move to UK for a year

So I previously noted on this that I would qualify for a work visa if I had a bachelor’s degree. I went back to school in January to work on getting that, so I would qualify. Imagine my ire when, in March, they changed the immigration requirements so that a bachelor’s no longer gave you any points towards qualifying for a work visa—one must have at least a master’s degree. (Hint: I was pretty irate.) Nonetheless, I’ve continued working on my degree, and expect to be granted it in 2011. I am working on what I will want to do a master’s in, in case they haven’t changed the rules by then. It’s pretty upsetting, and really damn expensive, so I’ve actually decided that after all this work and money, I will want to move there for at least five years, rather than just one. I mean, if I spend five years working concertedly on getting there, it just seems fair.

I think I can, I think I can. Just keep swimming!

I’ve run through visa quiz thingies online, where you see if your qualifications are enough to get a work visa or not, before. Sadly, while I used to be qualified, they’ve recently changed the program and now I no longer have enough points to qualify for a UK work visa. Accordingly, I changed my plans slightly, and decided to go back to school and finish my baccalaureate, as that would qualify me. So I estimate I have between three and five years to achieve that goal, depending on where I finish my junior/senior years of school (cheaper state school will take me 3.5 years, more expensive private school may take as little as 2). For now, I am registered for classes at community college to finish my sophomore year and earn an associate’s degree, which will take me 4 or 5 semesters… but on the bright side, is far cheaper than university (< $3k for the rest of the degree, vs. $20-$30k for the last two years). So the plans to move before I turn 35 (in four years) will obviously be affected by how long it takes to earn this degree. On the bright side, my family will quit asking me when I’m going to go back to school!

I seem to have better luck with things when I set dates for them, so I am currently thinking of a date in about 4 years, when I turn 35. It seems very far off, I don’t know if I want to wait that long. We’ll see.

I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time, and I’ve always thought that one of the prerequisites for doing so would be to have a pile of cash in savings to fall back on in case I have problems finding a job. Namely, I’ve thought I should have basically one year’s salary saved.

Trouble is, I have credit-card debt, and I need to save for retirement, and who the heck can save piles and piles of cash??

I’ve decided, though, to start working on this anyways. Maybe I can’t put aside ten thousand dollars right away. Maybe I can only put away $20. But that’s $20 towards my goal that I didn’t have before, and so what if it takes me ten years to save up for it; realistically speaking, I have committments (said debt, etc.) that will take a while to clear up before I’d feel comfortable planning to make such a jump.

Maybe I’m overthinking things, but I’m a methodical sort of person and so that’s why I like to have things all tied up neat before making sweeping changes.

I have two cats, and I’ve done the research as to what would be necessary to take them with me. Sadly, my elder cat I don’t think will be alive for long enough that I’ll have accomplished my savings goals (he’s already 16, so I’m lucky to still have him as it is). But my younger cat will need to come with me. He’s a skittish sort of cat and imagining putting him in a kitty carrier for a transatlantic flight is bad enough without imagining him in a six-month quarantine. Fortunately, the US and UK have a program whereby if your cat is up to date on his shots, and you have him get booster shots each month for six months, and your veterinarian provides all the documentation, that’s acceptable in lieu of the quarantine. So once I do decide I’m preparing to make the jump, I know what I need to do to take care of Kiyoshi, which is a nice thing to have a handle on.

Now, the work visa …that’s another thing entirely! Fortunately I don’t have to worry about it until my savings are more than $20. :)