If you are a student planning on moving to the UK, you’ll know you’ll have a million things to do on your checklist. Now, after this, the stress of moving to a new country completely new with its rules and regulations, most of which you don’t know. You might have to do this all by yourself for the first time.
It’s bound to be stressful. This is precisely why, in this guide, we will give you a checklist of everything you need to do once you move to the UK. So that your transition can be as stress-free as possible, some important things could slip entirely into your mind, which is why we have today’s checklist.
Get Local Accommodation
Accommodation is also one of the biggest challenges with moving to any new place in the UK. And believe it can be incredibly stressful because your house, your room where you stay, is where you’re going to come when you want to escape from college, when you’ve had that harrowing day, or when you’re just missing your friends or your family and you want to hide out. So where you stay is extremely important. And when you need to study, you need the perfect environment to learn to nail down those exams that are coming to nail down those projects. It’s essential to have an ideal space to live in.
Now, if your college provides it, you can live on campus or look for accommodation with your friends, but when you first move to the UK, it’s a huge hassle. Plus, there’s going to be a ton of other things you need to figure out. How close it is to your university, how to get your laundry done, how to get a wi-fi connection when you move into the house because you’ll probably have to take a fresh connection, and how to pay utility bills. It can be a long list.
Get Yourself A local SIM.
Now, a local sim is something else you need as soon as you reach the UK. Please do not make the mistake of buying a sim from the airport because they can be expensive for no reason. They’re just honestly going to rip you off. So what you need to do is download maps in advance and download the map to get from the airport to whichever place you’re going to, your hotel or your accommodation, wherever. Once you get there, drop off your bags, carry some form of identification and head over to a high street or the closest mall, and you’ll honestly find your shops there. you’ll be able to get a sim and apply for a sim right away. so don’t bother buying one at the airport.
Get Your BRP
The next is your BRP. So when you move to the UK, one of the most essential pieces of documentation you will have is your BRP. Your BRP is your biometric residence permit, which states that you can live in the UK for the duration mentioned on your card. It’s like the Indian equivalent of an aadhaar card, if you know.
Your university should generally tell you whether you can pick it up immediately from your university. Or whether you need to go to the post office and pick it up there. So do remember to check with the admissions team when you are moving to the UK, where you need to pick up your BRP because it’s essential. In many cases, if you need to get anything open, any official work, they will ask you for your BRP, so you need to have this.
Apply For Your NI Number
Next, you will need your NI number or national insurance number. Now, here’s the thing: if you plan on working in the UK, you will require an NI number and a national insurance number. You don’t need it to get a job, but you need it to get paid. Many of you would want an NI number because you will likely come to the UK and take up a part-time job. In that case, you will need this. So, you must apply for it once you come here as long as it still needs to be mentioned on your BRP. If you’re a student, it’s doubtful that it will be noted on your BRP.
Get A Local Bank Account
The next thing you need to do is open your bank account. You would have come with some cash and cards from whichever country you’re coming from, and you realize that the international charges keep getting racked up over time, so you need to get a local card as soon as possible.
Register With A GP.
The next thing you need to do is register with a GP. Once your accommodation is nailed down, you must look for all your clothes by GPs. Look at the reviews and google for the GPs, narrow down on whichever you like, get in touch with them, call up and say you want to register; there’s a bunch of forms you need to fill out, and if it’s your first time, you don’t have an NHS number. When you apply at the GP you’re interested in, they will use your NHS number. So, that’s something you don’t have to worry about, they’ll give you that number.
And you don’t have to pay consultation fees, which is the best part because most healthcare is free in the UK.
10. Sort out Your Travel
You’ll need a travel card if you don’t stay within walking distance of your college. If your college is in London, you can get an oyster card, which gives you 30% off on all your trips, and it’s a much cheaper option than paying as you go. It helps you travel on most forms of public transport within London and a few areas outside London. Now, if you’re traveling by train rather than by tube, you can get the 16 to 25 railcard, which is 30 pounds for the entire year and saves you about one-third the cost of the actual amount.
Finally, remember the earlier part where I mentioned that you would need a national insurance number if you plan to work here? Many students who come to the UK take up part-time jobs to help with minor expenses because they’re known to get expensive in the long run. If I were you, I would want to know how exactly to reach those part-time jobs, what jobs paid the most, and how much they pay now. If you’d like to know all of these details, it’s straightforward. All you need to do is click on this video for all the details.
