Before I go into the topic, a little about me.

My name is Daniel Adeyinka and I have relocated through study and through work. I relocated to England (UK) through study (Master's in Digital Marketing) and relocated to Canada through work route (Permanent Resident). So I am going to be sharing my experience on both with you all.

This will be so useful for those who are not sure which one to go for and how to go about it. At the end of this long post, you will know what to do.

Don't forget to share with friend and family and tell them about Learning With Babanlar (LWB) to find relatable mentors in any field.

Situations where study route is better

If your situation is very similar to any of the experience listed below, then study route may be better for you.

• You are a fresh graduate with little to zero work experience. Fresh from university or from NYSC counts as the same. Generally, you have less than two years of experience from a known company.

• You have graduated and you have some level of experience, but you have it in different companies or in different areas. The problem here is that there is no way to show your expertise in one particular area or industry. hence, study route might be better for you to build more expertise in one area.

• You have work experience, but the companies you have worked with have little presence online. This is bad for you as there is little way to confirm your story about the company online. Not having the online presence may weaken your profile in general.

• You have work experience, but the companies you have worked for do things the old way ... for example, you have no paycheck, you have no employment letter, promotion letter ... no documents to back anything up. Your boss always uses word of mouth to do things. If this is you, just enter study jejely (lol)

• You want to change career path. You want to use your previous experience to switch careers to a similar or different field. If this is the case, study may be a better option for you.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it just shows that if you don't have the experience or documents to back up your application, it is better to start with study route.

Work route is better for the following

Just like the title says - you are relocating for work. So that means you have experience in your field. The following experiences are also good for work route

• You have worked in a known company, whether public or private company. For example, any of the financial institutions, or top companies in the country is fine. Any government parastatal is also good, especially federal government. The reason why this helps is because your application is generally more believable.

• You have a foreign degree or certification. If you are fortunate to have this, flaunt it very well. Let them know you have studied outside the country. It also helps to boost your application as an experienced and international candidate.

• You have more than two years of experience in a particular field, from known companies and you have documents to back it up. This means you have an area of expertise and you can show proof that you do the work that you say you do.

• You work with a company with international footprint. This means your company has operations outside Nigeria. Even better, they have operations outside Africa. If this is you, then work route is way beneficial for you.

• You have a skill that pays in foreign currencies. If you have already cracked the code from your current location, then use it to relocate, instead of going for study. Getting paid in foreign currency is testament that you have a skill and you are good at what you do.

If you have a situation similar to any of the above, then that is good for you. If you don't, it's not the end of the world. It's just that if you have it, it will increase your chances of getting work route.

In comparison,

Study route is better for those who don't really have evidence to back their stories and experiences.

In Africa, we use our words to defend ourselves, but in Western countries, they prefer documents or evidence instead of words. Also, you won't be present when your application is being assessed. So your document does the speaking on your behalf.

The less evidence / documents you have = focus on study route

The more evidence / documents to back your skills & experience = focus on work route

If you are interested in hearing from our mentor who has live in five countries, across four continents. She has lived in Nigeria, Russia, UK, US and Canada. She is well versed and can provide a lot of tips for you. Click the link below to join our information session coming up.

📘 Advantages of study route over work route

Study route is not bad. There are benefits to relocating as a student too

✅ You have time to learn the new culture and gain experience before you graduate.

This is only if you know what you are doing. As a student, you can take up volunteer roles in your field or similar field to build experience and add to your CV. Having work experience in the new location boosts your CV better than 20 years experience from your home country (depending on the company).

✅ You are under less pressure than those on work route.

As a student, your time in school gives you some opportunity to plan ahead, study the job market and get free references from your lecturers. If you plan yourself well, you are more prepared when you graduate.

✅ Ample time to network for the next stage

I would say that time is the major benefit of those on study route. Time to network. Time to volunteer. Time to make good relationships. Time to find your own community. Time to really prepare for life after school.

Considering that study route is usually for graduate studies, that means that you know how school is already, you know what to expect and how to manage yourself better. So you should know how to use your university time for better things that will make life after school better for you.

📘 Benefits of work route over study route

Work route has its own benefits, even though the pressure is more. Here are the list of benefits...

✅ Access to more Government resources and opportunities.

When relocating using work route, the Government of the new location believes you are more beneficial to them than students. This is because when you start work, you immediately start to pay your taxes, which is more money for the government. So, in short, the government will provide you with some resources to help you get work fast, so they can start earning from you.

✅ No restriction on work hours

As a work route recipient, you have no restriction on the number of hours you can work. If you like, combine five jobs together. The government is happy about it, because more work = more taxes to collect from you.

✅ Direct access to the job market

With a work route visa, you have unrestricted access to the job market. Potential employers care about the type of visa you have. With a work route visa, you are attractive to any employer, hence you can apply to more jobs and eventually land a job faster than with a student route visa.

With a work route, you already have experience in your field. One quick way to get a job will be to get some type of experience in your current location. This shows that you have adjusted to the country, you know how to behave in a professional setting and you won't cost the company money because of your ignorance.

Get to know more on our live session

About our Mentor, Tolulope

Her journey spans five countries across four continents.

She began her academic path at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, before getting a Nigerian Federal Government scholarship to study Medicine in Russia. After that she earned a Master's degree in Public Health at Bradford University, England. She has lived in UK, US and now reside in Canada as a permanent resident.

With a unique blend of medical training and migration experience, she's passionate and able to help newbies who are confused by their relocation plans.

Hear directly from Tolulope in our free information session and ask her your questions.

👤 Who is this for

This information session is for you if:

• You’re a recent graduate or final-year university student

• You want to study abroad but don’t know where or how to start

• You’ve applied before but got rejected and want new strategies

• You’re tired of relying on random YouTube advice or agents

• You want to hear directly from people like you who made it work

Whether you're targeting the 2025 intake or planning ahead for 2026, this will give you a clearer roadmap and confidence.

Just honest African success stories to inspire and guide you

You didn’t come this far to stop