When set her mind on leaving Nigeria, Finland wasn鈥檛 in the plan, but one Twitter post from a travel consultant changed everything. In this story, she shares how she navigated the country’s joint application system and the one thing she鈥檇 warn every prospective applicant about.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I live in Turku, Finland. I left Nigeria in August 2025.

What was life like in Nigeria right before you left?

I travelled a few months after graduating from Kwara State University. I wasn’t working, but I was more or less a full-time content creator on at that point.

Before I left, I had about 40,000 to 50,000 followers. I used to post relatable, funny tweets, but as I got closer to leaving, I started getting more strategic with my content.

Did you consider doing NYSC before you left?

I actually had plans to. My school kept delaying the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) process. I registered, thinking I’d do my orientation and work in between, but they kept extending it until the travel process began. So it wasn’t that NYSC was never in the plan; it just got overtaken by events.

When did you first think of leaving Nigeria?

Honestly, it was way before I graduated. My sister had travelled out on a scholarship before me, so it was already like a blueprint in my mind. 

I knew Nigeria wasn’t going to give me the life I wanted. As early as my 200-level, I kept telling myself I鈥檇 start looking for opportunities to leave once I got to the 300 or 400 level. It was always at the back of my mind.

Was Finland always the destination?

No, it wasn’t always Finland. I used to look at Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and sometimes the United States (US). 

Canada was actually top of my list because my sister lives there, and I felt it’d be easier to go where she was. But sometime in my 300-level, I saw a post on my timeline from a travel consultant about Finland, saying there were many scholarship opportunities and that it was relatively easy to migrate.

I sent him a DM, and he told me to reach out once I was done with school. But I didn’t just wait on that; on my own, I started researching schools, requirements, and the people I needed to talk to .

What did you study for your undergrad, and what pushed you toward your current course?

My undergrad was in Business Administration, and I always wanted to do an MBA. But over time, I started exploring other options and became interested in AI governance. 

Right now, I’m doing my Master’s in Governance of Digitalisation at . It’s a two-year program, and I’m done with coursework. I only have my thesis left to write.

Nice! Let’s get into the process 鈥� how did you apply to school in Finland?

I used the joint application system, which usually opens in January. You can apply to up to six schools in Finland for a flat fee of 鈧�100. I picked three schools and four courses 鈥� your course has to align with what you studied for undergrad, they’re strict about that.

Everything from the schools, their courses, requirements, and scholarship provisions is on . Depending on the school, you might need a recommendation letter, an academic CV, a motivation essay, or, in my case, a one-minute video explaining why you chose that school and course and why you deserve a scholarship.

How does the scholarship work?

It’s part of the same joint application. You have the option to pay your own fees or receive financial assistance.  I selected the financial assistance option for all three schools.

I got my first admission in March, with a 50% scholarship. I decided to wait on the other two schools since they were offering higher percentages. Later that March, I was invited to interview at the school I’m at now, and about a month later, I got the 80% scholarship. The third school rejected me. So out of three schools, I got two offers.

How did the visa process go?

I didn鈥檛 use a travel agent to apply for the visa. About a month after my admission, I went to , the Finnish Immigration Service, and did it myself. 

What documents did you need for the visa?

The big one is proof of funds. The standard requirement at the time was around 鈧�9,600 to prove you could sustain yourself for a year. I had about 鈧�9,800 in my account. 

They鈥檙e also particular about the source of the money. Some people earn funds through salary, some through business ownership, some through selling assets like land or cars, and some through sponsorship. I used my brother’s business as my sponsor.

For sponsorship specifically, they asked for his  Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) documents, his six-month bank statement, my own three-month bank statement, a signed and stamped sponsorship letter from him, and a cover letter from me explaining the arrangement 鈥� how much he was sending, when, and how he makes his money.

Beyond that, I submitted my admission letter, my passport data page, my school fee receipt, and proof of health insurance, which I got through for about 鈧�30,000.

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What happened at the visa interview?

The consul asked which school had admitted me and how I was paying my fees.  I told her about the 80% scholarship and explained that I had already paid the remaining 20%, with receipts attached.

I also told her about the sponsorship from my brother and what his business does. That was really it. The whole thing is built around proving your source of funds is genuine.

How long did the visa process take, and how did you feel waiting?

It took 28 days for the decision, then about another week for the residence permit to arrive from Abuja. Honestly, I can’t fully explain how I felt waiting; I was anxious the whole time. I knew I hadn’t touched the money in my account, so there was no reason for a red flag, but I had heard of people waiting from 20 days to a full year for a decision. 

I was in a group chat with other applicants, constantly asking when they were going for their appointments so I could calculate my own timeline. The day my visa came through, I nearly lost my mind.

What did the whole process cost you?

Aside from the 鈧�18 million proof of funds, I estimate I spent around 鈧�5-6 million in total. That covers the 鈧�100 joint application fee (about 鈧�150,000+ at the time), the visa application fee of about 鈧�450 (which came to over 鈧�800,000 paid in person at VFS, plus delivery charges), the 鈧�30,000-ish health insurance, and flights to Abuja first, then to Finland. There鈥檚 also the balance of my school fees.

Did you need an English proficiency test?

No, I didn’t. My school gave me a letter of English proficiency instead; there was an exemption specifically for Nigerian students. But it varies; some schools ask for a formal English test. For the general application, you’ll need your transcript, degree certificate, and either the test or the proficiency letter.

What are some mistakes you made during the process?

Just one: when I submitted my visa application, I was sure I had attached everything, but my passport data page didn’t show up on the site. I only caught it a day or two before my VFS appointment and panicked, but it turned out to be a small fix; I just had to re-upload it as an additional document, since the system sometimes drops a file if you’ve attached too many at once. Lesson: always double-check every document actually uploaded, not just that you attached it.

What was the first week in Finland like, and what culture shocks stood out?

I wasn’t overly excited when I landed. I think I was just tired from the two-day journey. It hit me properly on the second or third day.

One early culture shock: public transport runs strictly on schedule. In Nigeria, you can just stand at a bus stop and something will come; here, you check Google Maps, and if you miss the bus, you’re waiting another ten to 20 minutes.

Another one 鈥� a lecturer once lost 20 minutes to a technical issue in a computer room, and later that day sent an email apologising to the whole class and confirming that the material wouldn’t appear on our exam. I remember thinking that could never happen back home.

Registering as a resident and opening a bank account were another shocker; everything runs by appointment. I waited close to two months to open a Finnish bank account. You can’t just walk into a bank the way you would in Nigeria.

How did you sort out accommodation?

Honestly, this tested my patience the most. I didn’t know anyone in Finland before arriving, and I made the mistake of waiting until my residence permit was approved before applying for student housing. Because of that delay, I didn’t get my own apartment until December, even though I arrived in August.

Before travelling, I messaged someone on Instagram, and she agreed to let me stay with her for the first month if I hadn’t sorted accommodation by the time I arrived; she ended up picking me up from the airport too.

 I stayed with her far longer than a month in the end, and we just clicked. My advice to anyone coming: the moment you get your admission and start your visa application, apply for student housing immediately so you’re not stranded.

What do you love most about living in Finland?

The security and quality of life, honestly. My door can stay unlocked, and I can walk outside at 1 a.m., without anything happening to me. Everything just works. The one thing that drags the experience down is the job market, which is genuinely difficult right now.

How have you built community there?

I have, and my church has been a big part of it. It helps that we’re a Black congregation.

The friend who housed me had already been in Finland a year longer, so she introduced me to her circle, including other international students. A group of us who arrived around the same time now hang out occasionally. Beyond that, I keep a small circle and enjoy my own space. I鈥檓 not an extrovert, so being indoors doesn鈥檛 bother me much, except that it gets boring sometimes.

Has the language been a barrier?

Yes, especially for jobs 鈥� that’s actually one of the biggest reasons the job market is difficult for internationals. Finnish people can speak English, but they default to Finnish first, and they take pride in the language. If I say “English, please,” they’ll usually switch, but early on, when I got lost navigating the city, some people would just point me to Google Maps instead. I still don’t speak Finnish 鈥� I’m learning slowly, but I get by on English day-to-day.

What’s the cost of living like as a student?

It’s still cheap, at least where I am. Student housing ranges from about 鈧�230 to 鈧�250-plus a month, depending on the setup and the city you live in.

Food isn’t too expensive either. As long as you have a job, you’re generally fine. The minimum wage varies by industry, but it’s roughly 鈧�10-鈧�12 per hour, and as a student, you’re allowed to work up to 30 hours per week.

Do you miss Nigeria?

I mostly miss my mum and the general chaos and energy of home. There’s a liveliness in Nigeria that I miss. 

t’s not really about the food, since I still cook Nigerian food here. But if you sent me back right now, I couldn’t last more than three weeks before wanting to return to Finland.

What does the path to permanent residency look like from here?

My residence permit lasts for two years. The rules have recently changed 鈥� if you complete 15 credit units of Finnish-language coursework while studying, you can now apply for PR much sooner than before, instead of waiting four to five years.

Once my current permit expires, I can also apply for an extended residence permit that gives me time to look for a good job. I don’t know the full details of that process yet, though.

Anything else you want people to know?

Scholarship policies are changing. My school used to offer an 80% scholarship, but that’s gone now. What’s available currently is more of an “early bird” discount, around 鈧�3,000 off if you pay your school fees on time.

Universities across Finland seem to be cutting back on scholarships in general, so anyone considering this route needs to check directly with their target schools rather than assume scholarships like mine are still on the table.

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate life in Finland?

I’d have said ten, but the job situation knocks off two points. So, eight out of ten.

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Adedamola (30) left Nigeria for the UK in 2022, eight months pregnant, because she was determined not to give birth in Nigeria. Three years later, she’s a Canadian permanent resident through the express entry pool, thanks to an Instagram comment from a stranger. Here鈥檚 how she did it. 

Where do you live now, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in Calgary, Canada. I left Nigeria in August 2022 for the United Kingdom (UK). 

What pushed you to leave?

Honestly, I had always wanted to leave. I’ve wanted to go to Canada since I was young. But my dad didn’t believe it was right for his single children to travel; he wanted me to marry first, before I could make such a decision. So when I was younger, I’d applied to the United States (US) and Germany before, during my service year, and I still didnt get the visas

The major push for me came on my wedding day (in 2021), when a close friend told me she was leaving for the UK with her husband within days. I remember thinking, ” What am I doing here? Everybody is leaving me.鈥� It also helped that I had gotten  married now, so my dad couldn’t ask, “Where’s your husband?” There was nothing stopping me anymore.

Add this to my fear of the Nigerian medical system as well. I didn’t want to have children in Nigeria. So had already begun researching schools in the UK on my wedding night, while we counted money.

Interesting story. How did you eventually end up in the UK?

When I was researching, I started with scholarships, but I realised that route would take too long, and I wanted something faster. So I started applying directly to self-funded schools. It’s actually very easy: you email the school, tell them your qualifications, and they go back and forth with you on fees and deposit.

I’d applied to and one other school, but it didn鈥檛 work out. Eventually, I found the University of Hull; it was cheap, the deposit was just 拢2,000, which was about 鈧�1 million at the time. 

Once the deposit cleared, the school upgraded my offer from conditional to unconditional and issued me a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies). That’s what you use to apply for the student visa online. I was the main applicant since I was the student, and my husband came as my dependent.

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How much did the entire process cost?

The fees per person were: a visa fee of around 拢300鈥�400, an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) of 拢888.05, and a biometrics fee of about 拢69. The visa itself took about two weeks to come, which was fast.

So after paying the fees and getting the visa, what happened next?

I was admitted to the school, and I was expected to resume in September of 2022. By then, I was pregnant and due that same month. I was terrified of giving birth in Nigeria, and also worried that my admission would be revoked if I missed my registration window.

We got our passports back in August, and immediately after, we booked flights to leave in less than three days.

We paid 鈧�2.5 million for two tickets; meanwhile, people travelling around that time who could wait a few weeks paid as little as 鈧�500,000 for a family of three. My doctor was nervous about even certifying me to fly at 35 weeks. I couldn’t eat or drink much on the flight, and I was so anxious. We landed in the UK with very little money, about $150 in cash. 

Oh wow. Did you experience any culture shocks while settling in?

Moving to the UK, where the driver’s side is on the left, was really shocking for me. The cold was also a big shocker; it was a lot to take in, especially since we came when winter was about to start.

The biggest surprise of all was how supportive the system was. When I was anxious about the baby not moving, someone told me to just walk into the emergency department and explain how I felt. They attended to me immediately, even though I hadn鈥檛 done my registration yet.

We first stayed with a friend in Birmingham before moving to Hull, where my school helped us find accommodation. Because I was pregnant, our landlord gave us two rooms in a shared house and let us pay three months’ rent upfront. 

Balancing it all was genuinely one of the darkest periods of my life. My husband worked day and night to cover us once the prepaid rent ran out. I had to bring my daughter to class most days, and my lecturers would literally carry her while teaching. It was rough, but it got better with time.

That seems like a lot. What did work and the cost of living actually look like in the UK?

I first worked in a care home with elderly residents. The company had promised to sponsor our visas through a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS), but once people’s student visas began to expire, they backed out. So I moved to a support work role with an organisation supporting people with disabilities, and stayed there until I left the UK.

There was a lot of racism in the UK, especially in healthcare workplaces, the kind of treatment that made me second-guess ever moving to the UK. 

When it comes to the cost of living, rent for a two-bedroom in the city centre was 拢650 a month. Food was actually cheap in the UK; we’d spend around 拢400 a month, mostly on African groceries since my husband doesn’t eat British food.

Between rent, bills, council tax, and food, we were spending at least 拢1,000 a month against a salary that maxed out around 拢1,600鈥�1,800. It was genuinely hard to save.

Childcare nearly broke me too; it was around 拢60 an hour, and I was earning about 拢12 an hour. That’s part of why I only had one child while in the UK.

So why did you leave the UK for Canada?

The path to actually becoming a citizen was almost impossible. After your student visa, the UK gives you two years post-study to find a job that’ll sponsor you with a CoS. You need five years on that sponsorship before you can apply for indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), basically the UK’s version of a permanent residence permit and then more time after that (not sure about the exact number of years) before citizenship.

Employers in the UK know you need that CoS, so some of them treat you badly. I wasn’t willing to lock myself into five years of that.

On top of that, the UK kept floating policies to extend the timeline to ten years because so many immigrants had arrived during that period. I’d always wanted Canada anyway; I’d only gone to the UK first because I needed to leave Nigeria immediately.

How did the move to Canada happen?

I had been in Canada’s Express Entry pool since 2020, even before I married my husband. But I never received an invitation because my banking and customer service experience from Nigeria wasn’t in an occupation Canada was actively prioritising. 

Then one day on Instagram, I saw someone comment that she was leaving the UK for Canada, her exact words were, “thank God for healthcare.” I went straight to her DMs to ask what she meant because I had experience working in healthcare.

She told me Canada had started category-based draws, with healthcare as one of the targeted categories, and that support workers and care home staff were counted as healthcare workers, not just doctors and nurses. I had no idea.

That same night, I updated my Express Entry profile with my UK healthcare work experience. I had a score of 475; the draw cutoff was around 465鈥�468. I got my invitation to apply within a month.

That’s so awesome. Can you break down how the Express Entry scoring works?

Two people can have identical scores and get completely different outcomes because Canada runs category-based draws 鈥� they announce which professions or skills they need at a given time: French speakers, healthcare workers, welders, and electricians are currently preferred over other professions. If your score is high but you’re not in the category they’re pulling from, you won’t get picked.

To enter the pool, you need a degree evaluation and a language test like IELTS. Your score is also shaped by your age, points drop by 5 at each birthday after 30, and your education level.

If you have a master’s or postgraduate degree, you’ll have more points than someone with just a bachelor’s. I already had a master’s degree from Nigeria, so that helped me.

For work experience, the maximum is three years of foreign experience, and you can combine different jobs to reach it. For me, that meant one year in UK healthcare plus two years from my banking job in Nigeria. There’s a you can use to estimate your score before you’re even in the pool.

What were your next steps after getting your visa, and how did you secure housing?

Once the visa was sorted, we started preparing for the move. I actually found an apartment online before landing, but my cousin, who lives here in Calgary, was an incredible help. They went to view the property in person for me to make sure everything was legit, and they helped pay the deposit and the first month’s rent. Having family on the ground to verify things took a massive weight off my shoulders before I even boarded the flight.

Did you experience anything that was different from the UK when you first arrived?

One of the biggest differences was childcare. In Canada, my second daughter got a daycare spot at six months old; I didn鈥檛 have postpartum depression partly because of that support. Childcare is cheaper and a whole lot easier to afford now.

How did the job hunt go once you got there?

I was honestly terrified. Everything I saw online about the Canadian job market scared me. A friend who’d been in Canada for years told me the trick was applying in volume: like about  10鈥�15 jobs every single day. I treated it like a job itself, sometimes hitting 20 applications a day. Referrals didn’t work for me.

I also stopped using a generic CV. I tailored each CV to match the specific job description, using ChatGPT to help align my experience with each role’s requirements.

The interview process here is intense; I went through four or five stages for a single role. I eventually landed a customer advisor job at an insurance company in Calgary within three months of arriving, with no industry-specific experience required. They trained me for over a month before I started speaking to customers.

How does the cost of living actually compare between the two countries?

It’s high in Canada, too, but the earning power makes a difference. In the UK, I was earning around 拢1,600鈥�1,800 a month, and my expenses alone were eating over 拢1,000 of that.

In Canada, I was earning about $1,515 biweekly, roughly $3,000 a month, while paying $1,300 for rent and about $150 for electricity. Even when my husband was between jobs, and I was the only one earning, I was still saving close to $1,000鈥�$1,200 a month.

With both of us working, household income would be closer to $6,000, against maybe $2,000 in fixed costs.

Groceries are expensive here too, but it still feels more manageable overall than the UK, where bills, council tax, and childcare left almost nothing behind.

What’s your favourite thing about Canada so far?

I love how family-oriented it is. The childcare support alone changed everything for me, and so far, I haven’t experienced the kind of racism I dealt with constantly in UK workplaces. I feel respected as a human being here, and genuinely at peace.

Any advice for someone considering this route?

Do better research. I see people who’ve followed me online for years still asking me questions I’ve already answered publicly, instead of looking things up themselves. 

I’ve never used an agent for any visa, be it mine, my husband’s, or even my parents’. Agents aren’t doing anything special; if you’d qualify, you’d qualify either way. People get scammed because they refuse to do their own homework.

Any mistakes you’d want others to avoid?

I wish I’d researched the UK more before picking a school. If I’d gone somewhere bigger, say Birmingham, Manchester, or London, instead of Hull, I might have had more opportunities outside healthcare.

I also didn’t realise until after I’d already spent the money that some people were coming from Nigeria with a CoS already arranged, sponsored directly, with visa and accommodation covered. If I’d known that route existed, I could have skipped a lot of the financial stress.

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your life in Canada right now?

Ten over ten. I feel relieved, at peace, and respected. I don’t have any complaints so far.

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Jumoke* (27) spent years building a career in Lagos until a global design contest she won convinced her that Nigeria was holding her back. She talks about her family’s nine-year wait for Canadian PR, the paperwork setbacks, and why Vancouver has made it all worthwhile.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in British Columbia, Canada. I left Nigeria in August 2025.

What was life like for you in Nigeria before you left?

I already had a life built around my career. I had an existing community there. I worked as a visual designer, and I enjoyed it.

What pushed you to actually leave?

In 2018,  Adobe was running a contest sponsored by Marvel and Sony, and I won. But I was in the wrong country for it 鈥� it was a whole back-and-forth, and it took a year before everything was sorted before I could even get the prize I’d won. Just being in a country that wasn’t on their eligible list cost me that much time and stress. That was one of my “I have to move” moments. I felt there’d be more opportunities for me outside Nigeria.

Why Canada specifically?

The United States (US) was actually my first choice early on. I wanted to study Visual Effects (VFX) at a school in Los Angeles so I could eventually work at Marvel Studios. But as the changes in US politics took it off the list. Canada became the next option, mainly because my mum had already been here for a few years and understood how the system worked. Family was a big part of it. It’s also close enough to the US that if I ever wanted to move there later, I still can.

Walk me through the actual route you took to Canada.

I came here as a Permanent Resident (PR) through my mum. I didn’t have to go through the route a lot of people take, which is more strenuous, but mine still took time; we started the process in 2017, and it only clicked last year.

My mum had been there long enough to qualify for permanent residency. Once that clicked for her, she applied for the rest of the family. The COVID-19 pandemic caused some disruptions that delayed things. All in, it took almost a decade, but I鈥檓 here now as a permanent resident.

Yikes, nine years is a lot. What did the process actually involve once it got moving?

A lot of forms, honestly. It felt like one small mistake, even a stray full stop, could stop the whole thing from moving forward. There was a lot of back-and-forth with the paperwork. You had to fill out eight to ten forms per person, and we moved as a family, so imagine all of us filling that many forms each, all at once.

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What documents did you need to have in place?

Birth certificates, school certificates, basically, whatever certificates you had pertaining to school. A police background check. Photos showing family relationships, so pictures of us together, and my parents’ marriage certificate. And bank statements 鈥� I think what they also wanted to see there was proof of the jobs I’d held and payments from those jobs. 

Roughly how much did the whole process cost?

The PR application itself costs roughly $10,000. The flights for all of us came to about 鈧�15 million in total. We also had to do medicals twice, actually, at different stages 鈥� one was basic tests, the other was more in-depth, with X-rays and blood tests for certain diseases, which cost about 鈧�250,000 per person.

Other than COVID, were there any setbacks that slowed things down?

Honestly, I’d say the forms. It felt like our forms kept getting lost, or there’d be mistakes that genuinely shouldn’t have been there. It would take months for them to come back and say a detail was missing, you’d refill it, wait another four or five months hoping for good news, and then hear it’s something else missing. The whole thing was frustrating.

What stood out to you in your first few weeks in Canada?

The people, honestly. Everyone was so much nicer than I expected. 

In my second week here, I walked into Walmart when a Nigerian woman approached me, noticing I was new. She gave me her number and invited me to a Bible study where I met other Nigerians and people from different backgrounds. That’s how I started building community here.聽

Also, the system just works. When Google Maps says the bus will arrive in three minutes, it does exactly that.

What do you love most about Canada so far?

Being outside. Where I live, there are mountains everywhere, and the greenery is nothing like what we have in Lagos. Beyond the environment, there鈥檚 a feeling of possibility. I no longer feel that government incompetence or random hindrances will stop me from achieving anything I work towards.

And what don’t you love?

The pace, honestly. I don’t feel like I have enough time to actually enjoy things 鈥� I’m always on the move, always working. I think that’s partly because I’m still building my life here, so I have to lock in now if I want the future I’m picturing for myself.

Interesting, do you think that鈥檚 a Canada thing, or just you being ambitious?

Good question, actually. I think it’s more of a Western thing, you know, always being busy, leaving little room for family and friends unless you intentionally create it. I’m learning this. 

How have you been building community for yourself there?

I’d say I’m an introverted extrovert, so it doesn’t come naturally 鈥� I have to push myself, especially after a few days stuck indoors working. But even with how nice people have been, I still find myself too busy for the friends I do have. So it’s been about intentionally carving out time and accepting that things have to be scheduled here, not spontaneous like back home.

What’s the cost of living like over there?

I didn’t have a job for about ten months after arriving, which, honestly, led to another shock for me: how much the government actually helps you. There’s a program through community centres that serves citizens and new PRs, and that program paid me 1,060 Canadian Dollars (CAD) a month to cover rent, groceries, and living costs while I looked for work. That’s what sustained me and allowed me to contribute to the household rather than leave everything to my parents.

Rents are pretty expensive here. A friend of mine has a one-bedroom and told me she got a good deal, and she still pays around CAD 1,600 a month. 

For transport, I use a transit card, about $2.75 a tap, and any trip within roughly an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes of that first tap is free. Minimum wage here is around $18 an hour, and groceries usually cost me about $70 for a two-week stretch. Friends who’ve been here longer say prices have increased, but right now it seems pretty fair to me.

Do you miss Nigeria, and what specifically?

Sometimes, yes, mostly the community of people. Family, friends, church. I have a church here too, but it’s not quite the same. I miss being able to call someone up to hang out or go to friends鈥� houses spontaneously.

Any plans to move back, or just visit?

Definitely planning to visit, even next year. Moving back, though, I don’t think so. I might move to another country other than Canada someday, but unless Nigeria sorts itself out, I don’t see myself moving back permanently.

Looking back at the visa process, what should people taking a similar route watch out for?

The route I came through isn’t exactly common, so that’s worth keeping in mind. But generally, make sure anything you state on your forms can be backed up with actual documents, your certificates, your birth certificate, everything. 

I didn’t have my master’s certificate on hand at one point and had to send a statement of completion instead, which, luckily, still worked. Triple-check everything before you submit.

And now that you’ve actually lived there for a while, any mistakes you’d avoid next time?

I wish I had connected more while I was still in Nigeria and maybe even gotten an internship before leaving, even something small, because most employers here want “Canadian experience” no matter how strong your background is elsewhere. They want to see that you’ve worked somewhere in Canada first, even if it was volunteer work. I ended up volunteering to build that experience.

I wish I’d taken LinkedIn more seriously earlier; building connections and a presence there before moving would have helped, since referrals matter a lot here.

What do you do for work now?

I still design. I volunteered with an organisation for about a month. They saw my portfolio and the work I was already delivering, and then told me about a countrywide summer programme that runs for about eight weeks. I applied, and I got it. Now, I’m hoping they retain me permanently, but I’m still sending out applications just in case.

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate life in Canada so far?

I’ll say eight. The two points I’m taking off are for the family and community I built back in Nigeria, which I don’t have here yet. Outside of that, everything’s been enjoyable. I haven’t run into anything particularly frustrating yet, no political unrest, no government incompetence 鈥� though I know I’m still fairly new, so there’s a lot I haven’t experienced yet.

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After Victoria graduated from university, she spent two years applying for scholarships but was rejected multiple times. In 2024, it finally clicked, and she moved to the Netherlands on a full scholarship. In this story, she tells us how she did it.

Where do you live currently, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I’m in Wageningen, Netherlands. I moved here in August 2024 to start my master’s degree.

What made you want to leave Nigeria?

After earning my bachelor’s degree, I wanted to pursue a master’s abroad to gain exposure to higher-quality education. But, like many Nigerians, I didn’t have the money to fund studies overseas, so I started looking for scholarships. I actually began the search during my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year; that’s even when I got my passport, specifically because I was already planning to apply.聽

Before you left the country, what were you doing?

I studied agricultural administration at FUNAAB, so my degree had a management component and wasn’t purely science-based. During NYSC, I was posted to teach agriculture at a school. After that, I got a job as an HR officer.

I worked for two years while also being heavily involved in community-focused projects. I volunteered with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly on zero hunger and quality education, and I co-founded a waste-management business that converted tomato waste into tomato pur茅e.

When did you begin looking for scholarship opportunities?

I鈥檝e always been looking, even during my NYSC. I was just applying everywhere and getting rejected for about two years before I finally got one.
I applied to the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Italy, and the Netherlands. I was looking for full funding wherever I could find it. I ultimately focused more on the Netherlands because of its strength in agricultural studies; is ranked the best agricultural university in Europe, and I’m very passionate about agriculture.

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Walk me through the application process. How did you actually apply to WUR?

The application for admission is submitted through the platform. You submit your CV, your official university transcript and a motivation letter. I applied to the Development and Rural Innovation program and got my offer of admission within two weeks. For your CV, I recommend using the Erasmus CV format.

The scholarship process began after the admission offer. I was nominated for the (ASP) in March 2024. The nomination comes from the university; you don’t apply for it directly, you’re selected after you’ve been admitted.

Once nominated, you’re given a two-week assignment to write a research proposal and answer specific motivation letter questions they set. Then, if your assignment is accepted, you’ll be invited to an interview.

Interesting. What was the interview like?

They ask you to explain your research proposal to show that you actually wrote it yourself. They also ask you to revisit your motivation: what your goals are, and how you will be relevant in Africa or the world when you’re done. I expressed myself clearly, and by May, I got the success email. That was when I knew I had the scholarship. I packed my bags and moved to the Netherlands.

What did the scholarship actually cover?

Everything. Tuition fees (over 拢25,000), travel costs (including a return ticket to Nigeria if I want to visit), and a monthly stipend of about 拢1,200. The total package is close to 拢100,000.

They also handled all the immigration documentation themselves. I didn’t need to show proof of funds or arrange anything for the visa. I just took my passport and my scholarship letter to the Nigerian embassy, they stamped it, and that was it.

That鈥檚 very impressive. Did you have to pay for anything during the entire process?

The only thing I paid for was the IELTS exam, which was about 鈧�96,000 at the time, and maybe my transport to the embassy. Funny enough, I paid for my IELTS exam with money I won in a Big Brother Africa prediction contest. I won $150. So technically, even that, I didn’t pay from my savings.

Wow, that鈥檚 so cool. I’m curious, though, how did you tailor your work experience to fit the programme? 

First off, it鈥檚 very important that you don’t put things in your CV that don’t connect to the program you’re applying for. When I was building my CV, I didn’t include my HR experience because it didn’t align with the program I was applying to. I focused on my volunteer work with NGOs advancing the SDG goals, specifically zero hunger and quality education, and on a waste management business I co-founded with a friend. The kind of work that impacts your community and seeks to solve a problem sustainably is exactly what these programs want to see.

Even if the experience feels small, like a student project, if it connects to what you want to study, put it in. They want to see that you’re already making an impact, not just that you have professional experience in any field.

And the motivation letter, how should someone approach it?

This one is very important, and I could go on and on about it. Don’t write a secondary school essay. Don’t write “I am very skilled in data analysis, and I got a first class,” that’s not what they’re looking for. A motivation letter has to tell a story; mine began with me being the first girl in my community to attend university. I narrated how my parents struggled to fund my education, how, despite that difficulty, I pushed through, got strong grades, started volunteering, and co-founded a business. I built a narrative that identifies a problem, a struggle, resilience, and a vision for solving that problem.

One of the girls who got the Africa Scholarship Programme this year wrote her entire letter around the concept of Abiku, the Yoruba belief in children who are fated to die young and keep returning. She framed her life story through that lens. That’s the kind of thing that makes a recruiter stop, because the question they’re really trying to answer is: what will carry this person through two years of a hard master’s program when everything feels like too much? Not necessarily the skills they have.

You mentioned two years of rejections before this. What kept you going?

I started applying in 2022, and I didn’t get a scholarship until 2024. At some point, I almost gave up. But here’s what I always say now: the scholarship application you don’t submit is already a rejection. So keep submitting. Even if you don’t feel ready, submit. You never know the one that鈥檇 click. The breakthrough might come from the application you almost didn’t send.

What was it like when you arrived in the Netherlands?

The thing that hit me hardest was how straightforward Dutch people are. There’s a difference between being rude and being direct, but sometimes with Dutch people, that line is very thin. I once watched a student tell a lecturer in the middle of class that her published paper was “trash.” The lecturer felt so bad that she started sobbing, but to him, it was just critical feedback. I鈥檝e noticed the same straightforwardness among Dutch people in other instances. That kind of thing takes real adjustment to get used to.

Another shocking thing was the weather. I arrived at the end of summer, and I was not prepared for how cold it was or how dark it got by 4 pm. In the first six months, I felt depressed, homesick and lonely for most of the time, but after a while I got used to it. It also helps that there are strong Black communities here, especially if you ever go to bigger cities like Amsterdam.

What鈥檚 the cost of living there like? How far does the 鈧�1,200 actually go?

If you’re frugal, you can survive and even save on the monthly stipend. Rent is the biggest thing that takes your money here. It typically runs between 拢500 and 拢600 a month, so almost half the stipend goes there immediately. If you’re disciplined with the rest, you should be able to save at least 30% of the monthly stipend, but if you’re an odogwu spender, it will not be enough.

Yeah, that makes sense. Can students work on the side?

Yes, as a student, you can work up to 16 hours a week, but only if it doesn’t affect your grades. If your performance drops below the scholarship’s threshold, they’ll withdraw the funding and send you back. So be careful. 

If you speak Dutch, the opportunities are wide open. But without Dutch, you’re mostly limited to manual work like cleaning, babysitting, delivery, and warehouse jobs. Formal office roles almost always require Dutch.

What do you love most about the Netherlands?

The peace. Honestly, if you are living here legally and your papers are in order, you will have a genuinely good life. It’s a law-abiding, structured country. There’s no chaos. I sometimes just stay home, watching YouTube and working on my data analytics skills, and I feel completely settled. That kind of stability is something I deeply appreciate.

Is there anything that has made living in the Netherlands difficult?

If I鈥檓 going to be honest, there hasn鈥檛 really been. The hardest thing I’ve experienced, I’d say, was when I wanted to go to Nigeria to do my thesis fieldwork, and the university said I couldn’t because Nigeria is on its red zone list for security. That was so painful. I’m a Nigerian student trying to return to my home country for research, but my institution didn鈥檛 consider it safe enough. I had to conduct all my interviews online instead. It worked out, but it was so painful. It鈥檚 really sad that Nigeria has that reputation. I’m always having to defend my country to people here.

Do you miss Nigeria?

Don’t make me cry. I miss it so much. I miss the social warmth, the fact that there’s always someone who cares what’s happening with you. Here, you mind your business, whether you like it or not. The loneliness is always in the background, even when you have friends.

At some point, you realise you can’t fully get used to their way of living, and you still want that intimacy. But for stability? I prefer life here. The trade-off is clear to me.

Do you have any plans to return?

I’m not moving back permanently, even though I miss home. My scholarship includes a return ticket, and they encourage you to come back; it looks good on their records and keeps Nigeria on the list of countries they recruit from. So I’ll probably visit and come back. That’s what most of the previous scholars do. My student visa is valid for two years, so there’s flexibility.

Any mistakes you’d warn people about?

I got so locked into academics that I didn’t attend conferences, even though my scholarship covers conference costs. I was a bit intimidated. As a Black person in a very white academic space, that feeling of not fully belonging is real, even when nobody is being hostile. So, my advice is to throw yourself in anyway. Talk to your supervisors, share your ideas even when they feel half-formed, and make friends outside your immediate circle. Those connections are how internships happen, how PhD opportunities come up, and how you build a life here.

What would you say to anyone who wants to follow this exact path?

Do it yourself. I cannot stress this enough: do not use agents. All the information you need is on Google, on the official university website, and it’s free. Agents will take your money and tell you things you could have found yourself. Research the scholarship and the program; tailor your application.

And be honest with yourself about whether you actually like reading. This is a master’s program; it can be rigorous. If you are not a reader, this is not the route for you. But if you are, get your passport, get your transcripts, build a CV that reflects the work you’ve actually done, write a heartfelt motivation letter, and keep applying until something lands. The application you don’t submit is already a rejection.

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate life in the Netherlands?

It鈥檚 an eight. I want to say ten because life here is genuinely sweet, peaceful, structured and straightforward. But ten is for God. What I will say is that the job market, especially if you’re in the biotech space, is excellent. Organisations like Unilever recruit students here for internships that often lead directly to permanent work visas. If you position yourself well and put yourself out there, you will get what you’re looking for.

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Folake* (22) left Nigeria in November 2023, one year before completing her Mass Communication degree, to move to the UK on a skilled worker visa. In this story, she tells us how she moved with her family, how she got the care job and the reasons she left in the first place.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I live in the UK. I left Nigeria in  2023.

What were you doing before you left?

I was a 19-year-old university student., I was in 300-level and I was studying Mass Communication.

Wow, you had just one year to go. What made you decide not to finish?

Honestly, I didn’t put much thought into it. Nigeria was getting worse. It wasn’t that things were so bad for me personally at the time, but you could see that it wasn’t going to get better anytime soon.

So I looked at the situation and asked myself: 鈥淥kay, finish school, and then what?鈥� I would have had a communications degree, but that wasn’t going to get me very far in that environment. The UK felt like a place where I could try things, switch directions if something didn’t work out, and not feel like I was starting from zero every time.

Was it hard to leave school behind?

A year before I moved, I had already tried to make it happen on my own; this was around my 100-level second-semester, during the long ASUU strike. I got a job lead and tried to apply for a visa, but it wasn’t coming through quickly enough, so I let it go and figured it would happen when it did.

By the time I got to 300 level, things were looking really grim, and there was a change on the family front: my parents were moving to the UK. I had to decide whether to stay back to finish or leave with them. I decided to leave, and having my parents involved made the difference this time around. If I had done it alone, it would have been a real struggle, financially and emotionally. But with my family’s support, I barely had to deal with the logistics. I went to my embassy interview; they called me to say my visa was ready, and I packed my bags.

Walk me through the visa application process. What type is it and how does it work?

I’m on a skilled worker visa. Basically, you need to get a job with an employer who is willing to sponsor you. The UK has a list of jobs that qualify under the skilled worker route, including healthcare, some tech roles, and others. My job was in mental health support, which falls under healthcare.

Once your employer agrees to sponsor you, they issue you something called a Certificate of Sponsorship. You take that, along with your other documents, and submit an application to the Home Office for your visa.

What documents did you need to submit?

The Certificate of Sponsorship number, your passport, and proof of funds. Sometimes they also ask for a job offer letter and a contract of employment. In my case, I had the offer letter but not the contract yet; the contract came when I arrived in the UK. So in my application, I noted that the contract wouldn’t be available until I was on the ground, and that was fine.

Your job was in mental health support. How did you find it?

My aunt knew someone who owned a care company and mentioned there were openings. That was it. It was an entry-level role, so I didn’t need prior experience in the field. As long as you can show good communication skills, demonstrate that you’re willing to be trained, and you鈥檙e good at your maths and English abilities, you can get those jobs. It’s a bit harder now because employers want more certifications upfront, but at the time, the interview was enough.

Are skilled worker visa holders allowed to work other jobs aside from the one that sponsored them? 

On a skilled worker visa, you’re allowed to take on additional part-time work, but you can’t exceed 20 hours a week across those extra roles. The other important thing is that the extra work has to be in the same industry as the job that brought you in. Because I came in through mental health support, I can do any other type of care work on the side 鈥� domiciliary care, a care home, or children’s support. It just has to stay within the care space.

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What’s the pay like? Is it worth it in your opinion?

It鈥檚 around 拢12.50 an hour, though you get more if you work on the weekends or public holidays. You can earn up to 拢13 to 拢15 on those days. For the kind of care work involved, I think some people should be paid more; the rate should reflect the level of need you’re managing, because not every client is the same. But it’s not as if they’re underpaying you. It’s a livable wage. If you’re working four days a week, doing 12-hour shifts, you can earn between 拢1,800 and 拢2,000 a month. If you pick up extra work, you can get to around 拢2,500.

And what does monthly life cost where you live?

My city is cheaper than London, but it’s not cheap either. If you live on your own, your rent, council tax, water, and electricity should come to around 拢1,200-拢1,500 a month. Add food, phone, and any other bills, and 拢1,500 is a realistic ceiling. So the margin isn’t massive, especially on a single income, but it’s workable. That phase doesn’t last forever if you’ve got a plan.

What was your first week in the UK like?

Very uneventful. I arrived in winter, went straight from the airport to the house, and was indoors almost the entire time. I was doing my mandatory online training before starting the job, surrounded by family. There wasn’t much culture shock right away; it was more gradual. The thing that stood out eventually was how individualistic life here is. 

In Nigeria, you walk around, and people acknowledge you; you know people’s business, and they know yours. Here, everyone is on their own. Nobody is really paying attention to what’s going on with you. That took some adjusting.

Have you been able to find community?

It’s difficult, honestly. I think it’s easier if you come in as a student because you’re in class with people, and you can find your people naturally. As a young worker, it’s harder. At most of the places I’ve worked, I’ve been the youngest person by a significant margin, so connecting with colleagues hasn’t been easy. I did a diploma programme here to qualify for university entry, and that’s where I’ve made a few friends. I’ve heard Hinge has a “friends” mode that some people use to find community. I haven’t tried it personally, but people say it works.

What do you love most about being in the UK?

I love the financial freedom. I wasn’t working in Nigeria, so I was fully dependent on my parents. Now that I earn, I can make my own plans, and they are likely to actually work out. There’s not much that will derail you if you’ve got something going. It’s a stable economy. That stability is everything.

Is there anything you genuinely don’t like?

It’s boring and lonely. Especially when you didn’t grow up here, and you don’t already have a ready-made social circle. That’s the real trade-off nobody talks about enough. I don’t regret moving with my family. I genuinely could not imagine doing this alone.

Have you experienced racism or prejudice?

Nothing overt, at least not to my face. The Brits are a bit more posh about it, unlike Americans. I’ve had a few strange looks and a few interactions that would have gone differently if I were someone else. There are experiences at work, even from clients who are supposed to be experiencing mental health difficulties, where you can tell race is a factor in the way they treat you. If you’re in the middle of an episode and you can still clock that I’m Black and say something racist, that says something about you.

The racism I face has been more systemic. There are things my white colleagues are afforded the space to do that I would face consequences for, and sometimes the person enforcing that isn’t even white themselves. It鈥檚 internalised hate. And there’s also the reality of being an immigrant whose visa is tied to the job; that vulnerability means many people absorb behaviour from employers they absolutely shouldn’t have to.

Do you miss Nigeria?

Yes. I miss the lifestyle 鈥� being a student, being carefree, not having this much at stake. I miss the way you can just be yourself back home, around people who’ve known you your whole life. The freedom of not having a visa hanging over your decisions. I’m not the type to tolerate rubbish from people, but I find myself having to calculate things here in a way I never would have at home. And the food. I miss the food.

Do you have plans to go back?

Not permanently, no, at least not based on what I can see right now. I might not stay in the UK forever, but I don’t see myself moving back to Nigeria. My plan is to get my midwifery degree here, and once I build something like that here, it wouldn’t make sense to leave a pound-earning life unless things seriously improve back home. Nigeria needs help. It really does. As for visiting, yes, I want to, but the degree is coming out of pocket, so financially it’s just not happening right now.

What advice would you give someone who wants to follow this exact route?

Build yourself up as quickly as you can once you arrive. Get your driver’s licence done. Get your care certifications, your National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 3 or Level 5, whatever level is appropriate for where you’re starting from. 

The reason this matters is that it gives you options. There is a lot of employer abuse that happens in this industry, especially with immigrants, and the visa situation makes people feel trapped. If you’ve got your certifications, you can move to a different job. 

So don’t stay in a situation that doesn’t serve you just because you’re afraid of losing sponsorship. Start job hunting while you’re still in that job, make the transition, but don’t let bad employers hold you hostage.

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your life in the UK?

I鈥檇 say a Seven. I don’t like stress, and this is stressful. I鈥檓 happy, though. Every plan I have is moving, slowly, but moving. Nothing is derailing it. That’s what I came here for, and it’s happening. So seven feels right.

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In 2021, Austin (42) left Nigeria for the United Kingdom (UK) with his wife because he didn鈥檛 want to raise their two children in a country with high insecurity and low living standards. Two years later, he moved to Canada for an even better life. This is how he did it.

Where do you live now, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I’m currently living in Ontario, Canada, but it’s been a long journey. I left Nigeria in October 2021, and I went to the UK first. I never even thought I’d end up in Canada. My family and I spent about two years in the UK, then moved to Canada in December 2023. 

What was life like in Nigeria before you left, and what finally made you decide to go?

I worked for an investment company as a stockbroker and also had some business interests on the side. Things were genuinely going well. Still, I’d always wanted to leave, though I wasn’t desperate about it. It was one of those things where I thought, if it happens, fine; if it doesn’t, fine.

Then Buhari became president, and things started to nose-dive. The EndSARS situation happened, and by then, I already had kids and was just starting to look at everything differently.

The moment that really triggered my need to leave was one day when NEPA brought light, and my eldest daughter, who was just about three years old at the time, shouted: “Up NEPA!” I sat there thinking that this little girl was already celebrating electricity as if it were a miracle. My parents did the same thing. My generation did the same thing, and now my own child. It was like, this country was never going to change.

That was the deal-breaker for me, but it wasn’t just that. The safety situation was also a big one. 

How did you start the process of moving to the UK?

I called a friend of mine who was already in the UK and asked how he did it. He told me that with around 鈧�3 million back then, I would be able to get myself to the UK. After that call, I went and did my own research.

We went through the student visa route. The UK uses a points-based system, so once you meet the required points, your school acceptance letter, proof of funds, and so on, it鈥檚 very likely the visa officer will sign off on it. It’s more within your control than something like the US visa, where your fate is basically in the hands of the consular on that day.

My wife was the primary applicant. She got admitted to Teesside University in Middlesbrough to study Public Health for her master’s, and I applied as her dependent, along with the kids. Back then, the UK still allowed dependents under the student visa route.

What did the whole UK application cost?

Tuition was around 拢11,000. Visa fees were roughly 拢400 per person. And then flights for the four of us came to around 720,000 naira. It was supposed to be cheaper, but we booked late because the visas came out close to the resumption date, so we ended up paying more.

How did the visa timeline work?

We applied for my wife’s visa first, and it took about six to seven weeks to come out. We heard the main applicant should apply first because if you apply as a whole family, it might raise flags with some visa officers who might think you’re all trying to run away. So we staggered it, her first, then the rest of us.

By the time our visas were needed, there were only three weeks left before resumption. So we paid for express processing, which took seven days.

Wow, that’s interesting. Did you use an agent for any of this?

No. I did the entire application myself. And that’s my strong advice to anyone: don’t rely on agents. The information is out there. As long as you meet the requirements, you don’t need anybody to do this for you. 

That鈥檚 solid advice. What was the first week in the UK like?

We landed and stayed with a friend in Middlesbrough. It’s important to hold a lot of funds when you’re moving to a country like the UK because you genuinely don’t know what you’re walking into. This was also just after the COVID lockdown, so things were still uncertain.

Getting accommodation was one of the hardest things. Middlesbrough is a student area, so there was high demand and many immigrants in similar situations. We couldn’t find a place within the town itself and had to look outside Middlesbrough before we found something we could move into.

What cultural shocks hit you the hardest?

Everything. The transportation system. The British accent was very hard for me to get accustomed to. The weather, too, was another thing that really shocked me; even in October, it was cold in a way I didn’t expect. 

When you experience a country where things actually work, you start to realise the dysfunction you’d been living in back in Nigeria. The way they value human life. The way the system is structured, you don’t need to know anyone to get a job; you don’t need an uncle or an aunt or anyone to pull a string for you. We were seeing this and thinking: This is just how things should work. It was as if we were becoming human for the first time.

Right-hand drive was also new, and since I’m not really into British food, we went with a lot of Nigerian food from home.

How did you manage financially in those early months?

I was still working remotely for my Nigerian employer when we first arrived, so that helped. But I also got a job at an Amazon warehouse, the pay was around 拢14 an hour, which was more than enough to cover our costs.

Our rent at the time was 拢450 a month, and we were spending less than 拢200 a month on food. School fees for the kids were free. So we weren’t burning through our savings; we were actually managing well. My wife also started a part-time job after settling in a bit.

So why did you leave the UK for Canada?

By the time I was ready to think about settling properly, I had already transitioned from a healthcare assistant role into tech. I was working as a business analyst. The company I was working with wasn’t going to sponsor my visa. My healthcare job had been willing to sponsor me, but I didn’t want to go back to healthcare when I’d already moved into tech. So we had that dilemma: do I go backwards just to get a sponsorship?

On top of that, the UK was already tightening its policies. So my wife and I sat down and thought about Canada. The pathway to permanent residency there is more straightforward and more accessible, especially for younger people, through things like Express Entry. We decided to apply for a student visa from the UK and move the whole family to Canada.

Was the Canadian application process complicated?

No, it was seamless, just documents, forms, and meeting requirements. I applied first, and once my application was approved, I applied for the family. We didn’t have to come back to Nigeria; we applied directly from the UK. The visa application fee wasn’t expensive at all. The tuition, however, that’s another story. Tuition in Canada is significantly more expensive than in the UK. But it is what it is.

I studied Global Supply Chain Management in Ontario.

What’s the biggest difference between the UK and Canada?

Honestly, both places give you the basics that are completely missing in Nigeria: good roads, stable electricity, and security. Those are what we’re actually looking for. It’s not complicated.

The main differences are the accent and the transportation. The UK has a very extensive train network; you can get anywhere without a car, which is great. Canada is completely different. It’s the second-largest country in the world by land mass, with a population of only about 40 million, so the infrastructure to support that kind of public transport just doesn’t exist the same way. Having a car is basically a must.

What do you love most about life in Canada?

The basic things that shouldn’t even be luxuries. When you’re sick, they treat you first; there’s no “deposit 鈧�10,000 before we attend to you.” I’m not sleeping with one eye open, listening to generator noise. I’m not scared that my kids might not come home from school. I’m not afraid of entering a bus and something happening to me. Those things sound small, but they’re not. Personally, I feel this is just what life is supposed to look like.

Do you miss Nigeria at all?

Honestly? No. Maybe the food sometimes, but we get a lot of Nigerian and African food here, so even that is covered. I miss my family, though, but we do video calls so often that it feels like we’re in the same house.

And when you’re on social media, and you see what’s still happening there, it doesn’t make you want to go back. I have no immediate plans to visit.

What’s your advice for someone who wants to japa?

Do your own research. Sit down with your laptop, open the internet, and put in the work. People make agents sound like a necessity, but they’re not. If you meet the requirements, you can do this yourself. Agents often use false information, and you end up paying for something you could have done on your own.

Beyond that, be strategic. Know your end goal before you start. If you’re going abroad and you want to stay, you need to know the pathways to permanent residency before you even apply for your first visa. Don’t just follow what everyone else is doing. We’ve seen people arrive here, only to be back in Nigeria two years later because they didn’t have a plan.

Canada has more pathways to residency than the UK right now, like the Express Entry, provincial programmes, and others, especially if you’re young. The UK is tightening things more and more.

Just do your own research. The information is there; you just have to go get it.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your life in Canada?

Ten out of ten. And I say that specifically because of where we’re coming from. Some people in Nigeria will live their entire lives without ever experiencing what good governance feels like, and that’s what makes it painful. Coming here and seeing how life should actually be lived, that’s a privilege I take seriously.

I’m not rich. Abroad, nobody’s really trying to be extremely wealthy in the Nigerian sense. What I want is to be able to afford the basics, and here I can. My wife is working, and my kids are in school. I’m working two jobs 鈥� as a procurement officer and a part-time healthcare worker. We’re not struggling. Nothing is missing. That’s why I鈥檓 giving it a ten.

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Racheal (29) left Nigeria for Canada to get her master’s degree. With zero scholarship funding, the journey was riddled with a visa rejection, packaging tomatoes on a farm, a shawarma side hustle, two accounting jobs, and nine months of unemployment. But eventually, she got Canadian citizenship. This is how she did it.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in Toronto, Canada. I left Nigeria in December 2018. So it’s been over seven years now.

And where did you land first? Toronto?

Yes, I landed in Toronto, but my school was in a smaller town called Windsor, Ontario. So Toronto was just the entry point; I moved to Windsor after.

I see. Why did you leave Nigeria? 

Honestly, my parents had planned it before I even graduated. My dad and my mum, of blessed memory, used to talk about it. My dad was always telling people, “When she graduates from university, I’m going to do everything to make sure she goes to Canada for her master’s.” That’s exactly what he did. He pulled all his resources.

I was heavily involved, too, but it had been in the works for a while. The original plan was actually for me to go to Cyprus for my undergraduate studies, but my dad decided I wasn’t ready to leave home yet. So we decided on Canada for my master’s.

Walk me through the visa application process.

2018 was very different from what it is now. I had travel history; I’d been to the UK and the US, so I put in what I thought was a stellar application. My dad’s bank statements, property documents, everything. I submitted in June 2018 and didn’t hear back until September, when I was rejected. They said something about a lack of intent to return to Nigeria.

School started in January, so I submitted a second application that October. In November, my visa was approved. I still remember I  was at the passport office in Abuja, renewing my passport, when I got the approval letter. 

That鈥檚 a good turn of events. Do you remember what the whole process cost?

The details are a bit fuzzy now, but the total didn’t even reach $1,000. The biggest expense was the visa fee, which was around $500-$600. Then I paid for medicals, which were around 鈧�100,000  at the time. The whole process wasn’t as expensive as it is now.

What did you study, and where?

I attended the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, and I got my master’s in International Accounting and Finance. My bachelor’s was in Banking and Finance, so it was a natural progression.

How was the programme funded? Did you have a scholarship?

No, I had absolutely zero funding. My programme didn’t even offer scholarships then, and I doubt it does now. My dad paid my tuition in full, and he gave me an allowance for about six months after I landed. After that, he basically said, “You need to figure it out.”

Interesting, so what did figuring it out look like?

I started with a job on a farm, packaging tomatoes. A bunch of Africans I’d met in my programme were doing it, so I figured, why not? I lasted just two days. I genuinely wanted to die there. It was crazy.

On the third day, a friend told me about a company called Sutherland Global in downtown Windsor. They were recruiting massively for customer service associates. I took my CV and went. After an interview, I got the job. I worked that job throughout my time in school, which I graduated from in May 2020.

Moving from Nigeria to Windsor, what were some culture shocks you experienced?

The isolation and loneliness were insane. I came from a background where everything was communal; you’d just walk into your neighbour’s house and watch TV. People were always together. In Canada, your neighbours will walk past you and say nothing. If you don’t have friends in this country, you can go missing, and nobody would even know. Everyone minds their business to an extreme degree. That shock hasn’t gone away, honestly. It still affects me now in Toronto.

So sorry to hear that. What was the job at Sutherland actually like?

It was customer service, so it was a mix of good and bad. On some days, racist people would call in, and sometimes, I even had to work overnight shifts into the early hours of the morning.

The clients I worked for were the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), during a period when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was blowing up, so people would call whenever they had any issues with their subscriptions. After a while, it was Disney+. It was a roller coaster, but that job was my lifeline. I was earning about $16 an hour.

And what was your cost of living like in Windsor at that time?

My rent was $500 a month because I lived in a shared apartment, and that covered all utilities, water, everything. Groceries were maybe $100 to $150, and I was splitting grocery runs with a friend so we’d cook together. My total monthly expenses were around $650 to $800, depending on the month.

That sounds affordable. But did you rely solely on your salary from Sutherland?

No! I ran a catering business called Legho鈥檚 Express. I started it back in Nigeria after my National Youth Service (NYSC). I started Legho’s Express during that period, just out of passion. My mum used to cook for people as a side business, so I learned from her.

When I got to Canada, and money wasn’t flowing easily, I thought, 鈥淚 might as well continue.鈥� I wasn’t getting customers at first, but then I made shawarma for some friends one evening, and they were like, “This is so good, why aren’t you selling it?” 

So I made an Instagram post, and there was this guy I’d met when I first arrived in Windsor, someone had introduced us to help me find my feet, and he was a bit of a public figure at the time. They used to call him Swag Daddy. He posted about it, and the business just took off from there.

I was selling the shawarma for $10 a piece. On a good weekend, I’d sell 10 to 20 pieces, which was an extra $100 to $200, split with the friends who helped me.

After you graduated in May 2020, what happened?

I grew up in Lagos and am a big-city person, so I’ve always wanted to live in Toronto. I started applying for jobs there, but I didn’t get any offers right away.

I kept working at Sutherland from home because they had moved to remote work. This was during the COVID lockdowns. Then, in October 2020, I got an accounting job. It was based in Vancouver, but fully remote. I had that job until January 2021.

Yikes. What happened there?

I’ll be honest. It was my first major accounting job, and I didn’t really understand the work. My performance wasn’t where it needed to be.

How long were you unemployed after that?

About six months. Then I got a proper accounting audit job with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in July 2021. That was also remote. I held that until January 2022, then I got what I was calling my dream job, the one that was finally going to move me to Toronto. In April 2022, I packed my bags and moved, even though the job said I could stay remote in Windsor. My friend was also moving to Toronto at the same time, so we got an apartment together.

That鈥檚 good news. Was there any culture shock of moving from Windsor to Toronto?

Yes, definitely. I used to visit Toronto on weekends; it was a four-hour drive, but visiting and living there are very different. I was paying $500 in Windsor, and that covered everything, water, utilities, all of it. When I moved to Toronto, I was paying around $2,000 just for rent and bills, for one room in a two-bedroom apartment, and we鈥檝e not even talked about groceries; that鈥檚 a completely different category of expense on top of that.

I also sold my car. In Windsor, my car insurance was $150 a month. In Toronto, they were quoting me between $450 and $500 for the exact same car. My job was remote, so there was no reason to keep it. Plus, Toronto’s public transport is actually really solid; trains come every few minutes, so I didn鈥檛 really need it.

Are you still working at the job that moved you to Toronto? 

No, I’m currently a software engineer at TD Bank. Completely different field from accounting.

Wow! Complete 360, how did that happen?

Between my last accounting job and where I am now, I had nine months of unemployment. I was applying for accounting positions to no avail. Accounting is an incredibly saturated field, especially here in Canada.

Then I stumbled on a programme called , by the Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN). It’s specifically for Black individuals. The idea is to increase Black representation in tech, because we are very underrepresented in that space. I applied casually and got in.

Tell me about the programme itself.

It’s a 12-week boot camp, and it is not a walk in the park. I came in with zero programming knowledge. From day one, you hit the ground running. You’re learning from scratch and covering different aspects of programming, from software engineering to cybersecurity.

Obsidi has affiliations with companies; TD Bank is one of them. At the end of the programme, they place you with an affiliated company, which then assigns you to a department based on your performance.

And you didn’t have to interview for the TD role?

I didn’t have to interview, but your performance inside the programme is your interview, essentially, and once you’re in the company, you have to keep proving yourself.

What’s life actually like as a software engineer at TD Bank?

I love my job. I genuinely love it. The work culture at TD makes me feel secure. I have a very supportive manager and very supportive teammates. I’m the only Black person on my team, but I have never felt excluded or left out. They hold my hand through things when I need it. I take the job very seriously because I know what it took to get here. I raise my hand when I’m confused; I don’t slack off. Two years in and I’m still enjoying it.

That鈥檚 so nice to hear. Let’s talk about your immigration status. I鈥檓 assuming you鈥檙e a permanent resident now? 

No, I鈥檓 a citizen now. I got my citizenship last year. June 2025.

Congratulations!! Can you walk me through the full immigration timeline?

Okay. So when you graduate from a 16-month programme in Canada, you’re entitled to a three-year Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP), which is what I got. During COVID, there was a Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident (PR) pathway, but I didn’t qualify at the time. I didn’t have more than one year of Canadian work experience, and I was also missing my English exam results. A lot of my friends who were at Sutherland with me got their PR through that route.

After I lost my accounting job, I didn’t want to wait another year to accumulate the Canadian experience I needed. So I applied for PR using my Nigerian work experience instead. That’s why mine took longer; while other people were getting PR in about six months, mine took over a year. I submitted in March 2021 and didn’t get it until June 22, 2022.

You must have been so sad. Why the delay?

Yes, I was. When I called to follow up, I applied for Global Case Management System (GCMS) notes, which is a way to get your full immigration file, and found out my application had actually been approved months before, in December of the previous year. It was just sitting on an officer’s desk. They emailed me in June to let me know I had my PR. 

After that, I waited two years. Because I’d been travelling in and out of Canada a lot, I had to account for time spent outside the country. I applied for citizenship in January 2025 and took my oath of citizenship in June 2025. In total, from my arrival in Canada in 2019 to citizenship, it was about six years.

Would you recommend Canada, and would you recommend the study route?

Moving to Canada changed my life for the better, so I recommend Canada, but I wouldn’t recommend the study route right now; the exchange rate and the general cost of living make it very difficult.

If you qualify for PR directly, pursue that; you can apply directly for PR from Nigeria. Just visit the and see if you meet the required points. If studying is your route, make sure you go for a 16-month or two-year programme so you get the three-year work permit and have more flexibility to find your footing.

So far, what don’t you like about Canada?

The cold, nobody ever gets used to the cold. And, as I said before, I deeply miss communal living. In Toronto, even within the Black community, everyone is guarded. People are avoiding each other because there’s this assumption that we’re all trouble to each other, and because of that, it gets lonely. Really lonely, especially if you don’t have family or friends close by. That’s the part people don’t talk about enough.

On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate Canada?

Seven. I go back to Nigeria every December, and that should tell you something. 

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Joseph* (24) had just gotten his Banking and Finance degree when he decided that Nigeria wasn’t going to give him what he was looking for. So, he moved to the UK on a Health and Care Worker visa. In this story, he shares what the move was like, what life in the UK has taught him, and what he wishes he had known before arriving.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I live in the UK. I left Nigeria in 2024.

What were you doing in Nigeria before you left, and what inspired your decision to move?

I had just finished university. I studied Banking and Finance. I moved about a year after I graduated. I was mainly motivated by my drive for better opportunities and a better future. Nigeria wasn’t giving me what I needed, so I made the move.

What visa route did you use to get to the UK?

I came on a Health and Care Worker visa. It’s a type of work visa where a UK employer sponsors you. The company offers you a job and sponsorship, and you submit that to the embassy along with other requirements. From there, you go in for your biometrics, answer some questions about why you want to travel, and wait for your visa to be issued.

How did you get the job that gave you the sponsorship?

One of my friends who was already here in the UK had a good understanding of these things; he helped me find the job and navigate the application process. 

What documents were you required to submit?

When you鈥檙e applying for the visa, they ask for your basic information: your name, age, where you’re from, and the reason for travel, which, in my case, was for work. You’ll also be required to provide proof of employment from the company, such as an employment letter.

You’ll likely also be asked to take some medical tests, like a tuberculosis test and an English proficiency test, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, to demonstrate your English proficiency. The biometrics appointment is a key part of the process, too.

When you鈥檙e visiting the embassy, make sure you answer all the questions with a clear, honest reason for your travel. Don鈥檛 go there scared; respond with boldness. 

That seems like a lot. How long did the process take, and how much did it cost?

The entire process took about seven months. In terms of cost, the visa itself was about 拢300, and my flight was roughly 拢1,000. All in, I’d say I spent about 拢1,500 to get here at the time. I’m not exactly sure how much it costs now.

You’ve been in the UK for roughly two years now. What is life like there? 

So far, it has been a good experience; life here is organised and structured. There are more opportunities, and security is on a completely different level from Nigeria. If you follow the right path here, the system rewards you. It actually works.

What were some culture shocks you experienced in your first few weeks in Leicester?

The first thing that shocked me when I arrived was the cold; nothing in Nigeria prepares you for it. The second thing was 24-hour electricity; that sounds like a small thing, but when you’ve spent your whole life in Nigeria, experiencing uninterrupted power makes you realise how much we’ve been denied back home. In Nigeria, they made providing electricity look like some kind of favour.

I was also surprised by the orderliness. Everyone stops for an ambulance on the road, and everyone respects police sirens. There is structure in the smallest things. If you happen to find yourself without food, whether you’re an immigrant or a citizen, there are food banks you can go to. All you have to do is show them your ID, and they give you free food, fruits, and provisions. I don鈥檛 think anything like that exists in Nigeria.

Public transportation is also something else. Buses, trains, and everything run on a schedule. The buses have cameras, and when you miss a bus, you have to wait for the next one and best believe that it will come at the time it’s supposed to.

What are the downsides?

The tax system is one thing people genuinely complain about. The percentage they take is high, and sometimes it feels like that money goes to people sitting at home on benefits. It’s frustrating, even if the system ultimately uses the money to build the country.

Healthcare is another thing; it can be good or bad. Booking a doctor’s appointment is difficult, not just for immigrants, but for citizens, too. Luckily for me, I haven’t really fallen sick since I came here, but from what I’ve heard, the process can be burdensome for others. Getting an appointment when you need it is a real challenge.

And then there is just the feeling of not being home. It’s hard to explain, but there is something that constantly reminds you that this is not your country. No amount of good infrastructure takes that away.

What do you currently do for work?

I work as a carer. The job is good, and my co-workers are nice and supportive.

What do you miss most about Nigeria?

Family, first and foremost. I also miss the food; don鈥檛 get me wrong, you can find Nigerian food here, but it’s expensive, and it’s just different. Beyond that, I miss the freedom of knowing I鈥檓 in my country. There’s a certain ease that comes with being home that you can’t replicate anywhere else.

If Nigeria had been different, would you have stayed?

Yes. If I had a well-paying job and if Nigeria had the structure: 24-hour electricity, good security, I would not have left. Even people with money in Nigeria are looking for ways to leave. It’s not just about money. It’s about structure. Fix the structure, and many people won’t need to go anywhere.

Do you ever plan to return to Nigeria permanently?

At some point, yes, but as a young man with opportunities here and a job that lets me take care of myself comfortably, there’s no reason to come back now. If Nigeria improves, I’d go back, but till that time.

Financially, where do you have more buying power?

Here in the UK, obviously. But things are also very expensive here. Rent, food, everything. It’s not like you’re earning pounds and living cheaply. The cost of living is increasing day by day.

What advice would you give someone looking to move to the UK with the Health and Care Worker visa?

First, don’t come here expecting to be rich in your first year. Come with a plan, come with patience, and come with a reason. Don’t just travel because you want to; figure it out when you land.

Second, trust the process but protect yourself. The company gives you a job offer and sponsorship, and you submit it to the embassy. Don’t give your money to random people who claim they can sort your visa. Do it yourself, or work with someone who has been through it and genuinely knows how it works. When you go for your visa interview, go in confident. Tell them clearly why you want to travel. Be honest and be bold.

On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate life in the UK?

Eight out of ten. The systems work really well. You can pay your bills, you have opportunities, and things make sense here. It loses two points for the tax, the healthcare wait times, and the reality that no matter how good it gets, it is never quite home.

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Since 2020, Dinma (28) has lived in every country she set her mind to. But she didn鈥檛 achieve that by wishing for it. In this story, she shares how she was able to leave Nigeria for Rwanda, Germany, and most recently, the UK.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in the United Kingdom (UK). I left Nigeria in March 2020, but I didn鈥檛 directly go to the UK. I first lived in Rwanda and Germany before coming here.

Nice. I鈥檇 like to know more about your journey away from Nigeria

Sure. Happy to share.

What were you doing in Nigeria before you left?

I was a Product Designer in Nigeria, and I still am. 

What inspired your decision to move to Rwanda?

I left Nigeria for Rwanda because I got a job with an international company that has an office in Rwanda and Lagos.

Immediately after I graduated from university, I got an internship in Lagos, so I moved from Enugu to Lagos alone. After my internship, I got another job and worked there while waiting for my call-up letter from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). After I finished the NYSC camp, and it was time for the Primary Place of Assignment (PPA) routine, the company I was working for became my PPA

Towards the end of my service, I got a new job with a Nigerian company that had an office in Rwanda, so I started working there. After NYSC, I moved to their Rwandan office. After 1 year and seven months in Rwanda, I moved to Germany.

How did you get the job that took you to Rwanda?

A friend recommended me for it.

Can you walk me through the visa process for your move to Rwanda?

It was pretty easy. I was required to present a payslip from the company I聽 was going to work for. Other things I had to present were the basic requirements for applying for a visa.

That sounds easy

Yes.

You stayed in Rwanda for nearly two years. What did you like about it?

My favourite thing about Rwanda was how clean and safe it was. Once, someone stole my money, and I got it back after I reported it to the Police. I didn鈥檛 have to pay them a dime to do their job. I really appreciated that. 

What was your least favourite thing?

Things were quite slow in Rwanda, and I didn鈥檛 like that very much, especially coming from Nigeria, where everything is super fast. In Nigeria, you can walk into a restaurant and instantly get whatever food you want, but in Rwanda, you鈥檒l wait an excruciating amount of time. They do love to take their time.

Why did you leave Rwanda for Germany?

I stayed in Rwanda for about two years. But I saw that the opportunity for growth in the country was limited, so I applied for jobs in some European countries; I got one in Germany, and off I went again.

How did you get the job?

I found it on LinkedIn. That鈥檚 where I found a majority of the jobs I鈥檝e done.

What was the visa process like?

Since I was going to the country under sponsorship from a company, I was asked to provide an employment letter, a payslip, and a physical copy of my contract, which the company had to send down. Germans are really strict when it comes to visa applications. 

I also needed to submit my birth certificate, proof of my address at the time, the basic documents you need for a visa application and others, which I can鈥檛 recall now. The company helped, too.

How so?

They provided me with some things from their end to help with the application. They also had their relocation agent help me prepare my documents for the visa.

A few weeks after I submitted my application, the visa came out. I picked up my passport, booked my flight, and left Rwanda for Germany.

I assume the company covered your travel expenses as well

No, they only covered my visa fees. But that鈥檚 not because it鈥檚 the norm; is because I didn鈥檛 know any better. I didn鈥檛 know I could negotiate my relocation package, so I didn鈥檛 ask for it. I was just excited to leave. I covered my travel expenses and accommodation in Germany.

Back then, people weren鈥檛 really open about how they got their jobs. But things are different now; you can find information about these things online.

I advise anyone looking to move from Nigeria to other countries through the job route to do their research and consider all factors when negotiating their salaries and relocation packages. I, for instance, did not consider what my salary would be after taxes and other deductions; I was just excited about what my take-home pay would look like.

What other things should people pay more attention to?

Let鈥檚 go back to the relocation package. Some of them cover travel expenses and an accommodation stipend for 1-3 months, depending on the company. So, people should do a thorough job of finding out what their company offers so they can utilise it and ease things for themselves.

Another thing people should negotiate is their salaries. First, consider if the job is remote or on-site, consider the cost of transportation in the city you鈥檇 be living in, then negotiate your salary in consideration of the information you鈥檝e gathered. This does not mean you should outrightly tell them you want a certain amount due to the cost of the city where the job is located; it鈥檚 just something to have at the back of your mind.

You should also find out if the company has perks like lifestyle spending. There might be things that they give out on a monthly or yearly basis; different companies have different names for it, just find out if the one you鈥檙e applying for has them.

Also, find out if your learning budget, stock options, and Restricted stock units (RSUs) are negotiable.聽 The negotiation shouldn鈥檛 end at your basic salary. It鈥檚 easy to fall into the trap of initial awe after converting your base salary to Naira, but things like cost of living will readily humble you.

What was it like living in Germany?

The first thing that comes to mind is my first day in Germany, which I can never forget. It was in the middle of winter, and my friend had told me to come with something cosy. In my head, I wondered how cold it could possibly be, seeing as I was coming from Rwanda, which was considerably colder when compared to Nigeria. I went to the airport wearing only a hoodie, and I got the shock of my life.

When we landed in Berlin, it was so cold that I had frostbite on my hands. When I got into my apartment, I didn鈥檛 come out till the day I resumed work. All my clothes were summer clothes, so I had to rush to Primark to buy a jacket. People were looking at me crazily in my summer clothes because Berlin gets really cold.

I鈥檓 sorry you experienced that

Thank you.

Favourite thing about Germany?

My favourite thing about living in Germany was having a blue card. The blue card is like a visa you get when you live in a European country. It allows you to travel to nearby European cities.

Another thing I absolutely loved about living in Germany was their Christmas markets. Winter in Berlin was usually cold and grey, and everyone was inside, but those Christmas markets made winter really enjoyable. We would go there, have some hot mulled wine, get on a ride, or do anything at all.

What else did you experience?

The language barrier. I had a good life in Germany, and I made a few friends, but in the long run, I realised I wasn鈥檛 open to learning the language, and I struggled with it. It was quite stressful; once, I got a letter that gave me a jumpscare, and it was all because it was written in German. I saw 鈧�6,000 somewhere in the letter and immediately assumed I was being asked to pay that. But when I translated it, it turned out they were merely informing me that my company would pay a certain fee they were supposed to pay. That was one of the things that made me conclude that I had to leave.

I get that. So, how did you leave?

The company I was working for had a London office, so I applied for an internal switch to the UK. I got it, but unfortunately, a week after it was approved, there was a massive layoff in the company, and I was affected. I immediately started panicking about my visa, so I had to think fast about an alternative.

A month before that, I had applied for the Tech Nation visa but was rejected. In the feedback I was given, they said I seemed like a hard worker but not much of a leader. I knew that wasn鈥檛 true and that they only saw it that way because I had presented myself solely as a hard worker. I used that feedback to apply again, and I got it two weeks later. After that, I applied for my visa, got it and moved to the UK, where I got another job.

That鈥檚 such a happy ending

Thank you.

So now you鈥檙e in the UK, do you still plan to move?

I don鈥檛 think so. I鈥檝e moved a lot. I’d like to stay put for a while. I also love it here, so that helps. 

I currently work as a Senior Product Designer for a UK company, and I enjoy what I do here. I have a few friends here, and I鈥檝e built a community, so it feels like home. 

I really enjoy working and living in London. I鈥檓 so grateful I moved here.

That鈥檚 beautiful. You鈥檝e lived in three countries so far; how would you rate them on a scale of one to ten?

I鈥檇 rate Rwanda a seven. This is not because Rwanda was bad; it was a good place, but I just couldn鈥檛 strive for more there. The opportunity for growth was limited, and I couldn鈥檛 see myself living there long-term.

I would rate Germany an eight. Everything about Germany was good, but I couldn鈥檛 find my way around the language barrier.

Even when I managed to get by, I couldn鈥檛 really make friends because there aren鈥檛 a lot of black people and a lot of Nigerians in Germany. That is not to say I wanted only those groups, I just know it鈥檇 have been easier to make friends with people I already have things in common with.

There also weren鈥檛 enough places to get Nigerian food, so that was an issue as well.

Finally, the UK, specifically London, is an 8.5. London is super expensive, and Berlin is cheaper in comparison, but I鈥檒l always choose London. I have a community here, and it feels like home.

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Splendid (28) was building her career in Nigeria but knew that reaching her true potential meant going to a place where opportunities are easily accessible. So in 2022, she applied for the global talent visa and got it on her first try. In this story, she shares her processes, how she struggled to settle into the UK and how she鈥檚 thriving now.

Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?

I currently live in the United Kingdom (UK), and I left Nigeria in February 2023.

What inspired your decision to move?

I was inspired by my need for growth. I had always wanted to leave since my secondary school days. The push in those years was just to escape Nigeria. But by the time I left in 2023, it was no longer about that; I was already building things in Nigeria, but I felt like I wasn鈥檛 reaching the ceiling. So I needed that move to leap. My move to the UK wasn鈥檛 an escape plan; it was a growth decision.

That鈥檚 nice. How did you leave?

I left on the Global Talent Visa. I got my endorsement in November 2022.

How can one get the Global Talent visa

To get the global talent visa, you have to get an endorsement from . 

Who is eligible for this visa?

I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 a straightforward answer to who is eligible for the Global Talent Visa. To get a recommendation from them, you have to work in tech, but it doesn鈥檛 have to be a technical role that requires coding. I came in as a growth marketer.

Tech Nation is not the only body that can endorse one for the Global Talent Visa.  There are also endorsing bodies under arts and culture, and there鈥檚 also architecture. To know if you qualify, I advise that you visit the website and spend some time there.

Thank you. Is there anything else people should know?

Tech Nation will endorse you either as an exceptional promise or as an exceptional talent. But you definitely need to have some experience in your field to be endorsed in either category. I was endorsed as an exceptional promise. At the time I applied, you鈥檇 need less than three years of experience to apply as a promise and about five years of experience to qualify as a talent.

What鈥檚 the difference between the two categories?

As an exceptional promise, you鈥檒l be given five years global talent visa to enter the UK. At the end of that, you can apply for your Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and your British passport.

As an exceptional talent, you鈥檒l get a three-year visa after which you can apply for your ILR. It鈥檚 faster for people under this category.

Is there essay writing involved?

It鈥檚 not an essay; it’s an elaborate process of putting together everything you’ve done in your career to prove that you鈥檙e a person of value.

The process was intense for me. To me, the hardest part was not the application; it鈥檚 documenting your impact in a way that makes sense to people who don鈥檛 know you. It鈥檚 you, telling your story clearly and showing proof of work, and positioning yourself as a person of value. And so, I had to put up different documents broken down into different criteria. 

Tech Nation also requires applicants to get recommendation letters from three top people in the tech space, so I had to get those. I also had to show the work I did at different companies, proof of high earnings, and speaking engagements. So, it’s not a single essay; you have to actually put your documents together, and if I remember correctly, put them into ten letters or PDFs, then group them into mandatory and optional criteria.

The process is rigorous; I always advise people who want to apply through Tech Nation to be thorough. The requirements change all the time, so go to their website and carefully look through it to see what鈥檚 required at the moment.

The rigorous nature of the process forces you to think critically about your journey and your career. But once everything comes together, it鈥檚 worth it.

That鈥檚 lovely. Can you remember how long the process took you?

When I applied for my Tech Nation endorsement, it took me two weeks to hear from them. But the time can vary, really. I have a friend who heard back from them in four days.

After you get your Tech Nation endorsement, everything else is a breeze. You just apply for your visa, and you leave. The entire process鈥攆rom application to leaving鈥� took me about six weeks. I stalled a bit because I wanted to spend some time with my family.

What are the requirements for the visa process?

You have to submit an online application within 3 months of receiving your endorsement. You must submit your passport and your National Identity Number (NIN). You also have to go for your biometrics, pay for your Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), and take a tuberculosis test.

Ok. Were there any hassles in getting the visa?

Not at all, it was very fast. There aren鈥檛 many requirements, and I think it鈥檚 something that people have to know. The day I went for my biometrics, I went with so many documents, but I found they weren’t needed. There鈥檚 no complexity in the visa process. The complexity is in applying for the Tech Nation endorsement.

What are the benefits of the global talent visa?

The global talent visa, in my opinion, is the best type of visa to get. It fast-tracks the receipt of your ILR and British passport. Unlike a tier one visa, the Global Talent visa doesn鈥檛 restrict immigrants to specific jobs or a salary cap; you can earn your worth.

Another great benefit of the visa is that it allows holders to bring in dependents. Married people can bring in their spouses and children.

There鈥檚 also the edge it gives immigrants in terms of getting a job; no, Tech Nation doesn鈥檛 get you a job, and the visa doesn’t come with a job. But it helps you skip hurdles that make getting one difficult. You don鈥檛 have to be sponsored by any company to get a job; this is usually a big obstacle here in the UK because a company has to pay some fees to sponsor immigrants. That factor makes it difficult to get sponsorship jobs here, but as a global talent visa holder, you鈥檙e not mandated to find sponsorship. You can apply anywhere and work anywhere.

What were you doing in Nigeria, and what do you do now?

I was a growth marketer in Nigeria. Now, I work as a growth marketer with one of the top fintechs here in the UK. Outside of work, I run a non-profit community called  , where I help people find their way into the non-code side of tech and also into growth marketing.

That鈥檚 impressive. 

Thank you.

So, what鈥檚 the work culture like in the UK?

That鈥檚 a dicey question because work culture isn’t defined in a specific way; it really depends on where you work. There’s a good work-life balance at my current workplace. Compared to Nigeria, there鈥檚 so much respect for your work hours and for holidays. You would hardly get work messages outside of work hours and during holidays.

Communication and politeness are also valued, and there鈥檚 a high level of professionalism here. The balance between work and life makes socialising a lot more possible, and that鈥檚 something I like.

Are there a variety of activities?

Yes. There are always activities to do, especially pubs after work. I go to the office once a week; on the days when I go, we always visit a pub right after work.

There鈥檚 honestly always a social activity to do. Most of the companies I鈥檝e worked at prioritise social activities. They range from going to a pub to events and games, to inviting someone to speak to us at the office.

So, from personal experience, I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 one way to describe the work culture in the UK. I鈥檝e had the good and the bad. I鈥檓 currently in the good, and I appreciate that.

Love that for you. What was it like settling into your life in the UK?

Settling in was a roller coaster. I came during the cold, and I went to Scotland first. To top it off, the city I went to鈥擜berdeen鈥攊s one of the coldest in the entire country. Dealing with the cold was very tough for me. Unlike Nigeria, the UK has structures and systems that work; it took me a bit of time to understand and adjust to them.

Settling in was generally a roller coaster.  But it wasn鈥檛 so tough; it took me about 2-3 weeks to get settled.

When you come to the UK, you shouldn鈥檛 try to do things on your own because you won鈥檛 know everything. You have to reach out to someone who was already here. If you have family here, it鈥檇 be less harsh on you. In my case, I had family; they showed me how the trains and bus systems work, how to get my General Practitioner (GP), and other such things. Getting the hang of these things can be tough, and the knowledge that you鈥檙e alone in a new country can make it tougher. That鈥檚 why I quickly built a community.

Even with family, it was tough at first, and I had moments where I regretted leaving the good life I had built in Nigeria. But I snapped out of it, built a community, and everything has been a breeze since then.

That鈥檚 good to hear. What鈥檚 your favourite thing about the UK?

The structure is my favourite thing. The UK is full of opportunities, and the structure allows you to see them. Nigeria also has opportunities, but lacks the structure that makes UK opportunities so visible. Structure and opportunities are the top two things for me.

That makes sense. What鈥檚 your least favourite thing?

It鈥檚 the cold. I know the UK is not as cold as Canada, but the cold is a lot. There鈥檚 also the occasional loneliness and the fact that I鈥檓 far from family and friends.

On a scale of one to ten, how do you rate life in the UK?

I鈥檒l give it a solid eight. There鈥檚 still a lot I’m building and figuring out, but I鈥檓 in a place where I can grow and become the person I鈥檝e always envisaged. In my short time in the UK, I鈥檝e been able to achieve some of my goals thanks to the clear opportunities here. You can be whatever you want to be in the UK. Your dreams are attainable here if you put in the work. There鈥檚 structure to support those dreams.

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