Timeline/Nursing Details

 Just wanted to share our timeline of events for those who are interested in what we have done in this process to move over and work in the UK and what we have to come....(warning, long post):

December 31, 2019- 

We rang in the New Year of 2020 (boy we didn’t expect what this year would bring) at home and with a 18month old, we watch the fireworks over Big Ben (on TV) in London at 6pm our time, before putting her to bed. We stayed up and had along conversation about our happiness and future for our family. Not to say we weren’t happy where we were at, we just knew we wanted to do something else while we could (before Emme is in school). Why not move to the UK for 2.5 years, can’t be that difficult right?? WRONG. Lol. This started our journey. 

January 2020-

After LOTS of research and digging deeper, we realized we could apply for a UK Spouse visa for myself and that Daniel and Emme could just enter the UK on their UK passports (Emme is automatically a dual US/UK citizen just based on her parent’s countries of birth.) Because Daniel did not have a annual salaried job, it was going to be a bit more difficult to prove that we were eligible for this visa. Daniel has loved his job here in the states, but the downfall of it was that the winters were slow and therefore laid off (great for childcare and family time, bad for UK spouse visas). To apply for the visa we basically had to provide 6 months of continuous pay stubs to apply. We realized this was going to be a LONG process as it was the middle of their winter season and was laid off. We enlisted the help of a wonderful lawyer who basically said the same that we had researched but said he would help nonetheless when we could apply (he was seriously amazing if anyone needs help!)

February 2020-

Daniel back to work a couple days a week (this can count towards our 6 months). We prepped our home for sale with a planned posting date in March.

March 2020-

COVID. Covid threw what the UK call a "spanner" into the works. We were on track for applying for our visa July 17th or so and being over by August, but COVID hit. Everything shut down, including Daniel's job. Thankfully he really only missed one full week of work but this would still take a hit to the 6months overall salary. The visa offices also closed and we were at a standstill. We stopped the process and did not put our house for sale. This was a hard time as we really didn't know what was going to happen and if the move could happen or not.

April-June 2020-

 COVID still had the visa centers closed, Daniel thankfully working full time at his job as was I at the hospital as a nurse. 

July 2020- 

We got word that the visa office would re-open end of July. We celebrated my 30th Birthday at the beach in Indiana-woohoo!

August 5, 2020- 

Our application could FINALLY be submitted. After loads and loads of documents were scanned in and sent to lawyer and letters were drawn up for proof of our marriage and Daniel's employment, we finally submitted. Now, normally you can submit your application and pretty much the next day go to any Visa Center Fingerprinting service available and just walk in and get it done. With COVID I had to book an appointment and could not get in for a month (further delay).

September 4, 2020-

 I drove 3 hours down to St Louis, MO, walked into the government building for 5 minutes, got fingerprinted, walked out, and drove 3 hours back. After this appointment I just had to sit around and wait, not knowing if I would be accepted until my passport was returned to me and in my hands. 

Oct 1, 2020- 

We sold our home/ had our closing meeting. It was so bittersweet, it was our first home we have both ever owned and together. We brought Emme home as a newborn to this home and had so many great memories in it. We knew this day would eventually come, but nonetheless it was hard. We moved into an Airbnb in the same town and both continued to work while we waited for my visa.

October 6, 2020- 

My passport came in the mail with a letter attached saying I was approved!! (This visa allows my to live and work in the UK until December 2023) We booked our plane tickets the same day to leave Chicago, IL and fly to London, UK. We knew this would hopefully come and with an approval letter so we were pretty much packed and ready to book flights when it happened. We chose to leave when we are to allow for Daniel to finish out his work schedule and allow me to tie up any loose ends here (doc appts, bank details, sell the car, etc).

Timeline/Dates looking ahead....

October 15, 2020- 

We will leave Chicago, IL on the 15th of October and arrive in the UK on the morning of October 16th. When we arrive we have to quarantine per government rules for 14 days. We will be staying with my mother in law for this time. 

October 30, 2020- 

We are able to be out of quarantine. We are thinking we will do something in the spirit of Halloween, hopefully nice enough weather to go to the farm park/pumpkin patch or something?

November 3-5, 2020-

 So what I haven't mentioned above is that I plan to work in a position at the hospital in the town we will be living in. I will continue to be a pediatric nurse. LOTS of steps have had to happen for me to start to become a nurse in the UK and still more steps to follow. 

----Application to the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council), lots of documents scanned and sent in as well as a physician physical, state verifications, school verifications, and FBI background check. 

----Computer test. For those who are nurses, its not as bad as the NCLEX, but I did still have to go to a Pearson Vue testing center in Iowa to take the test which was about 200ish questions on pediatric nursing. It wasn't super easy but it wasn't super difficult either. I did pass.

----Prep Course: 3-5th November I'm going up to Manchester which is about 3.5 hours by train to attend a prep course to get me ready for my last step, the dreaded OSCE. It's an in person test that is scenario based. You don't know your scenario until you walk into the station and there are 6 (i think?) stations to pass. It's very hard and there are 50 things they tick off that you have to do in each station and if you forget to do one thing, you fail that station. My hope is attending the course will give me that better chance to pass on first try!!!

November 16, 2020- 

Take the OSCE in Oxford, UK. If I pass, then it will take about 30 days to receive my nursing pin that allows me to start work (IL nurses can feel my pain on how long it takes to get your letter of pass for the NCLEX)

This is about as far out as I know our lives for now. The main questions I get when people found out we are moving were hopefully answered above...where will you work? where will you live? Can you be a nurse there? How? Was it hard to apply to live in another country...etc. Any other questions please feel free to comment!