Top 10 Things You Should Know Before Arriving In The UK.

I Japa to the UK but was it worth it?

The Nigerians Immigrants story. By Mr. Ozi Omoluabi

Living in the UK as a Nigerian can present several challenges. Here are the top 10 UK challenges you should know before migrating to the United Kingdom:

1. Cultural and Social Differences: Adapting to the British culture can be difficult for Nigerians, as it significantly differs from their own in terms of social norms, communication styles, and lifestyle. 
   
   
2.   Racism and Discrimination: Nigerians in the UK may face racial discrimination and prejudice. This can manifest in various areas including employment, housing, and daily interactions.
   
   
3. Immigration and Legal Challenges: Navigating the UK's immigration system can be complex and stressful. Issues such as obtaining visas, residency status, and dealing with immigration laws can be significant hurdles.
   
   
4.  Economic Difficulties: The high cost of living in the UK compared to Nigeria can be a major challenge. This includes expensive housing, food, and transportation costs.
   
   
5. Employment Challenges: Finding employment that matches one's qualifications and experience can be tough. Nigerians may face underemployment or struggle to have their qualifications recognized.
   
   
6. Weather and Environmental Adjustment: The UK's colder and more variable climate can be a significant adjustment for Nigerians used to a tropical climate.
   
   
7. Social Isolation: Feeling isolated or disconnected from the community and struggling to build a new social network can impact mental health and wellbeing. Many Nigerians miss the more open and sociable culture of Nigeria, finding the UK's more reserved social environment challenging. This difference can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.
   
   
8. Educational Adjustments: For Nigerian students, adapting to the UK's educational system can be challenging, both academically and socially. Accommodation Issues: Nigerian students, in particular, face significant challenges in finding suitable accommodation.
   
   
9. Healthcare System Navigation: Understanding and accessing the UK's healthcare system, which is different from that in Nigeria, can be confusing and overwhelming.
   
   
10. Cultural Misunderstandings: Misunderstandings due to cultural differences can lead to difficulties in personal and professional relationships.

These challenges highlight the importance of support systems, community networks, and policies aimed at integration and equality to aid Nigerians in adapting to life in the UK.

Racism and discrimination against Nigerians and people of African descent in the UK are significant issues, characterised by structural, institutional, and systemic practices. Here are some key points and examples:

Systemic Racism: The UN has reported that racism in the UK is structural, institutional, and systemic. People of African descent, including Nigerians, face discrimination and the erosion of their fundamental rights, particularly in the criminal justice system, including issues with stop and search practices and deaths in police custody.

Impact of Austerity Measures: Austerity measures in the UK have exacerbated racism and racial discrimination against people of African descent. This has adversely impacted their fundamental rights, perpetuating racial hierarchies within state and public institutions, the private sector, and society.

Travel Ban Issue: The UK's decision to ban Nigerians from traveling to the UK during the Omicron COVID-19 variant surge was perceived by many as racist and discriminatory. This action was criticized for targeting Nigerians while allowing travel from western countries where Omicron was also present.

Discrimination in Policing: An incident reported by Sky News involved a Nigerian individual named Olamide, who faced mistaken identity and mistreatment by the British Transport Police. This case illustrates the racial profiling and challenges faced by people of African descent in interactions with law enforcement.

It is important to note that while these examples highlight the prevailing issues of racism and discrimination against Nigerians and people of African descent in the UK, they represent a broader systemic problem that affects various aspects of life and rights. Efforts to address these challenges require comprehensive approaches targeting institutional and societal change.

Racism and discrimination, such as those experienced by Nigerians/Africans in the UK, can have profound effects on various aspects of an individual's personal life cycle. These effects can span across psychological, social, economic, and cultural dimensions:

 

Psychological Impact:  Stress and Anxiety. Persistent experiences of racism can lead to chronic stress and anxiety, affecting mental health.

Low Self-Esteem. Discrimination can erode self-esteem and self-worth, particularly among young Nigerians growing up in such environments.

Depression. The isolation and negative experiences associated with racism can contribute to depression.

Trauma. Incidents of racial abuse or violence can lead to long-term psychological trauma.

Social and Cultural Impact: 
Social Isolation. Discrimination may lead to social withdrawal, hindering the formation of diverse social networks.

Cultural Dissonance. Balancing Nigerian cultural identity with the pressure to assimilate can create a sense of dissonance.

Impact on Family Dynamics. Racism can strain family relationships, especially when different generations experience and cope with racism differently.

Economic Impact:
Employment Challenges: Discrimination in the workplace can limit career advancement and job opportunities.

Income Disparity: Racial bias may result in wage disparities, affecting the economic stability of Nigerian families.

Barriers to Education. Discriminatory practices in education can hinder academic achievement and future opportunities.

Physical Health Impact:
Health Disparities. Chronic stress from racism can lead to long-term health    issues, such as hypertension and heart disease.

Access to Healthcare.  Experiences of discrimination can also impact access to and quality of healthcare received.

Impact on Identity and Belonging:
Identity Crisis. Navigating the challenges of maintaining Nigerian identity in a racially charged environment can be difficult.

Sense of Belonging: Constant exposure to racism can lead to a feeling of not belonging in the host country.

Intergenerational Impact:
Transmitting Trauma. The effects of racism can be passed down through generations, affecting the worldviews and experiences of future generations.

The cumulative effect of these challenges can significantly impact the life cycle of Nigerians and Africans in the UK, influencing their well-being, opportunities, and overall quality of life. Addressing these issues requires systemic change and a commitment to promoting equality and combating racism at all levels of society.

Racism is a complex and multifaceted issue that involves various processes and behaviours by individuals or institutions that inflict discrimination based on race. Here are some of the key processes involved:

• Stereotyping and Prejudice:
  Formation of Stereotypes. Individuals may develop oversimplified and generalised beliefs about a racial group, often based on misinformation, ignorance, or cultural narratives.
  
  
• Prejudice.  These stereotypes lead to prejudiced attitudes, where individuals harbour negative feelings or judgments about people based on their racial identity.
  
  
• Discrimination in Actions and Decisions:
  Personal Discrimination. This involves actions taken by individuals to exclude, avoid, or harm members of a particular racial group. It can be overt or subtle.
  
  Institutional Discrimination.  This occurs when laws, policies, or institutional practices create disadvantages for certain racial groups, often embedded in the operation of social institutions like the criminal justice system, education, or employment.
  
  
• Macroaggressions:
  Subtle Insults and Demeanours: Everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile or derogatory messages to the target person based on their race.
  
  
• Racial Profiling:
  Assumptions Based on Race.  Law enforcement or other authorities make assumptions about an individual's propensity for criminal behaviour based on their racial appearance, leading to unfair treatment.
  
  
• Systemic Biases in Policies and Practices:
  Biased Policies. Creating and enforcing policies that disproportionately impact one racial group over another, either intentionally or as an unintended consequence.
  
  Practices in Employment and Education. Practices such as unfair hiring processes, wage disparities, or unequal educational opportunities based on race.
  
  
• Social Exclusion and Segregation:
  Exclusion from Social Groups or Activities. Deliberately excluding individuals from social, professional, or educational opportunities based on their race.
  
  Residential Segregation. Living patterns that separate racial groups, often as a result of historical practices and economic disparities.
  
  
• Perpetuation of Racial Hierarchies:
  Maintaining Status Quo. Upholding societal norms and structures that keep certain racial groups in positions of power over others.
  
  
•  Media Representation and Propaganda:
  Negative Portrayal. Media and popular culture may perpetuate negative stereotypes and portrayals of certain racial groups, influencing public perception and attitudes.
  
  
• Denial of Racial Inequities:
  Ignoring or Minimising Racism. Refusal to acknowledge the existence of racism or its impact on individuals and communities, thereby perpetuating its existence.

These processes are not exhaustive but provide an overview of the mechanisms through which racism is manifested and perpetuated in society. Combating racism requires addressing these underlying processes through education, policy change, and active efforts to promote inclusivity and equity.

Nigerian/Africans immigrants in the UK are currently facing several immigration and legal challenges:

Changes in Immigration Policy for Postgraduate Students:

A significant policy change in the UK, effective January 2024, prohibits international students, including Nigerians, from bringing family members as dependents. This has led many Nigerian postgraduate students to reassess their educational plans, with some considering alternative destinations like Canada or Australia due to these constraints.

Stricter Visa Rules Announced by the UK Government:

The UK government has announced a plan to reduce net migration, introducing stricter visa rules that will impact Nigerian immigrants.

Minimum Salary Requirement for Skilled Worker Visa. The minimum wage criterion for a skilled worker visa has been raised from £26,000 to £38,700, a 50% increase, making it more challenging for Nigerian professionals to qualify

Health and Care Visa: While health and social care visas are exempt from the new higher salary criteria, caregivers are no longer allowed to bring dependents, affecting Nigerian healthcare professionals.

Shortage Occupation List. The UK government plans to review and reduce the number of occupations on the shortage occupation list, which may limit visa opportunities for Nigerians in certain professions.

Family Visa. The minimum income requirement for obtaining a family visa has increased from £18,600 to £38,700, complicating the process for Nigerians wishing to bring family members to the UK

Student Visa. The government is reviewing the graduate route for student visas, which may lead to future changes affecting Nigerian students.

These changes reflect a tightening of the UK's immigration policies, posing significant challenges for Nigerians/Africans seeking to study, work, or join family members in the UK. The increased financial and eligibility requirements, along with the anticipated policy revisions, are likely to impact the decisions and opportunities of Nigerian/African immigrants and prospective migrants, both presently and in the future:

Reduced Family Reunification: The restrictions on bringing dependents will make it harder for Nigerian/Africans families to reunite in the UK, potentially leading to social and emotional strain.

Impact on Education and Professional Opportunities: The increased salary requirements and changes to the student and skilled worker visas could limit educational and professional opportunities for Nigerians, possibly reducing the influx of Nigerian students and professionals.

Economic Hardship: Higher financial requirements for visas will place additional economic burdens on those wishing to migrate or stay in the UK, potentially leading to financial strain within the Nigerian community.

Long-Term Community Growth and Stability: These changes might slow the growth of the Nigerian community in the UK and impact its long-term stability and development.

Shift in Migration Patterns. As the UK becomes a less viable option, Nigerians may increasingly look to other countries for education and employment, altering migration patterns.

Potential for Increased Legal Challenges. Stricter rules could lead to an increase in legal challenges and complexities for Nigerians navigating the UK's immigration system.

In summary, these policy changes are likely to reshape the dynamics of the Nigerian/African community in the UK, affecting family structures, educational pursuits, professional pathways, and overall community growth and stability.

Major Issue affecting Nigerians/Africans in the UK are:

•      Entrepreneurial Challenges for Women: Nigerian women entrepreneurs in the UK face difficulties such as accessing the mass market, poor networking opportunities, legal constraints, lack of childcare support, and a need for flexible entrepreneurial training.
  
  
• Bureaucratic Hurdles: Legal and regulatory constraints pose significant challenges. For instance, small business owners find it difficult to comply with regulations like pension requirements for employees and tax obligations, which can be particularly onerous for new businesses.
  
  
• Issues with Skilled Worker Visas: Some Nigerians arriving in the UK on skilled worker visas have encountered situations where the promised jobs were not available or the conditions were different from what was expected. This has left them in precarious situations, sometimes without work or a means to support themselves.
  
  
• Recognition of Qualifications: Nigerians often face challenges getting their qualifications and professional experience recognised in the UK. This can lead to underemployment, where they have to take jobs that do not match their skill level or qualifications.
  
  
• Racial Discrimination: Nigerians, like other ethnic minorities, may experience racial discrimination in the job market, which can limit their employment opportunities and career progression.
  
  
• Limited Networking Opportunities: Limited access to professional networks and mentoring opportunities can hinder career advancement and job search efforts.
  
  
• Cultural Differences.  Adapting to different workplace cultures and communication styles in the UK can also be a challenge for Nigerians, affecting their ability to integrate and progress in their careers.

What are the overall Nigerian living in the UK happiness ratings?

Determining the specific happiness ratings of Nigerians living in the UK is challenging due to the lack of detailed, demographically segmented data in public databases. Happiness or well-being surveys, such as those conducted by the Office for National Statistics in the UK, often measure the general population's well-being without breaking down the data by specific nationalities or ethnic groups, such as Nigerians.

However, the overall well-being of Nigerians in the UK can be influenced by various factors, including:

•     Economic Stability: Employment opportunities, income levels, and financial security significantly affect happiness.
  
  
• Social Integration: The ability to form social connections and engage with both Nigerian and broader communities in the UK.
  
  
• Cultural Adaptation: How well Nigerians adapt to the UK culture and navigate cultural differences.
  
  
• Racial Discrimination and Inclusion: Experiences of discrimination can negatively impact well-being, while inclusive environments contribute to higher happiness levels.
  
  
• Legal and Immigration Status: The security and rights associated with one's immigration status play a crucial role in overall happiness.
  
  
• Access to Services: Availability and access to healthcare, education, and other essential services.
  
  

Mr. Ozi Omoluabi
An expert in Engineering, IT, and Architecture, combines technical knowledge and leadership in his field. Based in Liverpool, he specializes in commercial and residential electrical fit-outs and building refurbishments. Holding a Master’s in Engineering (MEng) and a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (MIET), Ozi is adept in building services and regulatory compliance. His experience spans housing, museums, and transport hubs. He also holds an MBA from Liverpool John Moores University, enhancing his financial and marketing management skills.

For Consultations:
WhatsApp: (+44) 07539495261 
Email: sabau8ar4@gmail.com