Before Arrival in UK

[HSMP_NEW_COMER]

Hi All

I am planning to arrive in UK in the next two months and holding a Tier 1 visa.

Could you please suggest the things that need to be taken care of before arriving to UK .I live in India and want to be fully prepared before entering UK ( Money to be brought,Mobile,Legal Requirements) and the mandatory requirements when applying for a JOB .

Thanks in advance

[amar_2009]

its a good point. I am having Tier1 visa and planning to uk in next 1/2 month. Can seniors give us some suggestion about the points which should be taken care by us before arriving in UK.

This will help a lot of guys preparing to go UK with Tier 1 visa .

[nksg]

Though this topic has already been discussed many times on this forums, still some advice:

1. Make sure you carry TP report and Chest X-ray at the point of entry.
2. Make sure you answer every question with confidence as i have heard from the forums that at entry points officers might try to dis-appoint you.
3. Better start appliyng from your home country (atleast start looking at the job sites like www.jobsite.co.uk, www.jobserve.com)
4. Mobile sims are usually free. I know if you go to any T-Mobile shop and ask them for a sim they will give you for free if you do £5 or £10 topup.
5. Try to contact friends/relatives who are already in UK and might help in accomodation support.
6. Money it depends on the requirements but you should carry enough so you can live for few months, preferabelly in TCs.
7. Look at sites like www.rightmove.com for the rental accomodations but dont pay any thing untill you see the accomodation.
8. Winters have started so make sure you bring winter clothing.

Thats all i can think of now.. please add if i have missed any thing.. i am sure i must have..

Hi All

I am planning to arrive in UK in the next two months and holding a Tier 1 visa.

Could you please suggest the things that need to be taken care of before arriving to UK .I live in India and want to be fully prepared before entering UK ( Money to be brought,Mobile,Legal Requirements) and the mandatory requirements when applying for a JOB .

Thanks in advance

[amar_2009]

Thank you very much for your suggestion.

[tvn_ramesh]

NKSG covered everything...

1. First point he meant to say TB test report (Tuberculoiss Report and X-ray)
2. Have your docs and certificiates handy..
3. Have the address where you will be staying in UK as it is required to be filled in the form or the Immig officer can ask..
4. if u r landing in Gatwick (not Heathrow) airport.. and have huge luggage.. try to have 1pound coin.. recession forced teh airport authorities to make passengers pay for the use of luggage trollies..

WELCOME TO UK..

[HSMP_NEW_COMER]

Hi

Thank you all for your reply , I was reading about job search do we need some prerequisite like bank account ,NHS I have really vague knowledge about it could someone ellaborate on this

[nksg]

Yes, you need a bank account.. try passport account from HSBC which is designed to cater new arrivals in UK. I am sure there will be similar accounts from other banks too.

Once you are here its always good to register yourself with the nearest GP (NHS - National Health Services) for medical needs.

Hi

Thank you all for your reply , I was reading about job search do we need some prerequisite like bank account ,NHS I have really vague knowledge about it could someone ellaborate on this

[tomkin]

4. if u r landing in Heathrow airport.. and have huge luggage.. try to have 1pound coin.. recession forced teh airport authorities to make passengers pay for the use of luggage trollies..

WELCOME TO UK..

Who told you about trollies needing £1 coins ? Don't exaggerate for the sake of it and scare new comers?

[tvn_ramesh]

4. if u r landing in Heathrow airport.. and have huge luggage.. try to have 1pound coin.. recession forced teh airport authorities to make passengers pay for the use of luggage trollies..

WELCOME TO UK..

Who told you about trollies needing £1 coins ? Don't exaggerate for the sake of it and scare new comers?

i travelled back from India on 17th June 09 n i had to put £1 n i shared my experience.. which is wat this board is for... things can change over night.. if u had travelled recently give ur experience/ update it here in a 'polite' way - i am not here to scare new comers mate..

[tomkin]

4. if u r landing in Heathrow airport.. and have huge luggage.. try to have 1pound coin.. recession forced teh airport authorities to make passengers pay for the use of luggage trollies..

WELCOME TO UK..

Who told you about trollies needing £1 coins ? Don't exaggerate for the sake of it and scare new comers?

i travelled back from India on 17th June 09 n i had to put £1 n i shared my experience.. which is wat this board is for... things can change over night.. if u had travelled recently give ur experience/ update it here in a 'polite' way - i am not here to scare new comers mate..

Sorry mate !! Its just that I work at the airport Couldn't hold my emotions

Coin operated trollies are in Gatwick not in Heathrow.

[tvn_ramesh]

Sorry mate !! Its just that I work at the airport Couldn't hold my emotions

Coin operated trollies are in Gatwick not in Heathrow.

Thanks for the info..
nice to hear that u work at airport.. you will be able to give more of ur expertise dealing with immigration officers n things to be taken care by newcommers as you may see or hear and Know a lot more of the situation there.. than us (me for sure)...

[tomkin]

More than me, watching "UK Border Agency" on Sky would tell you more than that

[nksg]

My friend, this is only telecasted in UK....how will it help any one sitting in India... ?

More than me, watching "UK Border Agency" on Sky would tell you more than that

[tomkin]

My friend, this is only telecasted in UK....how will it help any one sitting in India... ?

More than me, watching "UK Border Agency" on Sky would tell you more than that

Good point

Watch it on youtube then :0

[cheshiregoan]

Hi All

I am planning to arrive in UK in the next two months and holding a Tier 1 visa.

Could you please suggest the things that need to be taken care of before arriving to UK .I live in India and want to be fully prepared before entering UK ( Money to be brought,Mobile,Legal Requirements) and the mandatory requirements when applying for a JOB .

Thanks in advance

Mobile - if you know where you'll be living immediately upon landing, visit any mobile company (T-Mobile, O2, Vodafone, Orange) and look up the free PAYG sim card offer. This way you'll have atleast a pre-paid sim card when you land. If you have any friends who are already in the UK, get the free sim delivered to their address straight away so you know your number before you fly.

Legal/Job search requirements - Upon landing, get in touch with your nearest Job Centre and apply for a National Insurance number. You will get an appointment within a week or two (depends on which city, London takes longer) where they will issue you a NI number. This is a must for any job, otherwise you will get taxed at a much higher tax rate!

Bank account - try and get a bank account sorted soon upon arrival. Avoid bank accounts that will charge you for services and don't switch to a paperless account (i.e. where you don't receive monthly statements by post) unless it is a massive benefit. Natwest, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Lloyds TSB are the biggest banks. You also have Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Halifax who have a strong presence. You will need to carry your passport with you and some address proof.

Jobs - While looking for jobs, don't be afraid to take up a temporary contract for a job that is related to your field. Speak to as many job agencies as possible because this way you will build up contacts with recruiters. Even if they can't help you straight away, there is a possibility they might come in handy in a couple of months or so. www.reed.co.uk is quite good for temporary jobs; www.jobsite.co.uk is good as well. Other than that there are a lot of specialist recruitment agencies. Search for the one related to your field before you come to UK, so you can start spreading your CV around as soon as you land.

At the airport - When you fly in for the first time, keep all documents with you in hand luggage. I would suggest you carry your entire Tier 1 application pack. The questions are just standard, where have you come from, why have you come here, where will you live, etc. But in that atmosphere and being new to the country, sometimes people do get tense. At least you will have all information handy in case they ask additional questions and you can't explain everything verbally.

NHS - Register with a GP nearest to where you live as soon as you can. If you can get an appointment, medical treatment is free.

Money - This is entirely upto you. But on average for a single person you will end up spending around £200-300 on food and drink. If you will be living in London, you will need maybe £150 or so a month for the tube. In other cities you'll be able to get around on public transport for around £50 a month. Rents can vary drastically so do some research to decide how much you need. Initially try and live in a house share where all bills are included.

Good luck!

[betterlatethannever]

Can you please suggest the bank which doesn't charge for service if you have any idea?
I just looked at HSBC passport account which is for new UK comer. They are charging very high 8 pounds per month.

[cheshiregoan]

Can you please suggest the bank which doesn't charge for service if you have any idea?
I just looked at HSBC passport account which is for new UK comer. They are charging very high 8 pounds per month.

If you want an account that is useful to send money to India, then ICICI Bank is the best. It has zero monthly charges and you can instantly transfer money to ICICI India accounts. You might even be able to get this account opened at any ICICI account in India.

http://www.icicibank.co.uk/current_account.html

[ChetanOjha]

Can you please suggest the bank which doesn't charge for service if you have any idea?
I just looked at HSBC passport account which is for new UK comer. They are charging very high 8 pounds per month.

Try UAExchange to transfer money to India. They provide better rates than any other Indian banks and you receive money within 24 hours(any bank-any city). Never tried their instant facilty though. I have used ICICI as well to transfer money to India, but the problem is you don't know what exchange rate you will recieve as ICICI consider exchange rate of the day when money is received in their Llyods TSB UK account. In my opinions, i would rate the overall experience with different vendors in below sequence:
1. UAExchange -- Best amongst the one i used.
2. ICICI(money2india.com) -- Good. You can track your money. But Exch. rate are not fixed. If exch rate goes down after you transfer and before you received money..you are screwed.
3. Remit2India--Fire and Forget (atleast thats what my exp. is)

Didn't tried any other mode of transfer so far.