Zimbabwean YouTuber, Florence Musemiwa says Zimbabweans on COS are leaving in droves.
In the beginning, the COS visa was a blessing and the UK wanted immigrants. However, in 2021, more people came to the UK on the COS visa.
At that time, some unethical companies started charging Zimbabweans huge amount of money to go to the UK.
Zimbabweans would arrive in the UK and there was no work for them. Some new immigrants would find themselves living in squared conditions.
The UK Home office realized that they had made a mistake and stopped the care workers from bringing their families.
Florence says most are leaving the UK for personal reasons. One of the biggest reasons is isolation and loneliness.
Florence says she arrived in the UK with her husband but they left their children. She says the uncertainty of not knowing when they would see their family is heartbreaking.
Florence says in the UK, it can get very lonely. People often don’t have the same culture and it’s not uncommon to not speak to neighbors for the whole year.
Florence says some Zimbabwean men are not used to doing chores and have struggled with taking care of the children, cooking and washing. She says some feel undermined and some never get over it and eventually go home.
Most Zimbabwean women are used to having a domestic worker or helper. Generally, there are no helpers in the UK.
The quality of life is also terrible as it is always raining and cold. She says this means most Zimbabweans are always indoors and they long for the outdoors. Many can not cope and it affects their mental health.
Another reason is unmet expectations. She says the life that most expect in UK is not the same as what they find. Florence said the difference between the dream and the reality was too big.
She says she lives in a small town with no McDonald and with no cimena, in the middle of nowhere. She says many can not afford to eat out of go on expensive holidays. She says many are always working.
In Zimbabwe, everything closes at 8pm. In the UK its always working, and life passes you by – there is no break. Most Zimbabweans need to work extra hard, because they are on minimum wage jobs. Some work two to three jobs
Please watch the video above this post for more details.
