And the Saga Continues!
As most of you know, I’ve been staying in the UK on a Student Visa. There was a lot of drama involved in getting that visa, securing a place at the University of Dundee and then keeping my studies funded yet I managed, with the help of a fantastic group of supportive people, to push through and graduate last June with my Masters in English. Graduation of course meant that there was a change in my immigration status but Andy and I had already decided which Visa I’d be trying to transition to and we relocated to Glasgow, intending to fill out the forms once we had everything sorted after moving.
Earlier this week I started filling the forms in. While Andy was cruising the UK Border Agency website looking for some answers, he found that as of October 1st 2010 the rules applying to Student Visas had changed. Suddenly it looked like I had unintentionally become an illegal alien under the new regulations.
It is difficult to describe just how scary that thought is especially when as we searched for specific answers we found less and less information publicly available. We decided that the best course of action was to start planning my immediate departure, in an effort to show instant compliance with the law as it now stands and that I visit Citizens Advice to figure out exactly what had happened and what I should be doing. If it turned out I had violated my Student Visa, even by accident, there could be serious complications with getting my new Visa issued. Overstaying, even through innocent ignorance, is seriously frowned upon.
Thankfully Citizens Advice came through in spades by providing special information and reassurance. While it isn’t clear whether I’m currently an illegal alien or about to become one, the course of action remains the same. I’m leaving Scotland on Friday the 19th of November and will be applying for my new Visa state-side as the process can take upwards of three months at the minimum. There are several reasons besides legality that this is best course of action. My Mum’s health has been declining in fits and starts since the autumn of 2008 so I’ll have plenty of time to get her sorted out properly. It also means I’ll be able to spend the holidays at home, that if the worst comes to pass and the Visa is denied I’ll be in the right place to just get on with things.
To say the situation sucks is a gross understatement. No wants to leave their partner, pet and home for three months while a faceless entity decides the ‘best’ course of action. Even if the Visa is denied, Andy and I have already agreed that we aren’t going to throw away the last few years. We will figure things out as they happen, as we have always done. There are other options, it’s just they aren’t ideal but then that is nothing new either. It will be business as usual, just in a different time zone. If you’d like to see me before I leave Scotland OR you would like to make plans to catch up once I’m stateside, either text my mobile or Facebook me.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that helped this crazy situation come to fruition and are supporting its continuation. While I may never fully understand why so many of you are willing to step into the breach for Andy and I, whether it’s financially or just through good will, it is deeply appreciated. I will do my damnedest to make sure that your belief and faith in us, as individuals, are repaid in kind.
Thank you,
C
Earlier this week I started filling the forms in. While Andy was cruising the UK Border Agency website looking for some answers, he found that as of October 1st 2010 the rules applying to Student Visas had changed. Suddenly it looked like I had unintentionally become an illegal alien under the new regulations.
It is difficult to describe just how scary that thought is especially when as we searched for specific answers we found less and less information publicly available. We decided that the best course of action was to start planning my immediate departure, in an effort to show instant compliance with the law as it now stands and that I visit Citizens Advice to figure out exactly what had happened and what I should be doing. If it turned out I had violated my Student Visa, even by accident, there could be serious complications with getting my new Visa issued. Overstaying, even through innocent ignorance, is seriously frowned upon.
Thankfully Citizens Advice came through in spades by providing special information and reassurance. While it isn’t clear whether I’m currently an illegal alien or about to become one, the course of action remains the same. I’m leaving Scotland on Friday the 19th of November and will be applying for my new Visa state-side as the process can take upwards of three months at the minimum. There are several reasons besides legality that this is best course of action. My Mum’s health has been declining in fits and starts since the autumn of 2008 so I’ll have plenty of time to get her sorted out properly. It also means I’ll be able to spend the holidays at home, that if the worst comes to pass and the Visa is denied I’ll be in the right place to just get on with things.
To say the situation sucks is a gross understatement. No wants to leave their partner, pet and home for three months while a faceless entity decides the ‘best’ course of action. Even if the Visa is denied, Andy and I have already agreed that we aren’t going to throw away the last few years. We will figure things out as they happen, as we have always done. There are other options, it’s just they aren’t ideal but then that is nothing new either. It will be business as usual, just in a different time zone. If you’d like to see me before I leave Scotland OR you would like to make plans to catch up once I’m stateside, either text my mobile or Facebook me.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everybody that helped this crazy situation come to fruition and are supporting its continuation. While I may never fully understand why so many of you are willing to step into the breach for Andy and I, whether it’s financially or just through good will, it is deeply appreciated. I will do my damnedest to make sure that your belief and faith in us, as individuals, are repaid in kind.
Thank you,
C