Someone you know has left or is planning to leave. 1,000 Ways to Japa speaks to real people and explores the endless reasons and paths they take to japa.
Uzor* (22) always wanted to study abroad. So when his friend learned about top-up courses at a conference, he jumped at the opportunity. In this story, Uzor shares how long it took him to complete his studies and what living in the UK feels like.
Where do you currently live, and when did you leave Nigeria?
I currently live in the UK, and I left Nigeria in 2022.
What inspired your move to the UK?
I was inspired by the desire to study abroad. So after I got my diploma in Lagos, I transferred to a UK school, joined a final year class and earned a degree in Computer Systems Engineering.
How did you find out you could do a transfer?
Some universities do something called top-up courses, which is a fancy way of saying you can study at the university for a specific number of years if you already have some qualifications. They had a course related to what I already did for my diploma, so I met their transfer requirements. Over here, Computer Systems Engineering is a three-year course, so I was able to skip two years and join in the third year.
Congratulations! Was there any scholarship involved?
No. I self-funded.
How much did it cost you?
I can’t remember exactly how much I spent, but I estimate it’s about £18,000 for the entire program and £7000 to get me to the UK.
How did you hear about the school?
I heard about it through a friend who attended a conference they organised. I can’t recall exactly how he heard about the conference, but he somehow ended up there and then told me about it. At the conference, a travel agency, with affiliations to the school, said they help students with the application process for free. This was such a relief because our agent at the time wanted to charge us ₦150,000 per head. We both jumped at the chance to do it at no cost.
Eventually, they explained that agents are not supposed to charge students for assisting with their applications because the schools pay the agents per student they bring in.
What’s the name of the school you attended?
The University of Sunderland.
What documents did the travel agency ask you to bring?
They asked for regular documents, nothing out of the ordinary: degree certificates, National Identification Number (NIN), West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results. I can’t remember the full details, but I know they don’t ask for a document you’d have a hard time providing.
How long did it take for the school to get back to you?
The school itself responded fairly quickly in general. I heard back from them within two weeks.
How long did your visa take?
The visa was a bit more complex. It took me about a month, but that was because a certain document was missing in the ones I submitted. They had to mail me back and ask that I send it to them again. This means my application went through the loop twice. I had paid for priority processing, which usually gets you a response within a week, but because of the missing document, I had to wait four weeks.
What were the specific things you spent on for the visa application?
I paid for the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee. The details are really blurry here, but I paid for the number of years I was to spend studying.
What documents did you need for your visa application?
I can’t quite remember all the documents they asked for, but I know it wasn’t much
Let’s go back to the school. Is it a place you’d recommend for people looking to study in the UK?
I wouldn’t necessarily say I recommend it, and it’s mostly because of where it’s situated. It’s not a city, just a small town.
Ok. This is about the town; how about the school’s systems?
It’s ok, really. I didn’t have a direct experience with the system and can’t exactly recommend it to people. I spent only ten months there; if I had spent longer, then I’d be able to authoritatively speak on it.
Does the school require certain grades for the top-up courses?
I believe they reserve the right to reject you based on your grades.
What other UK universities do top-up courses?
The University of South Wales and Middlesex University do it. There could be others. I encourage people to check.
You’ve graduated, no?
Yes, I have.
Congratulations! What visa are you currently on?
I’m on the sponsorship visa.
How long did it take you to get sponsorship?
It took me about a year after school to get sponsorship. But it wasn’t all bad for me because I already had a remote job I was doing. After I found my current job, I quit that one. They take care of my sponsorship.
What’s your favourite thing about living in the UK?
My favourite thing about the UK is the structure. Here, you’re sure that your train will arrive when it’s supposed to, and things work as they’re supposed to. This has a way of elevating your daily life.
What’s your least favourite thing?
I don’t like the weather. I’m also not a fan of the social structure here. It makes it difficult to have friends. It’s slightly different from Nigeria.
Have you been able to make any friends so far?
I moved with a couple of my friends from Lagos
Would you recommend top-up courses for people looking to study in the UK?
I absolutely loved moving to the UK through this route. But would I recommend it? I wouldn’t immediately say yes, and this is because it’s not on the cheap side. Also, immigration rules are changing a lot these days, and the UK government frankly doesn’t know what it’s doing.
So, my advice to anyone considering this route is to find out and acknowledge the risks involved. Know the path you’re working on because getting sponsorship jobs is quite hard. There is a barrier to entry, so some companies, even if they wanted to hire some people, can’t exactly do so.
On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate life in the UK compared to Nigeria?
At the baseline level, the UK is definitely a better place to live compared to Nigeria. But there are also things that make Nigeria lovely. The first is the strong feeling of home attached to it, primarily because I was born and grew up there. There’s also easy access to Nigerian food, unlike here in the UK.
What I’m saying is that the UK is better in terms of ease and structure. So if I were to put a number to it, I’d say a seven.
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