Moving to the UK
Originally from Canada, I moved to the UK in 2015. People always ask me - don’t you miss home? Do you think you’ll move back? But if you felt the way I do in the UK, it just wouldn’t make sense. I feel more like myself than I ever did - almost like you’ve slapped a filter on my life and ramped up the saturation. Everything is in technicolour and I’ve never looked back.
If like me, moving to the UK is one of your dreams, there are a few things you should prepare for before you do.
Creating a paper trail
When you move to a new country, you don’t get to transfer over all the history and records you had where you lived previously. It’s a blank slate - part of the appeal, definitely - and the first thing you need to do is get registered in the new systems; a bank, national insurance and national healthcare.
Banking
In order to set up a bank account - and similarly for the NHS - you will need proof of identity and proof of address. Proof of identity can be your passport, but proof of address can be a bit more complicated as the simpler evidence to obtain is often not accepted as a valid example.
Accepted proof of address
Utility bills (council tax, water, gas)
Drivers license
Bank statement
HMRC issues notifications
Not accepted proof of address
Private tenancy agreements
Phone bills
The level of proof also depends on the bank you choose, and sometimes even the advisor you have an appointment with. After reading a lot of horror stories on forums about which bank was the most lenient, I went with Lloyds and luckily got set up quite quickly. Proof of address can be a bit chicken and egg if you are looking to get a bank statement as soon as you arrive, because why would you have a utility bill, or a drivers license already? Why would you have a bank statement if you are trying to sign up for your very first one in the UK?! With hindsight, I think there are a few workarounds I could have done to get a proof of address quicker that I would recommend;
Have your existing bank issue a paper statement to the UK. Dependent on whether you have an address confirmed of where you will live, a lot of banks will update your contact details and send over a one-time statement
Exchange or request a drivers license. The process for obtaining a drivers license (even a learners permit) as a form of identification can be very quick. You can submit a form via the post office with a passport-style photo and your new address. Dependent on your home country, you can also possibly exchange your previous drivers license for a full UK drivers license so that your don’t need to take any further tests.
In the meantime, you can always wait to get a bank account until you’ve received a bill to your new address! And I would also recommend looking up which banks have partnerships, as you may find you can use your debit card to withdraw money from a partner bank without incurring any currency conversion fees.
Building credit
I struggled with this personally, as I didn’t have too many direct debits out of my bank account to build up a credit history. It wasn’t until about my 3rd year in London that I got approved for a credit card. There are definite differences in the ways people manage money in the UK, and I also found that not everyone has credit cards from a young age. It’s perfectly normal to just live off of a debit card - but I wanted to build up more credit for when I applied for a mortgage.
What I found useful to add more history to my name and address was to register to vote in my borough, as the voter registration is fed into credit scoring. Find out if you're eligible to vote in the UK.
National Insurance Number
NI registration was the most straightforward, but you can only do it from the UK because your visa has to be validated at customs. I gave it a day after I arrived and spoke with someone over the phone with my information. After that, they send an application form to your UK address and you fill it in with a copy of your passport and visa to send back with a pre-paid envelope. Within a few weeks you should receive your NIS number by mail and it’s used for all your employment and tax records. Apply for an National Insurance number.
National Healthcare Number
NHS registration will give you access to healthcare, but you may need to wait a little longer to set it up as it requires your NI number to apply. The key difference I noticed in the UK was that you must be registered locally - so if you move, you have to re-register with a local surgery/clinic. In order to get an NHS number, you need to go to a local healthcare practice and there will be a form to fill out. Similar to banking, this can also require a proof of address, so bring along the same documents. Once you are registered, your number never changes but be mindful that often you also build other identifiers like hospital numbers if you’ve ever been admitted and those are linked to your records.
Finding where to live
Where you settle and find accommodation is incredibly personal and can have so many factors from where you will be working to the type of areas you enjoy spending time. An added complexity however would be making that decision when you may not know all the areas so well, or not know where you’ll be working if you’ve not yet secured employment. As a result, I would say your first place to live can be transitional and it just a solid place to land while you figure out everything else. That can leave you a few options from hostels, to AirBnBs, or you can try and secure a flat virtually before you move.
I was lucky enough to secure a flat before I left, which meant I had my future address to start getting my proof of address. How I did this was exactly the same as how you would find a place if you were already in the UK - flat sharing sites like SpareRoom, where you can look at new listing in any area and contact the listing for more details. I found a flat in an area I knew from previous visits and had a video call with the landlord to discuss whether they would be willing to hold the room for me until I arrived. They kindly agreed and even offered me some advice in terms of phone plan providers to help set that up before I arrived as well.
Finding a job
Probably the biggest question - how do you find a job? What I’ve learned about the UK is that there is a prevalence of recruiters to manage jobs, so your best bet is to start contacting recruiters on LinkedIn and get them to start sending you potential roles. You may also find that the way you have laid our your resume or CV may not suit the market terminology, so I would recommend talking through your experience with a few recruiters and asking them for advice on how you can better communicate it through your CV.
It took me four months to find a job once I had arrived - thank goodness I had saved up before I moved to account for this - but be patient and don’t expect everything to come together right away. Take the time to settle into your new home, your neighbourhood and how you can start building a network and doing things you love outside work as well. It can be incredibly frustrating and demotivating when it takes longer than you hoped, but just have faith that it will all be worth it when it does.