Week one is digital (eVisa and share codes), week two is bureaucratic (NI number and GP), weeks three and four are financial — get the order right and nothing blocks anything else.
Overview
The UK front-loads its paperwork into the visa application, so the first month on the ground is lighter than in most countries — but the steps are sequenced, and getting them out of order costs weeks. Everything hangs off your eVisa in the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account: share codes from it unlock the employer's right-to-work check and (in England) the landlord's right-to-rent check. The National Insurance number application runs in parallel — it takes up to 4 weeks, but GOV.UK confirms you can start work before it arrives. NHS access needs no insurance enrolment because the Immigration Health Surcharge was paid with your application; you simply register with a GP surgery, free, with no ID or proof of address required. The remaining first-month jobs are council tax registration with your local authority, a bank account, school admissions for children (via the council's in-year admissions process), and a check of your driving position on gov.uk. There is no residence registration and no police registration — that scheme was abolished in 2022. Verified against gov.uk and nhs.uk as of June 2026.
Week 1 — Status, Phone, Roof
- Verify your eVisa: Sign in to your UKVI account and check your name, photo, visa type, conditions and expiry are correct; use the report-an-error service immediately if not. Confirm the passport you entered on is the one linked to the account.
- Generate share codes on demand: Employers need a right-to-work code before your first shift; landlords in England need a right-to-rent code before a tenancy starts. Codes are free and time-limited — make a fresh one for each request.
- UK SIM and a working number: Nearly every later step (banking, NHS App, DWP callbacks) assumes a UK mobile number — sort it on day one.
- Tenancy basics: On signing, expect a 5-week deposit (protected in a government-approved scheme), and tell the local council you have moved in so council tax billing starts correctly in your name.
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the very first thing to do after landing in the UK?
Sign in to your UKVI account and verify your eVisa: correct name and photo, correct visa type and conditions, correct expiry, and the right passport linked. Everything in your first month — employment, renting, even booking an English test later — flows from this record, and errors are far easier to fix immediately via the report-an-error service than mid-tenancy-application. Then generate the share codes people will actually ask for: right-to-work for your employer, right-to-rent for a landlord in England. Both are free and take minutes. A UK SIM is the practical companion step, since every service expects a UK number.
Can I see a doctor in my first week, before any paperwork is done?
Yes. Emergency care (999/A&E) and NHS 111 urgent advice are available to everyone regardless of registration status, and because you paid the Immigration Health Surcharge with your visa application your NHS entitlement already exists — there is no insurance card to wait for. Register with a GP surgery as early as week one or two: it is free, the NHS explicitly requires no ID, proof of address or immigration documents, and registration is usually confirmed within about 5 days. Until it completes you can ask any surgery to treat you as a temporary patient. Pharmacies handle minor ailments without any registration.
My National Insurance number hasn't arrived — will I lose my job start date?
No. The right-to-work check that legally gates your employment uses your eVisa share code, not the NI number. GOV.UK states plainly that you can start work before the number arrives; your employer uses an HMRC starter checklist so payroll runs, and you hand over the number when it comes — applications take up to 4 weeks. Apply online as soon as you are onshore (you cannot apply from abroad), after first checking your UKVI account or the back of any old BRP, where an existing number may already be recorded. Chase the DWP helpline only after 4 weeks.
When does council tax start, and what if I'm a student or living alone?
Liability starts when your tenancy gives you the right to occupy, so register with the local council as soon as you move in — they bill the occupier in most private tenancies, normally across 10 or 12 monthly instalments by band. Two discounts are routinely missed because they must be claimed: full-time students are exempt entirely (the council will want enrolment confirmation), and a single adult occupant gets 25% off. Do not let a first bill sit — councils escalate unpaid council tax to court summonses faster than almost any other UK creditor, and that history surfaces in tenant referencing later.
How do I get my children into school mid-year?
Through the local council's in-year admissions process — councils coordinate applications outside the normal September entry round and have a duty to secure a place for resident school-age children, though it may not be your first-choice school if year groups are full. Apply as soon as your address is fixed: you will typically need the child's passport or eVisa share code, your proof of address, and any previous school reports (translated helps). State schooling is free; uniform and meals are the real costs. If a place is refused you have a statutory right of appeal — the council letter explains the route.
Can I drive on my foreign licence, and do I need to act in the first month?
Usually you can drive immediately — Great Britain lets most new residents drive on a valid foreign licence for an initial period, and whether you can later exchange it without a test depends on whether your issuing country has a 'designated' exchange arrangement with the DVLA. Check your exact position on gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence in week one; if your country has no exchange deal you will eventually need to pass UK theory and practical tests, and waiting lists make early booking sensible. Insurance is the immediate cost trap: premiums without UK licence or claims history are steep, so compare widely.