Checklist To Prepare For Your Arrival In UK After Getting Study Visa

When someone moves to another country it takes so many preparations to do especially when you are resettling for your abroad study. For that, you have to take care of lots of documentation of your dream university, the accommodation and so on. There are some of the rules of their system that you have to follow. So if you are one who is moving to UK for their abroad study then read our blog which is written by Mr. Tejas Panchal. He is our Admission Process Manager. This blog will ease your entire planning for your arrival in UK upon getting a long-stay student visa.

Enjoy the blog written by Mr. Panchal. He is working with top British universities for a long time.

Your arrival in the United Kingdom can seem particularly overwhelming. You may have lots of questions; how do I arrange my travel? What do I need to bring? What paperwork do I need to have?

Pre-arrival preparation

Prepare documents

You have to carry all the original documents you used for your application like for example; all academic mark sheets along with transcript, IELTS, TOEFL, PTE results etc. for confirming eligibility to the college, that you meet the minimum requirements for the relevant programme. You may require showing these documents at the Immigration process when you arrive in the United Kingdom. It is also useful to have your offer letter in case you need to show it at Immigration.

Full payment of fees

To check and make sure that you have paid the entire full tuition fee. You should pay a complete tuition fee before arriving at the college. If you have not paid the complete fee, you will not be able to attend or enrol classes. It may also possible that they withdraw your visa sponsorship

Get UK currency

It can take some time to open a bank account in the UK, so it is best to have some UK currency for situations such as paying for transportation, airport, and for any other expenses till the account is opened and available the UK currency in the start of a few days at college.

Insurance

It is a wise decision to take out travel insurance for the safety of your luggage during your journey. You might also want to consider contents insurance to protect your belongings while you are in the United Kingdom.

Inform to college of your arrival

As soon as you know your arrival details (flight number date, time, arrival airport) all the required information please inform the college.

Luggage

Remember that you may need to carry your luggage at some places during your journey, so practise beforehand and make sure that your bags are not too big or too heavy to carry.

Transport from the airport

If you need the college to arrange transport from the airport to your accommodation, be sure to inform us well in advance so that the university can make the necessary arrangements for you.

Accommodation

Make sure the details of your accommodation are handy, as well as make sure that you have informed details to the college of your arrival information.

One more thing needs to take care of you is that you have paid complete accommodation fees to college so it will not create accommodation issues when you reach the university.

Immigration control

You need to answer some questions at the Immigration process for confirmation that you are a genuine student. This is nothing to worry about, but you must be well prepared to answer all the questions about the college or university and the course.

Police registration

Most visa holders need to register with the police about their details within a certain number of times without delay after arrival. Please check your visa in your passport to see if this rules apply to you.

Provide your journey and contact details to your family member which is in the home country and if anyone in UK when you travel to the UK

If you are travelling to the United Kingdom you will need to fill the online form for providing your contact and journey details before the start of your journey.

You may require to show that you’ve completed the form when you arrive in the United Kingdom.

If you refuse to fill details in the form, you may be fined for that. And in some cases, you also may not be allowed to enter the United Kingdom.

Travelling from the airport to your place of accommodation to study

If like many non-EU/ international students, you are studying elsewhere in United Kingdom you can fly to the nearest international regional airports located throughout the United Kingdom region. This will make your journey onwards to your accommodation and/or place of study much easier. Many internal flights are now served United Kingdom airports like Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow; direct and onward connections are available from these, as well as from the London airports to destinations throughout the United Kingdom.

One month before your departure

1. Make sure your passport and visa are updated.

Check the expiration date of your passport now, and if you need to renew, check the U.S. Department of State’s website to find your nearest passport facility.

Allow six to eight weeks for the passport application to be processed. If you need the passport faster than that, use the expedited service for an extra fee and receive your passport in two to three weeks. Private expediting services can get it done more quickly, but they charge much higher fees.

Make a Xerox copy of the documents of the information page of your passport and the visa pages for your destinations. Pack them separately from your passport.

2. Check for health advisories and travel warnings and advisories

In late 2019, a new virus was identified in China and then spread to other parts of the globe. The impact of this coronavirus (COVID-19) will continue to unfold over the next year. Many destinations around the world remain unaffected. However, before the start of your next trip, check the website of Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s website for the latest information and travel advice.

3. Get vaccinations and fill prescriptions

Bring photocopies of your prescriptions, packed separately from your medicine, and note the generic drug name. Always pack your medicine, in its prescription bottles, in your carry-on bag. If you need to use syringes, make sure that you have a letter from your doctor. Always declare the injections before you go through the security process.

Pack more than required medicine for your trip, as it may be not available abroad.

4. Stock your wallet

Choose one or two credit cards to take with you, and call the issuers shortly before you leave to inform them of which countries you will be visiting. There may be a chance that your credit card could be denied, as the foundation of the international activity is suspicious. However, do remove unnecessary items (cards) that you do not plan to use on your trip.

5. Pack appropriately

Other than the required electronics items, do not bring valuables with you if not needed. Expensive jewellery could attract thieves who are in search of targeting tourists. If you do bring valuables, always travel with them safely in your carry-on or keep them safely locked up at a proper place.

Arriving at the airport

‘Arrivals’ will take you to the passport control place. Here, electronic screens will guide you where to go for that there is usually a separate line for passengers who have passports from the United Kingdom, Switzerland or EEA (European Economic Area). Once you have completed the immigration process, you will proceed to the baggage reclaim area to collect it. Look at the screen which is at above the luggage carousels to find your flight number.

Lastly, you will pass through Customs Control. At United Kingdom airports there are normally three exits available for Customs – a red channel if you are travelling from outside the EEA and have goods to declare; a green channel if you are travelling from outside the EEA and have nothing to declare; and a blue channel if you've arrived from another airport within the EEA. Follow the links below to check what items should be declared.

Get a UK phone number

One of the first things you should do when you arrive is to get a UK mobile SIM card for your phone.Of course, you'll want to call your family as soon as your plane touches-down to let them know you've arrived safely. It's a lot cheaper to call home using a UK mobile service. Many of the registrations you need to go through will also ask for your contact number, so it's useful to have a UK number from the start.

There are many mobile phone service providers to choose from in the UK. Do some research on which providers and packages will suit you before you leave home, to save a lot of time when you arrive. Lycamobile and Giffgaff UK are very popular among international students as they offer bargain international calling charges. You can choose a Pay As You Go or a monthly mobile contract, depending on how much you will use your phone. And for Bellerbys students can get a facility of Lebara SIM card, which you can recharge, from Student Services.

Set up a bank account

It is never wise to carry a large amount of cash with you. If you will be staying in the UK for longer you should open a bank account as soon as possible.

Some banks may require 3 months or longer residency to be eligible to open a bank account. If you want to open a bank account you will need some documents to provide the bank with your passport, letter of acceptance from your college or university and proof of address (which can be obtained from your school’s Student Service).

GP registration

If you study in the UK for longer you are entitled to receive free treatment from the British National Health Service (NHS) from the very beginning of your stay. This applies to both routine appointments with a doctor - who are called General Practitioner

You will be notified to register with a General Practitioner the very first day when you come to school. GPs are the first point of contact when you are feeling unwell. Your college will provide you with a list of local GP surgeries for you to choose from. To register with a GP, simply take your passport, letter of enrolment as proof of your identity, and proof of address to the GP surgery.

We hope you like the blog. Team Edugo Abroad guides the student from their application form to the final interview. Edugo Abroad is one of the leading overseas education consultants for foreign education. With all the updates we are preparing the student for the best university and appropriate course selection. Our experienced team is happy to guide students in every way.