As the Japa (migration) trend continues to gain steam, an investigation by Sky News has unearthed a deeply distressing trend plaguing Nigerians pursuing skilled worker visas in the UK.
Many hopeful applicants are falling prey to unscrupulous agents and intermediaries who promise lucrative job placements, only for these promises to crumble upon arrival. This leaves the victims stranded, dependent on charity, and grappling with severe hardships.
One case study involves Blessing (a pseudonym), who arrived in the UK three months ago. She had parted with £10,000 to a Nigerian “agent” who assured her a caregiving job in the UK.
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Yet, upon reaching her destination, Blessing was confronted with the grim reality of no available work. Her heartrending experience is a microcosm of a larger problem highlighted by Sky News. The investigation reveals a shocking pattern of middlemen pocketing substantial amounts of money to arrange fictitious caregiving jobs for unsuspecting visa applicants.
The repercussions of this fraudulent scheme are dire. Many individuals find themselves in desperate situations, turning to food banks and facing the prospect of homelessness. Blessing, for instance, now relies on the charity of a food bank at a Nigerian Community Centre in Greater Manchester.
The stark contrast to her life back home weighs heavily on her.
She said, “I’ve always provided for myself. I’m a very hard-working, diligent person. So for me to be here depending on people to eat coming to the food bank to get food isn’t ok with me.
‘It makes me feel as though I’m a fool’
Mary Adekugbe, the founder of the Nigerian Community Centre in Rochdale, speaks out about the escalating number of skilled worker visa holders seeking aid. Roughly 15 out of the 35-40 people visiting the weekly food bank hold these visas, painting a grim picture of the problem’s scale.
“We are overwhelmed. People are desperate. It’s so worrying.”
“A grown-up man crying like a baby. Children crying without food because their parents can’t work to support them. No houses. No job. This is alarming.”
A more harrowing tale emerges from a woman who currently resides on a bus, her life upended by the fraudulent promises of an agent in Nigeria. Once hopeful for a caregiving job in the UK, she is now without work, without a home, and without recourse.
According to a volunteer at the food bank, “She did some work when she came in. Initially, they gave her one shift a week which is 12 hours a week. As time went on there were no shifts.
“According to what she showed us she was offered a full-time job as a carer. And now she’s sleeping on the bus.”
He adds: “She’s in a bad way. She can’t go back home. She has nothing at home. She sold everything she had.”
The plight extends even to a couple, referred to as Allen and Joyce, who arrived in the UK with their young son, armed with skilled worker visas.
Their aspirations of stable caregiving jobs soon gave way to harsh realities – limited opportunities, stringent employment conditions, and the constant struggle to secure positions.
“It’s not been easy. I had to sell my car; sell my property, get a loan, and took a lot of risks to raise the money,” Allen lamented.
“It’s very difficult because most jobs you want to get – they will first of all tell you that you’ve got a sponsor from somewhere else. So maybe you should go back to that place to get your job. That’s what they always say.”
“We are begging the [UK] government if they can look into it, even if it is not skilled work if they can give us another sponsorship or any other work, we are ready to do. For our survival.”
As these heart-wrenching stories come to light, they underscore the pressing need for regulatory interventions to thwart such scams and safeguard the dreams of those seeking a better life abroad.
Calls are mounting for the UK government to thoroughly investigate and address this disturbing pattern, including the provision of alternative sponsorship avenues for those left struggling in the aftermath of promised opportunities gone awry.
