Help with my visa! Podcast

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we talk to Ian Moody, Deputy Director - International at the University of Sunderland where he gives his 5 Key Considerations for international students thinking about coming to the UK.  

If you're thinking about coming to study in the UK, Ian's tips are invaluable to make sure you're organised, can answer all questions at your UK Student visa interview and arrive in the UK ready to study.  

To help with budgeting your maintenance requirement, Ian recommends visiting the UKCISA website at www.ukcisa.org  

If you’d like to find out more about the University of Sunderland you can visit their website a www.sunderland.ac.uk, or get in touch with Ian’s team directly at [email protected] where they can put in contact with a local office or let you speak to staff in the UK.

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we talk to Clinical Researcher Sofia Chowdhury about how she found her Dream Job while also moving from Russia with her young family.  

This episode is an excellent listen for anyone thinking about moving to the UK to find their Dream Job, as Sofia tells us exactly what worked for her... and what didn't.  

Sofia is a Russian national and talks us through how she initially moved to the UK with her husband and two young children, and then undertook a major career change to land a role at the University of Edinburgh, one of the most prestigious institutions for clinical research in the world.  

Originally trained as a cardiologist and with a PhD, before moving to the UK Sofia spent a decade in commercial roles at a major customer experience management organisation.  

She tells us how she pivoted to move back into medicine as a Clinical Researcher, and what she needed to do to successfully land her Dream Job in the UK.  

From networking to gaining additional qualifications and making sure her CV was 100% laser-focused on the role she wanted, Sofia's experience shows how it's possible to successfully make major life-changing decisions and move to the UK to find work.  

You can hear her story on the Help with my visa! Podcast, and do make sure you like and subscribe so you're notified when the next episode is published.

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we speak with Tony Whiteman-Reynolds, MBA Recruitment Manager at the Business School at City, University of London. Tony talks us through the admissions process for international students joining the MBA programme and also gives excellent guidance for prospective international students thinking about studying in the UK more generally.

Tony and his team are extremely approachable, and if you’re thinking about applying for an MBA at the Business School he’s happy for you to email him for more information at [email protected] or you can email the general MBA recruitment team at [email protected]

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we talk to Jeremy Arnold about how his organisation, Mudrā Services, has been successfully helping UK visa applicants through their biometric appointments at UK Visas and Citizenship Application Centres (UKVCAS).

Having been in the business since 2003, Jeremy and his team have helped more than 22,000 people as they renew or switch their UK visas.

Mudrā Services has historically provided this support service by working with major UK-based immigration law firms but is now evolving its service offering to work directly with the public.

On the podcast, Jeremy tells us what you can expect at a UKVCAS service centre during the biometric enrolment process, as well as how Mudrā Services is expanding its service offerings to immigration law firms.

Visa Applicants: Find out more about the Biometric Enrolment Appointment services Mudrā Services offers on the Help with my visa! website.

Immigration Law Firms: Contact Jeremy directly to find out how Mudrā Services can help with your back office and administrative tasks on the Mudrā Services website.

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we get the low-down on the UK’s new Points-based System for visas and immigration from Ian Robinson, a Partner at global immigration law firm Fragomen.  

Ian talks us through the recent changes to the UK visa system, including the introduction of the Skilled Worker visa.  

He also covers the EU Settlement Scheme and IDV apps that are helping people navigate the UK’s visa and immigration system remotely from their own phones.  

Ian also gives some excellent guidance to people considering moving to a new country, what they should consider when choosing a destination and what types of UK visas they should investigate before they make a decision on how to proceed.  

While the podcast gives an excellent overview of the UK visa and immigration system changes and what you should consider if you’re thinking about emigrating, none of the content Ian covers should be treated as legal advice and you should always refer to the law or speak to an expert immigration advisor before making such a decision.

The next episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast is now live!

In it we talk to Emerging Markets Consultant Carina Bedford where she gives us her 5 Top Tips for staying safe when travelling.

As an experienced traveller, Carina has visited 80 countries for business, pleasure and volunteer work, including 35 countries in Africa.

From her travel experiences and the ‘hostile environment’ training courses she’s attended she gives us a run-down of the things you need to be aware of when travelling somewhere new and unfamiliar.

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we talk to Linda Richards about how to successfully sell an overseas property.

Linda had two distinguished careers in travel and real estate and recently sold her overseas home in Spain to move back to the UK.

She talks us through the property selling process in Spain, and compares it to how things work in the UK.

The podcast is incredibly useful for anyone looking to sell property in the UK or Spain but also gives big insights into what you need to be aware of when selling properties in other countries.

In this episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast we talk to Jetseta Co-founder and Managing Director Harold Okwa about how his company helps people get around West Africa on their schedule by matching up travel demand with spare capacity on private jets.

The next episode of the Help with my visa! Podcast is now live!

In it, we talk to Paul Harris from Smart Currency Exchange where he tells us his top 5 tips on how to get the most out of a large currency transaction.

There's a stack of amazing behind-the-scenes info that Paul goes through and you won't want to miss it, particularly if you're thinking about making a large foreign currency exchange as an investor, overseas property buyer or seller, or an international student.

Personal trainer Matt Davies takes us through his routine for preparing your body and mind for competing in major sporting events overseas.  

Being based in Jersey, one of the UK Channel Islands, means that pretty much every major event Matt has competed in - from triathlons to marathons - has meant taking at least one, but usually two flights to reach his destination.  

With the nervousness and adrenaline that comes with participating in events like the New York Marathon, which Matt ran in 2017, figuring out the logistics of how to get there in one piece along with all your equipment can be extremely difficult.  

Over the years of competing overseas Matt has developed an approach that has served him well, starting with a research plan that he begins work on weeks - if not months - in advance of the event. The level of detail he goes into is meticulous, and Matt covers important areas of preparation that can be easily overlooked as you focus on making sure your body is in tip-top condition for the event.  

If you’re into your sports and have thought about combining overseas travel with competing in an event, you’ll not want to miss this episode with Matt as he talks us through his preparation process that hasn’t failed him yet.  

And if you'd like to get in contact with Matt - who runs virtual personal training programmes - he had a website where you can find out more at https://astute.fitness/