The Stuff you need to Sort Out and the Order in which you need to Sort It Out
March 12, 2018
This post is pretty self-explanatory,
but it’s important, I swear. This is one of the main things that I wish I’d
been able to find when I was planning this next stage of my life. Even the
helpful websites that listed all the many, many things you need to prepare
didn’t give an order. So I was left to assume, and we all know what ‘assume’
makes of me and u.
So here is the list I
wanted, just a little while after I wanted it.
The way I’ve ordered
the Stuff is based mostly on timeframes. There are some stages that have
pre-requisites, and I’ve noted those as well. The idea of this whole series is
that you should be able to work your way through, from start to finish, and
hopefully avoid nasty surprises and disappointments. In light of that, I’m also
including some tentative prices alongside this list, to help in those very
first planning stages.
1. HCPC
Oh boy. The Health & Care Professions Council.
Trust me. Just trust me on this one. This application is enormous, you’re required to get information from your university, your professional or regulatory body, and from individual references. Then, even after you send it in, you could be waiting anywhere from 3 to 6 months for a verdict. And that’s if nothing goes wrong. Just trust me. This is number 1.
Scrutiny fee: £495
University fee: $160 AUD (University of Queensland)
Registration fee: £180 (for two years)
Oh boy. The Health & Care Professions Council.
Trust me. Just trust me on this one. This application is enormous, you’re required to get information from your university, your professional or regulatory body, and from individual references. Then, even after you send it in, you could be waiting anywhere from 3 to 6 months for a verdict. And that’s if nothing goes wrong. Just trust me. This is number 1.
Scrutiny fee: £495
University fee: $160 AUD (University of Queensland)
Registration fee: £180 (for two years)
2. UK Visa
Okay, so this is probably the one that most people think of as being first. But the actual processing time for your visa, provided it doesn’t get rejected, is only about 3 weeks. The application itself can be completed online, and it doesn’t take too long as long as you have all your information there with you. The thing that will actually take some time is the biometric appointment, which will only cause you problems if you make a mistake and need to reschedule (more on that particular mistake later…)
Visa application: £235
Immigration Health Surcharge: £300 (may vary, but you can calculate it online)
Biometric appointment: £55 (only needed for appointments in certain cities)
NB: you must be able to show proof of £1,890 in savings at your biometric interview
Okay, so this is probably the one that most people think of as being first. But the actual processing time for your visa, provided it doesn’t get rejected, is only about 3 weeks. The application itself can be completed online, and it doesn’t take too long as long as you have all your information there with you. The thing that will actually take some time is the biometric appointment, which will only cause you problems if you make a mistake and need to reschedule (more on that particular mistake later…)
Visa application: £235
Immigration Health Surcharge: £300 (may vary, but you can calculate it online)
Biometric appointment: £55 (only needed for appointments in certain cities)
NB: you must be able to show proof of £1,890 in savings at your biometric interview
3. Bank Account and/or Access to Money
There are a few different ways to do this, from setting up once you come over to sorting things before hand, and that makes this a tricky one to place. Conceivably, you could pay to get a bank account set up before you move, or your bank could offer you an overseas account if they’re international. But there are a few things you can do to make this step easier, as well as other options if you can’t set up a bank account right away. It’s something to think about early on because these days, unfortunately, money does make the world go round.
Cost: varies
There are a few different ways to do this, from setting up once you come over to sorting things before hand, and that makes this a tricky one to place. Conceivably, you could pay to get a bank account set up before you move, or your bank could offer you an overseas account if they’re international. But there are a few things you can do to make this step easier, as well as other options if you can’t set up a bank account right away. It’s something to think about early on because these days, unfortunately, money does make the world go round.
Cost: varies
4. Biometric Residence Permit
This step is not necessarily difficult, it’s just that this is where it goes in the timeline. This step and everything afterwards will happen when you’re actually in the UK – you can’t or you don’t need to sort them out beforehand.
This step is not necessarily difficult, it’s just that this is where it goes in the timeline. This step and everything afterwards will happen when you’re actually in the UK – you can’t or you don’t need to sort them out beforehand.
5. National Insurance Number
Here’s another big one, and be warned – this could take forever (and that’s just your hold time on the phone…)
Here’s another big one, and be warned – this could take forever (and that’s just your hold time on the phone…)
6. RCSLT or Equivalent
Yet another registration, this time with the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists or your profession’s equivalent. While you can prepare for this before you get to the UK, depending on who you talk to that preparation may not do you much good. In some cases you will need to have your HCPC registration before you can join, in some cases you apparently don’t. It all appears, as many things do, on who you talk to at the time.
Registration: £268 per annum
Yet another registration, this time with the Royal College of Speech Language Therapists or your profession’s equivalent. While you can prepare for this before you get to the UK, depending on who you talk to that preparation may not do you much good. In some cases you will need to have your HCPC registration before you can join, in some cases you apparently don’t. It all appears, as many things do, on who you talk to at the time.
Registration: £268 per annum
7. Registering with a GP
Probably one of the easiest steps, to be honest, and goes here because if you sort it out early(-ier) on, it can actually help with other things.
Probably one of the easiest steps, to be honest, and goes here because if you sort it out early(-ier) on, it can actually help with other things.
8. Rental Agencies
Chances of getting a property soon after arriving are slim, just due to the amount of hoops you have to jump through and information that agencies can require. Better to set yourself up with friends/family/AirBnb and give yourself a bit of breathing room for this one!
Chances of getting a property soon after arriving are slim, just due to the amount of hoops you have to jump through and information that agencies can require. Better to set yourself up with friends/family/AirBnb and give yourself a bit of breathing room for this one!
9. Ltd Company or Employee or Sole Trader?
This one can get pretty complicated, depending on what you decide, but it’s also not something you need to decide right away (particularly if that all important-and-annoying HCPC registration takes a while…). This step may require an accountant, though, so we’re back to a cost again.
Accountant: varies
This one can get pretty complicated, depending on what you decide, but it’s also not something you need to decide right away (particularly if that all important-and-annoying HCPC registration takes a while…). This step may require an accountant, though, so we’re back to a cost again.
Accountant: varies
Okay! And there you
have it. Well, for now, there you have it. I may well come back to edit this
later as new information becomes available to me and as I make more mistakes
(the latter being far more likely than the former) but for now, there you have
it!
Now, go! Go, my
pretties! Go out and prep! After all, a few months of stress and unpleasantness
isn’t too high a price to pay for the adventure of a lifetime!
It isn’t, it isn’t, I
swear…
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