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Author: Colleen
A young George Bailey prepares for a dream-life overseas, and so can you!
This is a question very often typed into the little message field of our online contact form, and a good one at that.
It’s one thing to dream about moving to London, but quite another to actually do it. When it comes to preparing for an international move, it doesn’t exactly measure up to the romantic conception of whimsically throwing your stylish frocks into a vintage leather suitcase (you know the kind…the kind that’s just made for being tattoed all over with the colorful and exotic customs stamps of countries the world over…the kind that Jimmy Stewart was gifted by Old Man Gower in It’s A Wonderful Life, which put that sparkle of adventure in his youthful eye) and jet-setting across the Atlantic to drop your things off in a quaint terraced house before strolling right into a cosy, wood and floral panelled pub to tuck into a platter of fish’n'chips beside the fireplace.
The first steps, before you can even consider a UK move as a potential reality, is to procure local employment or enroll in a university program and apply for the applicable visa. The UK Border Agency link that follows will offer guidance on what type of visa to apply for and what documents are needed: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/
Once that is obtained, you will have to secure your housing, whether you visit in advance to view properties or stay in temporary housing upon your move while you search (in either case, this is a good point at which to book an appointment with a handy-dandy relocation agent…anyone know a good one?). When you find that flat of your dreams, you still need to sift through the paperwork. What will expedite the process is if you can readily provide a letter of reference from your UK employer or school, so request those from your employer/school in advance of moving.
To prepare for funding this transaction, you’ll want to have your UK bank account established as soon as possible, but this can be tricky–you need to have a UK address to open one, yet usually need a UK bank account to sign onto a property, so it becomes quite circular. Luckily, part of our service is to get you set up with a UK bank account on the morning of your viewing day to save you the grief.
We can’t find the job or fill out that lengthy visa application for you, but London Relocation Ltd. is here to ease you through what comes after that intial stage, which is also what comes before that wonderful life ahead of you: living in London. You’ll never fully forget the challenges to get here, yet as time passes and you stroll through more green parks, stand a pint in more pubs, and applaud in more theatres, you’ll at last feel the adventurous romance of it and leave that suitcase unpacked for a while…
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- Move to London for the Ultimate English Garden
- Taking Flight After a London Move
- London Fog
- Balancing on the Borderline: Part Two
- Moving to London – The Moon Never Sets
[...] of the most frequent questions we receive at London Relocation relates to how to get started with the relocation process—first and foremost, you’ll need to apply for a UK [...]
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