As many readers of this blog already know, on February 12 we received the unwelcome news that our application to extend our stay in the UK was refused. After some exceedingly quick legal consultations, we decided to leave and apply for re-entry into the UK from the US. On the morning of February 15 we were on a plane back to the US.
I've delayed writing about this until now because the situation was unresolved, and somewhat painful. But now that we're back in the UK it's easier for me to put pen to paper to recall what happened. This is the first of three posts I'll make about the last three weeks, this one covering our hasty exit from England back to the US.
The Original Plan
When we first arrived in the UK, we had work visas tied to my employment at Microsoft. We knew when we left that we'd have to apply for "leave to stay" once we'd arrived in the UK, for when the work permit expired. I had been planning to switch to
academic visitor status, designed for professors like me taking sabbaticals in the UK, following the advice of
Worldbridge, a company the British Consulate employs in the US to answer questions. In a revolting development, I discovered once we got here that you cannot switch to academic visitor status from within the UK; you have to go back to your home country to apply.
To avoid having to leave, we decided to apply for
Tier 1 General status, a part of the Highly Skilled Migrant Program that uses a points-based system to approve applications. As a Ph.D. with a good income from an English-speaking country, we met the points requirements. If accepted, we'd be eligible to stay for up to 3 years. Therefore, at the end of November we worked hard to put together the application materials and supporting documentation, and sent off the applications. It was useful that I'd already planned a US trip just for me (for a student's Ph.D. defense) so I could retrieve affadavits from my Department, and even train up to Philadelphia for a certified translation of my Doctoral diploma (Penn writes these in Latin, believe it or not!).
As of February 12, we had been waiting for 12 weeks to hear the results. Normally the process takes around 6 weeks. The problem with the long delay, aside from the anxiety it created, was that we were without passports, since they were included with our application. So we couldn't leave the UK without requesting the passports back, but this would cancel our application. While waiting, I ended up aborting two trips, one to the US and one to Sweden.
The Unfortunate DecisionWe finally learned from the UK Border Agency that a package had been sent to us on February 5, via recorded delivery. But the package took a week to show up. Thanks to
all the snow the UK received in the week that followed, the Royal Mail was all gummed up. When I finally picked up our package at the delivery office on Thursday the 12th, I was fairly optimistic we'd finally received the good news. I was very disheartened to learn we'd been refused.
It turns out that we made a mistake with the paperwork. The application stated we needed to provide two forms of evidence, drawn from a list of approved documents, for income over the past year. We did that: a letter from my employer, and three payslips whose sum-totals could be used to add up to the claimed amounts. Unfortunately, I missed an important caveat: the two forms of evidence needed to be from
different sources. I'd provided two forms of evidence from the same source, my employer. So the examiners gave me no points for income, and in one fell swoop killed the application.
It would have been nice if the examiners had asked to see some additional documents, e.g., bank statements. It would have been easy to provide them. Instead they decided to reject the entire application. An attorney I spoke with told me they used to routinely ask for additional documents, but with the advent of the "objective" points-based system, they were apparently being sticklers for the rules, and reducing interaction with the applicant. This inflexibility resulted in significant anxiety and expense for us!
I take away two lessons from this process. First, don't take your sabbatical to a foreign country without a visa that covers the whole trip. The anxiety and hassle of it all is just not worth it. Second, don't skimp on paperwork. If they ask for two documents, give them five. We'd been told by a Microsoft attorney to not to send "extraneous" paperwork, since it could slow application processing, so we'd tried to keep all the documentation to a minimum. But now I realize that slowing the process is far better than being refused!
Preparing to LeaveWe had a right to appeal the application decision, but I was unable to speak with anyone who could convince me we had a good chance of success, and we were all frankly tired of living with an uncertain status. Moreover, the kids were fortuitously out of school for the following week's half-term break, so there would be less impact from missing school if we were to leave and apply from the US. So we quickly purchased some plane tickets and set about packing up.
We were sad, getting ready to leave. Confident though uncertain we'd be coming back, we packed heavy just in case we'd stay in the US. Going through the house to decide what stays and what goes was hard. Our friend Lauren was a great help to us that Friday (the 13th!) and all the friends we saw that day were supportive. I ended up attending the St. Alban's Friday assembly, and I was very impressed with Mr. McCrossan, the Head Teacher, and how he managed to commend, exhort, and entertain the whole student body, from Reception to Year 6, for nearly 45 minutes. My already high opinion of him was further elevated, making it more disheartening to think of leaving permanently.
On Saturday we finished packing up, and spent some time with our friends across the street, Steve and Rebecca and the kids (the youngest, Seamus, is in Timmy's class), who were kind of enough to keep watch of
Wanda the fish, and the house, while we were gone. We also saw Matthieu, Colin's buddy from school, and his Mum and sister, who were kind enough to stop by to wish us off. Mixed feelings again.
Finally we taxied to Parker's Piece to catch the Coach to Heathrow, to stay at a hotel overnight. The trip was fine but for two issues. First, the journey was protracted, making 8 stops prior to arriving at Heathrow, largely traveling less-trafficked roads. Sitting at the back of the bus, all the bouncing and turning made everyone a bit sick. Second, it was very difficult (moreso than when we came) to manage all of the bags. But we had assistance from people at the Central Bus Station and the hotel, which was much appreciated.
On Sunday, we were lucky enough that our flight left a bit early, and arrived even earlier, 50 minutes or so.
(Funny story: it took me two trips to get the bags inside from where the shuttle dropped us off. In the 15 seconds in between, the United Airlines staff called the airport police to collect the first two, thinking it odd to see someone run in, leave two bags near the check-in counter, and run out!) Everyone was well-rested when my father picked us up in our van at the airport. We were tired, but happy to be back. When we arrived at my parents' house, I immediately set to work on putting together our batch of applications for an academic visitor visa, which is of course the visa I had expected to be getting when planning our sabbatical the previous April!
Next: our US holiday!
Our sudden trip back to the US alerted us that our time here in England is passing quickly, and we returned with an attitude to make the most of it. So just a few days after our return to Cambridge, we set off for a weekend in Canterbury. Travel by train is great. It's so much less hassle than flying and sometimes not much more time than driving. This photo includes the River Stour and a nearby street, proof that the towns here really are old, quaint and lovely, just as we imagine.
We started our weekend by attending Evensong prayers performed by the boys and men's choir at the Canterbury Cathedral on the evening of our arrival. The Cathedral has been a site of Christian worship for over 1400 years. The present Cathedral has sections dating to the 11th century. It is the site of the murder of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1170. The shrine dedicated to him quickly became a pilgrimage site, hence the destination of Geoffrey Chaucer's pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales.
From there we explored various areas and attractions in Canterbury. The town center is much smaller than Cambridge, which isn't too big either. The streets are narrower, the buildings less grand and more crowded. Despite the modern shops and restaurants, the area still retains a medieval quality. We visited several museums which included seeing an actual archeological sight underground revealing the Roman city remains from the first 4 centuries AD, trying on lots of medieval armor and helmets, and making brass rubbings. The boys and I also took a boat tour on the River Stour.
Canterbury boasts among its other famous inhabitants St. Augustine of Canterbury, Christopher Marlowe, Robert Cushman, the Clangers (and their creators), Joseph Conrad, Orlando Bloom, and the head of St. Thomas More. The Canterbury Museum offered loads of information about them. 
