Make sure you can afford the UK Living Wage.

Step 2: Make sure you can afford the UK Living Wage.

If you’re not sure how far your finances are stretched out in the UK, this table shows some average costs for everyday items, so you can use that as a reference to compare to where you currently live.

Ordinary Items	Expenses
McDonald’s combo lunch	£6.00
Pint of beer	£3.60
A dozen eggs for	£1.94
Monthly pass	£65.00
Litre of gas	£1.26
New Toyota Corolla	£20,131
Rent a two-room city apartment for	£749.09

Step 3. Set up your finances in the UK

Banking in the UK is a reasonably straightforward process, and many banks in the UK are larger international banks. This means you may not even need to look for a new one. If you are moving to the UK permanently, one of the most important steps will be to open a bank account.

---

---

Step 4: Find a job and start working in the UK

EU citizens and people from the EEA and Switzerland who arrive before 31 December 2020 can apply to stay in the UK under the EU Settlement System. This scheme entitles you to work and means no additional visa is required. You will need a visa if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen arriving in the UK for work on or after 1 January 2021. Work visas are open for applications from 1 December 2020 for arrivals in 2021.

Sign up for the UK Home Office email updates to stay updated with the latest news on UK visa requirements and how they change with Brexit.

People hoping to come to the UK to work from outside Europe usually require a work visa. This is a requirement even if you have a short contract or volunteer. Depending on the type of work you do, there are several long and short-stay visas to choose from, but getting permission for a UK work visa is not always easy.

Tight immigration rules mean you generally need to work in a deficit or be able to prove you are more qualified than British citizens applying for the same job.

The UK Government Visa Application Tool is a great place to start if you are unsure of your visa requirements and options.

Step 5: Find a place to live in the UK

Outside of major cities, the rental market in the UK is relatively small, with only 20% of the UK population renting an apartment. It is possible to find rentals, especially if you are willing to live in most of the city.

Many newcomers to the UK end up in the capital, London, where there are usually more job opportunities. However, London is also home to many of the country’s most expensive places to live. To increase your rental income in London, look out for the following excellent value areas:

• Lai and Dagenham
• Hillingdon
• Croydon
• Waltham Forest
• Havering
• Bexley

---

---

Step 6: Make sure your medical care is covered in the UK.

The good news is that living in the UK means access to the National Health Service or NHS. This socialized healthcare system means you can see a doctor for very little or no charge, and you are not required to have personal insurance.

NHS Choices also makes it easy to find a doctor. In general, for residents of the UK, the system works well.

Migrants in the UK: Read the continuation below:

• Step 1. Determine the legal requirements for moving to the UK.
• Step 2: Make sure you can afford the UK Living Wage.
• Step 3. Set up your finances in the UK
• Step 4: Find a job and start working in the UK
• Step 5: Find a place to live in the UK
• Step 6: Make sure you have UK medical care coverage.
• Step 7. Learn the language if you haven’t already.
• Step 8: Don’t be lonely – make friends and connect with other ex-pats in the UK.
• Step 9: Find out the UK emergency numbers