• By Editorial Team
• September 9, 2023

Relocation is the order of this present age. We see a large number of Nigerians queuing in front of embassies, looking for any means to leave the country. The reasons for the great exodus is not far-fetched, the Nigerian system is down the drain. Nothing seems to be working and every effort to make things work seems to have failed, the popular solution is to seek a life elsewhere.

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The United Kingdom is one of the countries where Nigerians can live without much barrier. The reason for this is obviously because of our shared colonial history for one, and the fact that we are both English speaking countries.

What are the things to know about relocating to the UK?

Generally, to migrate to the UK, you would need to apply for a visa. The visa type you are applying for would be determined by the route and purpose of your relocation. Below are the kind of visas you can apply for and their eligibility rules:

1. Student visa
2. Spouse visa
3. Work visa
4. Entrepreneur visa

STUDENT VISA

This is also called a tier 4 visa and it is for people who have been admitted into a UK university or any educational institution. Therefore you may want to get an admission first and advisably, a scholarship. The requirement for this type of visa include:

• You must have been admitted into a full study program in a UK educational institution
• You must prove that you are able to communicate in English sufficiently
• You must show your source of funding, the UK government wants to know that you would not be dead weight who would be relying on the government for survival. You must show that you can support yourself, pay your tuition and our living expenses
• You must plan to return to Nigeria after the completion of your study

SPOUSE VISA

This is for those whose spouses are already permanent residents of the UK or who are UK citizens. You and your partner must be a minimum of 18 years of age. Your marriage must be legally recognized in the UK. Another thing to note is that you must be able to show that you have both met in person at least once before you got married, also you must have lived together for a minimum of two years before applying for the visa, this criteria is to stop those with sham marriages who want to get permanent residence. You can also apply for a fiancé visa if you bot are not married yet but plan to get married upon your arrival in the UK.

WORK VISA

This is for Nigerians who have gotten a job offer In the UK. This visa is also called a tier 2 visa. Your company must also possess a valid certificate of sponsorship for you to be able to get this visa. There are different categories under this type of visa and they include:

• The general category: this is for general skilled professionals, who have met all qualifying categories
• ICT category: this is available for employees who are existing workers of a UK owned company but need to transfer to a UK branch of their company
• Sports person category: this is for well-known international coaches and athletes

ENTREPRENEUR VISA

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This visa is for immigrants who wish to go to the UK to start a business or invest in Businesses there, this is visa is also called tier 1. This category has different kind of permits. The first is the Global Talent Visa; this is for people who work in a specialized field and are recognized in their field as experts. The second is the Tier 1 (INVESTOR) permit; Nigerian investors who want to relocate under this must have at least 2 million pounds of funds, available to be invested in the UK. There is a third category for individuals who want to start a business in the UK. They can apply for a start-up visa. For this category, there is no minimum investment. The candidates must however be convincing that their business plans are promising

Upon using any of the above means to enter the UK, you can now apply for permanent residence. You would have to fulfill certain criteria. A UK permanent residence doesn’t however confer on you the right to vote, to be able to vote you must have applied and gotten British citizenship and a UK passport.

To apply for UK permanent residence, you must fulfill the following conditions:

• You must have lawfully lived in the UK for 5 years. And in a period of 1 year, you must not have spent more than 180 days outside of the UK
• You must be able to speak English proficiently. You must also be able to show that you understand British culture and traditions 

• Relocate,
• Study Abroad,
• Visa,