Very Late Curtailed Leave to Remain Letter

[katbot]

I was living in the UK for 3 years on a Tier 2 InterCompany Transfer visa, but I ended up leaving the company and my last day of work was 28 July 2017. I recently found out that my employer notified HMRC of my departure on 6 September 2017. I left the country officially on 11 September 2017 and have been living in Spain on a student visa since then. I have visited the UK maybe 20 days total as a tourist over the last 10 months.

Recently I have been applying for Tier 2 General Sponsorship jobs and hoping to return in October 2018 after the 12 months cooling off period, but I just today (26 July 2018) got the Curtailed Leave to Remain letter that says I must leave the UK by 24 September 2018. Is this letter just very late or will this conflict with applying for a new T2G visa after September 2018? Do I have to obtain another visa before 24 September 2018 if I want to return?

Obviously very keen to return but don't want to waste my 12 months cooling off period that I thought I had almost completed.

[CR001]

I recently found out that my employer notified HMRC of my departure on 6 September 2017.

Presumably you mean HO (Home Office) and not the tax man.

I left the country officially on 11 September 2017 and have been living in Spain on a student visa since then. I have visited the UK maybe 20 days total as a tourist over the last 10 months.

Do you have evidence of leaving the UK? On what visa have you been entering the UK as a visitor?

[katbot]

Presumably you mean HO (Home Office) and not the tax man.

Yes, oops! I meant the Home Office.

Do you have evidence of leaving the UK?

I have a evidence of my one-way flight leaving the UK, long-term visa info for Spain, signed year lease for an apartment in Madrid, proof of paid tuition for my university. Is there another type of evidence that I need?

On what visa have you been entering the UK as a visitor?

Just a tourism visa, which as a US citizen I assumed I didn't need to do any paperwork. Also the times I've gone through passport control entering the UK they mentioned that it said in their system that my visa had expired.