01Get access to your eVisa
Your visa is an eVisa: a record held online by UK Visas and Immigration, not a sticker or card. You see it through a UKVI account.
Landlords, employers and border staff ask for a share code from that account to check your status. Keep your passport details in the account up to date.
- Get access to your eVisa (GOV.UK or NHS page)
02Register with a GP
A GP is a local family doctor. Register with a GP surgery near where you live soon after you arrive, before you are ill.
You paid the Immigration Health Surcharge with your visa, so NHS care is open to you on the same terms as UK residents.
- How to register with a GP surgery (GOV.UK or NHS page)
03Apply for a National Insurance number
You need a National Insurance number to work. It makes sure the tax and National Insurance you pay are recorded against your name.
You can start a job before the number arrives if you can prove you are allowed to work. Tell your employer you have applied.
- Apply for a National Insurance number (GOV.UK or NHS page)
04Council Tax
Council Tax is a yearly charge for each home, paid to the local council. A home where everyone is a full-time student does not pay it, but you have to tell the council.
Your university can give you a letter that shows you are a full-time student.
- Council Tax discounts for full-time students (GOV.UK or NHS page)