Where there is a will there is a way. Do your homework well.

My immigration story began… I must say in September 2007 when I’m came to England as a university student. As years went by, I was so used to living here and being a part of the life in the UK, I realized I did not want to go back after I finish my studies in 2011. Also with Tier 1 Post Study Visa coming to an end in April 2012, I thought this was a sign that I had to apply for it and see what happens afterwards. However being 21, I was still not completely independent from my parents and guess what? They did not want me to go back to the UK after graduating - at all! As I share my story with you, you will see July 2011 – October 2011 was a difficult period for me, but with patience, determination and a bit of rigorous research, I was able to overcome the challenges.

First of all, even though I consider myself as a good researcher, I did not do my homework well enough for the kind of visa I was applying for. Do not make my mistake! When I went to a Post Study Visa information session in June 2011, I was pretty certain I would come back to the UK on my student visa in September (as it was not going to finish until October 2011) and apply for a visa from the UK. If I paid in £800 into my UK account in June, the 3 month period would have been up by September and everything would have gone smoothly. However to my surprise, I found out that I cannot actually enter the UK after my graduation on a student visa, and once I change to a tourist visa to enter the UK, I cannot apply for a Post Study Work visa again!

At that time (June 2011) I did not have the £800 in my bank account (has to be there at least 3 months prior to the application) to apply for the visa before I leave the UK in July. My advice to all is to make sure you have the required amount not just for a 3 month period prior to your application, but to put it there and forget about it at least 6 months before your application. When I read the forums over the summer, 80% of the questions were about the finances, and most were about the time period being short of 90 days prior to the application – an aspect of your immigration process which can be solved easily if the instructions are followed attentively.

The only alternative solution was for me to ask my father to pay in £2800 in my own account in Turkey immediately (he did this very reluctantly), wait for three months in Turkey and apply in September 2011. However, there was something I did not realize – my dad opened a fixed deposit account on my name and the UKBA is not 100% comfortable with fixed deposit accounts as rules differ in each country! I spent the summer reading various forums and found out that the best solution was to ask your bank to produce an individual letter for you mentioning your fixed deposit account situation. Turkish banking system does not allow this, but I contacted the headquarters (I told you it was not an easy summer!) and they agreed to do it as a one off to help with my case. So do not give up easily.

In addition to my visa specific problems, I had to convince my parents to give me their support (emotionally and financially) with me going back to the UK and I did this step by step throughout the summer by being very patient with them and explaining the reasons why England is better suited to my careers aspirations. Most of you will not have to deal with a similar situation but if you are a bit young to be migrating to another country like me, my advise is be very patient with your parents and show them what you really want. After all they want the best for you and even though most of them will prefer it if you stayed close to them physically, at the end they will see that this is not what will make you happy.

On the 30^th of September I received my visa and I arrived to the UK on the 8^th of October. Since then, I have been working part time for a social media management in London and working on setting up my own business in Brighton. Everything is going really well for me so far and even though I had the toughest summer of all, I can definitely say it is worth the effort. It was a bit challenging at the beginning as I had to re-adjust to life in the UK as an adult (not a student anymore). This did not only include looking for a job, but also setting up council tax payments, applying for a national insurance number and creating a joint bank account with my partner. It has been a bit more than two months since I came here and I can say I am almost fully adjusted and looking forward to seeing my business take off.

To sum up, if you think the UK is the right place for you, do not give up! The immigration process is bothersome, time consuming and frustrating at times but this is just the way it is. It is better to accept that you will face some difficulties (especially if you have not done your homework well like me!) but I hope my story proves that if there is a will, there is a way. Best of luck with your application!