A Nigerian family residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is facing severe hardship after the family’s breadwinner, Michael Bassey, was unable to secure the visa category required to take up a better-paying job. Bassey, an indigene of Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, relocated to the UAE in 2015 in search of better opportunities.
Five years later, shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown, his wife and four daughters joined him. After years of struggling to regularise his immigration status and maintain his family’s livelihood, Bassey is appealing to Nigerians for financial assistance to enable his family return home. 
In an emotional video shared on Facebook, the father of four recounted how a promising career opportunity unexpectedly triggered a chain of events that has left his family stranded and facing possible eviction. According to him, he worked on a contract basis in the UAE until 2022. His troubles began when his team leader informed him of an opening within the same department where he worked. The position offered better remuneration but required a different category of visa, necessitating a change of sponsoring agency.
Bassey said he resigned from the agency that secured his original visa and joined another agency in October 2022 in anticipation of obtaining the required documentation. However, the move coincided with a period during which Nigerians faced significant difficulties obtaining UAE visas. He disclosed that the new agency submitted visa applications on his behalf on five separate occasions, but each application was rejected.
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While awaiting a breakthrough, Bassey said he attended another job interview and was offered employment. However, because he lacked the appropriate visa, he was unable to take up the position. Without a steady source of income, he relied on his savings to pay rent and meet other family expenses, including the school fees of his four daughters. Over time, the savings were exhausted. According to him, the children are no longer attending school, while the family now faces the threat of homelessness after their landlady reportedly warned that they could be evicted over unpaid rent. Bassey is appealing to well-meaning Nigerians, Akwa Ibom indigenes and the Akwa Ibom State Government to assist his family with the funds required to return to Nigeria.
His story underscores the difficulties faced by some Nigerians abroad whose migration dreams have been upended by changing immigration policies, employment challenges and financial hardship, leaving them stranded far from home with limited options for survival.
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