Dayana’s, a migrant from Columbia, shares her story of her path to a Tier Two Visa in the UK.
Dayana’s shares her story of her path to a Tier Two Visa
Tell me your story of studying in the UK
I was working in a bank in Colombia and studying economics but when I saw people coming from abroad into the bank, I decided to learn English.
After I attended an English course, I decided to study for an MSC in Business and Finance in London at the Northumbria University campus – this meant that I spent 2 years studying which included an internship with an investment bank. I then saw that it would be really useful if I knew more about tech so I studied for an MSc in Software Development – this was hard going but I now know how to code and programme. I studied for this degree at Ulster University’s London campus.
These universities are part of the QA programme QA Higher Education which meant that there are scholarships available.
In Colombia, you can get student loans for studying in the UK, you need to go through ICETEX .
You now have a Tier 2 visa which means that you are sponsored by your employer to live and work in the UK. Tell us how this came about.
When I started my first MSc, I worked for an educational agency, recruiting students from around the world. They were looking for Spanish speakers and they sponsored me for my Tier 2 visa.
The company lawyer specialises in migration so he provided a list of documents that I needed to provide and then they handled it. The company needed to have a sponsor license and I had to provide a certificate from the university, as well as other documents. The rules are for the first year, I have to stay with the company but I could move jobs in the second year but I would need to move to a job with a sponsor license. It depends on the company policy whether you or the company pay for the visa application and visa insurance (this pays for the NHS). The visa lasts for three years.
For more information on Tier 2 visas, go to: https://visaguide.world
What do you like about the UK?
I like how the government protects the people e.g. the furlough scheme.
My expectations of London were high but London exceeded my expectations, it’s so cosmopolitan, its like the whole world in one city.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of coming to the UK to study or work?
If you come here to study, the quality of the education is internationally recognised.
You have to be open minded. London is very expensive and you will have to share accommodation with other people and you might even have to share one room.
You might have an amazing job in your country and then you come here to study and you may only find work in a restaurant or as a cleaner, but see it as part of the process, it won’t be forever.
