My wife's first entry to Edinburgh

One has to make many mistakes in the life.  An old Chinese saying claims that successes are the sons of failures.  Obvious some 'mothers' have no 'son' at all.  And there are some errors one should ever avoid.

My wife was then working in a local music school, teaching piano.  All her students loved her very much.  She was quite reluctant to quit her job.  She also didn't speak much English then.  She finally agreed to pause her job for a while.  She emphasized, half seriously, "I can go and have a look to see if it is good enough."

My experience in Edinburgh had been so nice, that I decided to go back as soon as possible to continue my job.  I was moving from Roslin Institute to the Edinburgh University, I thus needed a new work permit.  The new one had no defined date.  So I used the first one, which was still valid for several months, for my wife and son's visa application.

This application for my wife was very easy, despite  there were so many rumours about how bad the immigration officers are.  And then my family made the trip.

I can still remember clearly when my wife holding my son, who was only half a year old, waiting at the rear of the plane in Heathrow, for all the rest passengers going to the front to get off.  An mistress of the British Airway opened the back door of the plane, "You can use this door."
"Yes?", I replied.
"Yes, specially for you." She smiled at us.

After a few hours, we transferred from London to Edinburgh. Before the border desk, I was questioned by an immigration officer, "What are you doing here?"
"I am going to work in the University, for 3 years." I showed him my visa, which was only valid for a few months.
"Oh yes. You can continue your visa here."  He stamped it, and it turned into a 3-year visa.

Then he turned to my wife, "What are you doing here?"
"She is visiting me, also maybe some sightseeing, to see if she is going to stay here."  I replied for her.  I was till thinking about my wife's reluctance to come here.
"Is she going to stay with you?", the officer asked.
"... Yes, if she found it worthy to stay here."

"Then this is not a right visa.  She need a dependant visa, not a visiting one." He continued, "She has to go back to China."
"What?" I couldn't believe my ears.
The officer repeated his words, and added, presuming he was not that cruel, "She can stay here for a short period, since your baby is so young.  Otherwise, they can't even enter this border.  But after this period (21 days), she has to go.  "

I was speechless.

Until today, I still don't understand what was the officer's logic.  Even my wife decided to live with me in Edinburgh after that several months, she could fly back and apply the visas in a normal process.  Rather than to be sent back as if she was an illegal immigrant.