I continue to appreciate all of the great advice I read here, and have one more question that I'd like to poll the collective wisdom of everyone to figure out the best strategy.
Background. I've been working in the UK for the last 5 1/2 months on the BUNAC Scheme, which expires in 2 weeks.
The company I worked for has applied for Tier 2 Sponsorship eligibility, and this morning they are showing up on the 'Register of Sponsors'
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points/sponsoringmigrants/registerofsponsors/.
I've been concerned about the sponsorship happening and began investigating Tier 1 as an option, and still think this is best for me long term.
The way I see it, my options as follows:
1. Leave UK on 28/12 (end of BUNAC work permit), return mid January on Tier 2 Sponsorship, apply for Tier 1 from within the UK before 30/3 (my birthday which is a threshold for points).
2. Leave UK on 28/12, gather documentation for Tier 1, apply for Tier 1 from within the US in Mid-January. Likely hear news in early March (?).
Are there advantages from a paper work/effort standpoint in one approach over the other? It seems Tier 1 is more expensive to apply for in the UK when switching, than it is to apply for in the US from scratch.
Are there any things that I should be aware of that might be easily missed in approach 1?
Thanks,
Duane-O
