- Jerry Chimeke moved to London from Nigeria in 2022 in search of writing opportunities.
- He said the UK job market was too competitive and he had been turned down multiple times.
- Although Chiemeke is struggling in the UK, she has no plans to give up and return to Nigeria just yet.
This essay is based on a transcript of a conversation I had with London-based author Jerry Chimeke about moving to the UK from Nigeria. Business Insider reviewed his visa paperwork. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I am originally from Nigeria and I began to feel disillusioned with the country I was born in.
Muhammadu Buhari became president in 2015. Under his leadership, public concern over human rights violations and a struggling economy grew. The currency was affected and friends began leaving the country in search of better career opportunities in countries like the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
In Nigeria, she worked in law and media communications, and also wrote books on the side, reviewed books, wrote essays, published poetry, and in 2020 published a collection of short stories.
I wanted to become famous as a writer but I wasn’t sure if I should continue my career in Nigeria.
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened Nigeria’s economy and politics. On October 20, 2020, the Nigerian military opened fire on people protesting against the police, with reports putting the death toll at dozens.
I began making plans to leave the country. Many young people had become disillusioned after taking part in protests that had led to massacres. I didn’t want to live in a country that felt actively trying to exclude young people.
I eventually moved to the UK on a Global Talent Visa in 2022. I wanted to continue building my career as a creative but then found it hard to find full-time work.
Moving to the UK has turned one problem into another, but I haven’t given up on my dreams.
I had to prove I was eligible for a Global Talent Visa to come to the UK.
Britain is connected to Nigeria through the Commonwealth and there is a big Nigerian community here. I felt like I belonged. I saw other Nigerian writers doing well in Britain.
I was accepted into several Masters courses at UK universities in 2021 but ultimately the tuition fees and financial costs made it a more stressful option in the long run.
A friend recommended the Global Talent Visa for skilled academic, technical and artistic professionals, which seemed like a good option as it was a practical way to gain indefinite leave to remain, would allow me to live and work in the UK for as long as I wanted and would also have the opportunity to have my creative work recognised in the UK.
Your application needed to include evidence that you were or had the potential to be a leader in your field, so I submitted reviews of my books, awards I’d won or been nominated for, and letters of recommendation from several arts organizations.
I provided evidence to Arts Council England and paid the application fee. After getting approval from the Arts Council, I took my letters of recommendation, receipts for my visa fee and immigration surcharge, and my passport to the visa office in Lagos. My application was approved in August, giving me permission to stay and work in the UK for up to five years.
To renew my visa after three years I needed evidence that I was earning an income from my work, and as I wanted to stay in the UK indefinitely I needed to ensure I had relevant paid opportunities.
Paid work was extremely hard to come by in the UK creative industries.
I was hesitant to leave everything and everyone I loved behind and nervous about starting my career again in a new country.
Every day feels like summer in Nigeria, but it was autumn when I arrived in the UK and winter quickly followed. I had to get used to it being dark by 4pm.
Before I emigrated, I had saved up a significant amount of money. I was pretty happy with my income from my full-time job in Nigeria and my side job as a writer, so I spent less than a third of my salary on savings for about eight months before I quit my job.
Before coming to the UK, I was looking for part-time editing work and was actively applying for full-time arts-related jobs but nothing came of it. About three months after arriving in the UK, I secured a full-time position as a Digital Marketing Executive for a power tools company.
My job also involves copywriting, but I would love to work in the UK creative industry. I’ve applied for editor and contributor roles but been rejected time and time again. I’ve been able to work as a freelancer but haven’t been able to secure a permanent creative job.
London was lonely. I stayed with friends there for the first six weeks before moving into my own apartment. I also had some Nigerian friends living on the other side of England, but it was hard to meet them.
While I was aware of how the creative industry works in Nigeria, I had no knowledge of the same opportunities here and the information I could find on Google was limited.
In Nigeria, I worked as a staff writer and senior editor, but I find it very competitive to get the same roles in the UK. When I find a job on LinkedIn, I can get up to 100 applicants within an hour.
Some of the organisations that rejected my application are looking for candidates with more UK experience so the criteria here seems to be pretty strict.
I thought I was at the senior stage of my career in Nigeria but I can’t get a mid-level job in the UK. I have seen some of my Nigerian colleagues who were upper-middle level in their home countries applying for entry-level jobs in the UK.
That being said, with economic recession affecting the people and inflation soaring in Nigeria, getting a senior position will not necessarily improve the situation.
I am struggling in the UK and I don’t want to go back to Nigeria.
The UK isn’t perfect, but I want to stay for the career opportunities
I was naive when I first came. The exchange rate made it feel like a struggle to get by in pounds. We don’t have power outages like in Nigeria and it feels safer. But the reality is that the UK isn’t perfect. Inflation fluctuates, rents rise and sometimes public transport doesn’t work.
The decision to emigrate comes with trade-offs. Ultimately, I want to stay in the UK for my career. There’s more competition, but also more opportunities to get my work noticed. I just need to take the chance.
My visa allows me to work in the UK until October 2025. After I’ve stayed for five years I will be applying for a renewal of my visa and then for indefinite leave to remain, but I need further paid opportunities to open up.
I have proven myself in Nigeria, now I have to prove myself in the UK. It is a challenge but if it were easy the journey wouldn’t be worth it.
