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CalmAbout 120 min✓ Official sources · reviewed 2026-07-26

Your first 30 days in the UK

The five moves that make everything else easier, in the right order.

Your progress0 of 5 steps done
  1. 1

    Get into your eVisa account (week 1)

    Everything in the UK starts with proving who you are, and that proof now lives online in your UKVI eVisa account. In week one, log in, check your details are correct, and practise generating a share code. This one account will open bank accounts, jobs and tenancies for you — treat the login like a second passport and store it in a password manager.

    Prepare

    The email and phone number your visa was linked to.

    Watch out

    Losing access to the linked phone/email is the single most painful admin problem to fix later — update them the moment they change.

    This one is serious — get real help

    This step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.

  2. 2

    Open a UK bank account (week 1-2)

    Without a UK account you'll bleed money on transfer fees and get stuck on rent, salary and bills. Digital banks like Monzo and Starling open full accounts from your phone in a day and accept newcomers without utility bills or credit history. Do this before job hunting — employers pay into UK accounts.

    Prepare

    Passport or eVisa and a UK address (a friend's is fine to start with most digital banks).

    Watch out

    Walking into a high-street branch first — they often demand proof-of-address documents newcomers don't have yet; digital banks don't.

    This one is serious — get real help

    This step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.

  3. Step 3

    Register with a GP (week 2)

    Register with a family doctor before anyone gets ill — it's free, needs no proof of status, and takes days to process. The GP is the gateway to all NHS care, and being registered means that when a fever hits at 2am, you call 111 as an existing patient instead of starting from zero.

    Prepare

    Your address; ID helps but isn't required.

    Watch out

    Assuming you need your NI number or immigration documents first — you don't; surgeries cannot refuse you for lacking them.

  4. Step 4

    Apply for your NI number (week 2-3)

    The National Insurance number ties your work, tax and future pension to your name. Apply free on gov.uk as soon as you plan to work — processing can take weeks, but you can legally start a job before it arrives. This is the step that quietly turns you from visitor into worker in the system's eyes.

    Prepare

    eVisa/passport details and a UK address for the confirmation letter.

    Watch out

    Paying anyone for NI "help" — the application is free and third-party sites add nothing but fees.

  5. Step 5

    Learn the scam patterns before they find you (week 3-4)

    Newcomers are actively targeted in their first months: fake Home Office calls demanding payment, "guaranteed" rentals that vanish with your deposit, jobs that charge training fees. Spend twenty minutes learning the patterns now. One rule beats them all: anyone who contacts YOU demanding urgent payment is lying — hang up and verify through the official website.

    Prepare

    Twenty minutes and the scams guide in this app.

    Watch out

    Thinking "I'm too careful to be scammed" — the scripts are professionally engineered for stressed people handling unfamiliar systems.

Need help? Ask MyLife

It already knows which playbook you're in. Answers come from official sources, with dates.