Returning to England

By Monica Hernandez

LONDON--Millions of people travel throughout the year to experience the different cultures of the world. Many visit for a short amount of time while others spend longer periods abroad. Some even decide to make their visit permanent. Immigration and emigration is a complicated issue. Many people face the hardships on waiting and wondering if they will be let into the country.

England is a popular country full of tourists along with immigrants. According to the Office of National Statistics, in 2011, “13 percent of the resident population of England and Wales were born outside the UK.”

Nadia Jennings, a 25 year-old American, is one of those statistics living in London, England. She said she first experienced England when she was a junior in college when she studied abroad through the Academic Program International, API. After returning to the United States to finish her undergraduate degree, Jennings said she soon made the decision to return to England.

“I knew after studying that I wanted to come back to live here,” Jennings said. “I just felt the city had a lot to offer in terms of arts and career and people from all over the world with stories. And inspiration is everywhere you look.”

Soon after completing her degree, she researched ways on retaining a visa to be able to work in Europe. Many restrictions hinder immigration into not only England but all over the world. Some people are granted visas while others find different ways to enter the country. Jennings said she was able to retain the proper documents needed to not only live in Europe but to work in Europe. She discovered that she was qualified to become a citizen of Portugal.

“Because my mother is Portuguese, I was eligible for a Portuguese passport. So I applied for dual citizenship,” she said.

Her application was granted, she packed her bags, and she flew to Berlin, Germany, to start her new life. But, she soon found that living in Berlin was harder than expected.

“I moved there and lived there for a year but struggled because I didn't have any German language skills. I was kind of learning as I was going,” she said. “Work-wise, it was a challenge.”

Jennings returned to the States after finding economic hardship. She then wrote to her API adviser, expressing her wish to return to Europe. Months went by. Jennings said she was looking into graduate school when she received a phone call from the API Regional Director for the UK, Rachel Wellborn. She informed Jennings that a position had opened up. Jennings had an interview and was not only offered the position in London but was accepted into the graduate schools in England that she applied to.

Jennings now works for API as the Co-Resident Director of London. She said she hopes to move back to Germany in the future to start a new chapter.  

Watch this slideshow to hear Nadia's depiction of moving to England and her current job.

In the event the slideshow does not play click here.