might though. Nonetheless, reskill (if or where need be), strive, strategise, keep at it ambitiously doggedly. While at it, don't lose sight of that elusive UK experience and bills to pay. Get in and scale up. (Scale up visa not mandated )
In all your getting, don't get lost like needle in haystack. Little drops that make the ocean comes in varying #sizes.
PS: advices are but advice. Ain't Gospel truth. Circumstances and chances happen to all in peculiar ways. #IreeO

TheGuyFromHR:
Ah, I see you guys had the right idea. Una do well, Fati and co, and thanks for the invite, icon8. Unfortunately the last thread had become overwhelmed, and it was extremely difficult to follow.
I'm sure the students will catch up with us here, so for those who eventually do:

- please read, read, read, research research, research and only ask targeted questions, biko. Leave out the stuff about career advice and what course to read in the UK (guidance counselling is up to you), or which airline to fly (situation is fluid and you know as much as everyone else does), where jobs are (use your intelligence, the rough rule is the bigger the city, the more the opportunities, but cheap costs of living generally go with fewer opportunities, just like everywhere in the whole wide world, so you can answer the Hull versus Teeside questions for yourselves), housing is difficult to get from outside the UK, when you come here, if you're looking for anything other than student accommodation for one, be prepared to pay rent for months upfront (coming from Nigeria where rent is paid annually, there should be no difficulty getting your mind around the concept), unless the money no dey (which shouldnt be the case if you followed the rules), the digital banks Monzo, Starling et al, are real FSCS-protected banks and your money is safe in them, use them as your first port of call when you arrive, etc., etc.

As for career paths, anybody can do anything you are hired to do, apply to anything you feel you can do, manage your expectations realistically and don't expect to get a job in the field in which you apparently get or have had a qualification. For part-time jobs, the usual care homes, or try Royal Mail (Angard Staffing - I think they should have started their Christmas casual recruitment about now), Amazon (pay is good these days, up to 12 quid or so), Reed or Blue Arrow, and of course word of mouth; for full-time jobs: Indeed.com, Glassdoor, Totaljobs, and the Guardian.com Jobs and similar entities, the supermarkets and fast-food jobs as usual (browse and apply online and try walk-ins to local branches), etc.

Again, read, read, read, and research, research, research. Try not to derail this new thread, and remember that it is in your own interests for threads like this to exist so you can come and glean knowledge when you need it. Thank you all as you do so.

House Good morning,

Pls I arrived UK A week ago on a work visa, before coming my company where to make accomodation available for me, on getting here i discovered the accomodation is within the facility where I work, and I have booked paid for flight for my family to come over.

The initial plan was when I get here I will look for an accomodation before they coming, but is becoming increasingly hard everyday getting a house in Glasgow, they just have 10 days from departure date.

Can you guys pls advice me, either to push the ticket further to January, Cancel and get refund or use Airbnb if they eventually come.

You should've stick to the embolden This relocation runs is not all rosy dear. Winter is fast approaching, my suggestion is look for an airbnb to lease or temporarily suspend their departure.

Meanwhile you should try searching on letting websites online and take it up with your employers. If they are not going to fulfill their promise, they should at least help in getting you an apartment you will pay for yourself.

vanod:
House Good morning,

Pls I arrived UK A week ago on a work visa, before coming my company where to make accomodation available for me, on getting here i discovered the accomodation is within the facility where I work, and I have booked paid for flight for my family to come over.

The initial plan was when I get here I will look for an accomodation before they coming, but is becoming increasingly hard everyday getting a house in Glasgow, they just have 10 days from departure date.

Can you guys pls advice me, either to push the ticket further to January, Cancel and get refund or use Airbnb if they eventually come.

vanod:
House Good morning,

Pls I arrived UK A week ago on a work visa, before coming my company where to make accomodation available for me, on getting here i discovered the accomodation is within the facility where I work, and I have booked paid for flight for my family to come over.

The initial plan was when I get here I will look for an accomodation before they coming, but is becoming increasingly hard everyday getting a house in Glasgow, they just have 10 days from departure date.

Can you guys pls advice me, either to push the ticket further to January, Cancel and get refund or use Airbnb if they eventually come.

. Cancel or postpone their coming , pending when you get suitable accommodation. The stress of Airbnb no be here ohh. Except your pocket is full or you are related to a Naija politician with deep pocket

Iruosonobrugwhe:
dear Herbert macaulays, Mary Slessors and not so old ancestors.....with rates way above 5%, is this a good time to buy houses on mortgage? when repayments seem costlier than rent?

The best time to buy was yesterday, next best time is today. The most important thing to consider amongst other things, is your affordability right now and your continuous ability to keep up with payments, should interest rates continue to rise. Once those are checked, carry go.

hustla:


Hand don touch Lions laidis

Dem no even fit bark, let alone roar. No mind dem jare

vanod:
House Good morning,

Pls I arrived UK A week ago on a work visa, before coming my company where to make accomodation available for me, on getting here i discovered the accomodation is within the facility where I work, and I have booked paid for flight for my family to come over.

The initial plan was when I get here I will look for an accomodation before they coming, but is becoming increasingly hard everyday getting a house in Glasgow, they just have 10 days from departure date.

Can you guys pls advice me, either to push the ticket further to January, Cancel and get refund or use Airbnb if they eventually come.

Accommodation arrangement is usually for the main applicant alone, did you get confirmation from your employer that the arrangement they made for you will be for you and your family?

If your pockets are deep enough you can go the Airbnb route, otherwise weigh up the financial implications of rescheduling their flight (assuming they can still stay in naija while you sort yourself out) against the cost of Airbnb and go for the more practical option. All the best.

opeyy:


It means the property may not metered and the bill is based on an estimated usage of size of property and the number of people living there. You need to contact them to either ask for them use metered billing, in this case you'll still pay an estimated amount per month but when your readings are taken, it'll be adjusted if needed, or if there really is no meter at all, clarify the number of people they have used for your property as it my be different to previous occupants.

Thank you very much. I'll give them a call right away.

I am the The CPA Guy- a chartered accountant here in the UK

I have found that tax matters are very important to us immigrants in the UK so I have decided to share Taxhelp with all of us in this forum. I will create time to drop important tax help once a week free of charge. However, if anybody needs help with their annual tax filing they can reach out for proper consultation at a fee.

Let me tell you, 99% of people who live and work in the UK would receive good cash as tax refund if they get help from a tax advisor with their taxes. The tax rules are quite huge and complicated so you are not expected to know them- but getting an advisor for a fraction of the thousands of pounds you pay to HMRC every year will save you a fortune.

For example, workers who earn salaries get taxed through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system where their employers deduct the taxes directly and sends to HMRC. The minimum many of them pay is about 30% (income tax 20% + NI 12%) but the law allows workers the opportunity to file tax returns every year where they are allowed to deduct their work related expenses from their salaries, and also deduct personal allowance before paying taxes on the taxable income that ensue after these deductions. However, 99% of immigrant workers in the UK accept the PAYE as final tax and therefore, end up paying excess taxes to the HMRC.

I have been through the system and being in tax space in the country, I consider this a sad situation and am determined to help thousands of UK immigrants to get their cash back legally from HMRC.

I will also be releasing Tiktok videos sharing taxtips and finance tips for Black Immigrants to the UK weekly so you may want to connect with @japhethjev1 on tiktok to listen to these tips.

Estroller:


Dem no even fit bark, let alone roar. No mind dem jare

Thanks for the enquiry,

You may not have to pay UK taxes on foreign income if your permanent home is NOT in the UK.

Let me quote the section of the tax law here - "UK residents who have their permanent home (‘domicile’) outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income"

So the question is, where is your permanent home?

Permanent home is defined by the UK Tax law as the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.

I hope this helps.

rayralph:


Permit me to ask this question

I have a thriving multi million naira business in NGA, and as a UK resident, I’m expected to declare my earnings/profits to HMRC ?

Is it realistic and enforceable ?

ps: All transactions are done in naira.

That's the right thing. Some will even ask you outrightly during the interview and make a note of it so that once you start, those dates can be blocked out for you on the system. Would you advise that the person lies if asked and turn around after getting the offer letter to say that "actually, I have a planned holiday which I forgot to tell you about during my interview"?

I have always declared my holiday/leave plans at the interview stage and it never discredited me. One time, I went on A/L 3 days after my start date because this was something that had been pre-planned; I've also had collegues going on A/L few weeks in their employment because they stated this during their interviews.

You're not expected to put planned events on hold irrespective of the impact on you. When you have holidays, surgeries and the like coming up, it is always better to state them upfront except you don't have firm arrangements by the time you have your interview.

After you start, you need to be sure that your A/L dates are approved before making plans but this doesn't obtain at the interview stage so it is understandable that you have some planned AL with firm commitment and bookings already.

If you feel more comfortable not disclosing this during your interview, then that's your choice to make, not mine. Just keep in mind that it might or might not come back to bite you in the a***.

davide470:
You people should be calming down with all these advice na. Why would you tell a recruiter you have extended holidays for yourself during interview?

Please do all you can to get the job and after signing the offer letter, tell them you have holidays already planned.

thanks a lot

Zahra29:


It depends on several factors such as your location and your LTV%. Increasing demand for homes in many areas has pushed rent up to historic levels. Demand is set to increase even further as more landlords sell up and more people can no longer afford to buy and have to rent instead - so there is no telling how high rents will rise.
Conversely, house prices are falling or stagnating in many areas so this could be a good time for a cash buyer or someone with a very good LTV to snap up a decent bargain(compared to recent years)

Hi Elders,

Can a dependent on a skilled worker visa work a normal Job without requiring sponsorship?

Regards

Ayowolebami:


Thank you so much for sharing this!

You honestly have a right to HATE care work if you don't like it and you should never feel bad for not liking it. Your hubby's tenacity got him the job cause the rejections didn't deter him and he exercised his right to refuse to get comfy in the care job.... A personal determination

We always have a choice no matter how hard it is and we're individually responsible for our choices in life. Nothing in your write up berated care job in any way at all so if anyone takes offense, they should take it up with themselves and not your testimonial.

@Amaratripple0 please keep up the good work of reminding some of us not to forget we can snatch that high paying job we came prepared for. Ain't nobody gonna make me doubt myself for a sec! Anybody that wants to aim high should be freely allowed to do so without any guilt. If it's unrealistic, na me get my 'unrealistic'

Thank you for your kind words

mimilyrics:
That's the right thing. Some will even ask you outrightly during the interview and make a note of it so that once you start, those dates can be blocked out for you on the system. Would you advise that the person lies if asked and turn around after getting the offer letter to say that "actually, I have a planned holiday which I forgot to tell you about during my interview"?

I have always declared my holiday/leave plans at the interview stage and it never discredited me. One time, I went on A/L 3 days after my start date because this was something that had been pre-planned; I've also had collegues going on A/L few weeks in their employment because they stated this during their interviews.

You're not expected to put planned events on hold irrespective of the impact on you. When you have holidays, surgeries and the like coming up, it is always better to state them upfront except you don't have firm arrangements by the time you have your interview.

After you start, you need to be sure that your A/L dates are approved before making plans but this doesn't obtain at the interview stage so it is understandable that you have some planned AL with firm commitment and bookings already.

If you feel more comfortable not disclosing this during your interview, then that's your choice to make, not mine. Just keep in mind that it might or might not come back to bite you in the a***.

You are right, declaring holiday plans is the best thing to do. It’s such a trivial thing to lie about as it wouldn’t stop any company from hiring anyone. So I doubt that this is the reason OP was not selected.

P.S - If you are a student living in the Oxfordshire area, with some project coordination experience, this is a good opportunity, it’s Hybrid, 20 hours a week and pays good.

Part-time Programme Coordinator
https://uk.indeed.com/viewjob?from=appshareios&jk=ed76ee2938a7024d

Thanks, Chief consultant.

japhethGold:

I am a Tax Consultant so let me advise you for free. The taxes that individuals who are resident in the UK pay is called Income Taxes. The UK tax laws charge you as an individual to tax based on your resident status and there are rules for determining resident status. If you have qualified to be deemed as a UK resident, you are under obligation to pay tax on your WORLD-WIDE income. I capitalize Word-wide because I want to place emphasis on it- this means that any income you derive from any part of the WORLD, whether in the UK or outside the UK is chargeable to tax. So you are required to declare it and pay taxes on it.

The only opportunity you might have to AVOID paying taxes on this your income is to prove that you earned these incomes before you became a UK resident. That is the only way. If you continue to earn this income even when you have become a UK resident, then you have to make a self assessment and file this tax before HMRC. Even in the process of filing for HMRC, you could file and even get some refund from HMRC instead of paying depending on how well you have taken advantage of the loopholes in the UK Tax laws.

Let me stop here. If you need a tax advisor to help you file taxes with HMRC, then you can reach out to me to help out at a fee.

japhethGold:
I am the The CPA Guy- a chartered accountant here in the UK

I have found that tax matters are very important to us immigrants in the UK so I have decided to share Taxhelp with all of us in this forum. I will create time to drop important tax help once a week free of charge. However, if anybody needs help with their annual tax filing they can reach out for proper consultation at a fee.

Let me tell you, 99% of people who live and work in the UK would receive good cash as tax refund if they get help from a tax advisor with their taxes. The tax rules are quite huge and complicated so you are not expected to know them- but getting an advisor for a fraction of the thousands of pounds you pay to HMRC every year will save you a fortune.

For example, workers who earn salaries get taxed through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system where their employers deduct the taxes directly and sends to HMRC. The minimum many of them pay is about 30% (income tax 20% + NI 12%) but the law allows workers the opportunity to file tax returns every year where they are allowed to deduct their work related expenses from their salaries, and also deduct personal allowance before paying taxes on the taxable income that ensue after these deductions. However, 99% of immigrant workers in the UK accept the PAYE as final tax and therefore, end up paying excess taxes to the HMRC.

I have been through the system and being in tax space in the country, I consider this a sad situation and am determined to help thousands of UK immigrants to get their cash back legally from HMRC.

I will also be releasing Tiktok videos sharing taxtips and finance tips for Black Immigrants to the UK weekly so you may want to connect with @japhethjev1 on tiktok to listen to these tips.

Let me save this by quoting it. Dashed HMRC money when I was contracting until I realised after almost 3 years that I could have saved a lot more. To make matters worse, I paid the accounting firm thousands yearly for the priviledge.

dustydee:

Let me save this by quoting it. Dashed HMRC money when I was contracting until I realised after almost 3 years that I could have saved a lot more. To make matters worse, I paid the accounting firm thousands yearly for the priviledge.

Next time, call HMRC directly. I recently realised I was overtaxed for 8 months at my new job. I called HMRC and provided them the right tax code, and was refunded almost 2k.

You should know your tax code and all these information are on the HMRC page, down to calculating your tax payment for the year.

I have friends that overpaid tax and got refunded (without contacting HMRC) after the tax year.