The couple, based in Leigh in the Greater Manchester area of the UK, run Taste Africana, a popular restaurant in the town.... CLICK TO READ THE FULL NEWS HERE▶▶
Cynthia and Bright have been in England for over six years, where they have built a life but are now at the risk of being forced to return to Nigeria in 11 days if they fail to raise 26 thousand pounds.
Their financial woes began in 2023 after the roof of the first building housing their restaurant suddenly caved in just two months after opening.
The incident forced the couple to go in search of a new home and luckily, they found one just minutes away on Market Street, from where they have been operating since last November.
However, as explained by the husband, the financial burden has prevented them from staying afloat with the rising cost of living, visa fees, and immigration health surcharge payments, which is a fee paid by migrants who live in the UK for more than six months.
“They’ve put up the immigration charges, health insurance used to be around £300 per year,” Bright told Vanguard.
“It’s gone all the way up to around £1,800 per person, per year. Think about me who’s got a family of five. If I add visa application fees and lawyer fees it brings everything up to around £26k.
“The visa expires in 12 days (11 days today) so we need to at least put in an application the night before. At this stage, we just don’t have the money to do that.
“The target is to get enough money to get the whole visa thing fixed to give us some peace of mind. The idea that there is a possibility of being kicked out after six years of work has drained all the peace out of me. It takes a huge toll on you, honestly,” he stated.
