(1) You must register at the police station within 7 days of arrival and handle relevant investment procedures at the bank, etc. Intermediary agencies will help arrange these, so they will not be introduced here.
(2) Regarding renting a house. It is crucial to rent a house in the UK as soon as possible. Only with a fixed address can you handle bank cards, investment procedures, driver's licenses, family doctors, and children's schooling (referring to public schools). First, determine the area, and then select properties on agency websites. Our consideration was to choose an area with good public schools, so that if the child cannot attend a private school, the government will arrange for them to attend a nearby public school. In good city center areas here, the rent for a two-bedroom apartment of about 80 square meters is approximately 500 to 700 pounds per week. You also need to pay about 100 pounds in tax to the government every month (tax rates vary by property), and pay for water and electricity according to the bills yourself. Heating and property management fees are paid by the landlord. Apartments here do not have natural gas. Because we had just arrived in the UK and had not yet established credit, asking local friends to guarantee us would be a significant favor. Paying 6 months of rent at once and a deposit of one and a half months is sufficient. After half a year, you can pay rent monthly. Renting through an agency is simple, and there is no need to meet the landlord.
(3) Regarding children's schooling. In China, I had asked friends to help inquire about which schools we could enter, because I had no concept of it at the time. I also thought about whether it was possible to register in advance, but later learned that it was not feasible. I think this might also be the thought of many fellow students. School issues can only be resolved after arrival. It is actually not easy to get into good schools here, whether public or private. We plan to let our children prioritize private schools; if that doesn't work, then enter public schools. Regarding public schools, as mentioned earlier, after renting a house, you can apply for admission to the local government education department. Based on the principle of proximity, you can fill in six schools on the application form according to their rankings. The education department will arrange as soon as possible based on the availability of places in the applied schools. If there are no places in these six schools, they will arrange for a public school in an adjacent area, which can usually be done within two weeks (church schools generally also require a member of the clergy to sign and recommend on the application form).
Regarding private schools, those in the top 500 in the UK are considered very good. As for schools like Eton, Harrow, and Westminster, it is impossible to get in for the time being; generally, you need to register three years in advance. We applied to several private and public schools at different ranking levels according to our situation, and the child is currently in the interview and examination process. The efficiency here is not as high as in China; it is considered fast if you can get the school sorted out within a month or so. The main way to transmit documents for registration here is by email and post, so I mentioned earlier to prepare electronic versions of transcripts and recommendation letters. Friends suggested that children should try to go to private schools. Private schools have fewer students per class, and teachers take better care of the children compared to public schools, especially since the children will struggle with the language in the early stages. Private school tuition is 15,000 to 20,000 pounds per year; if boarding, the cost is higher. Public schools are completely free. The procedure for entering a private school here is to first call or email to see if the school has vacancies for transfer students. If they accept, submit transcripts and other materials, and the school will arrange an interview with the principal (you can also arrange a visit to the school before the interview). After passing the interview, you will be notified to take the exam. The interview is very important. It is said that many children whose exam results are not ideal, if they leave a good impression on the principal during the interview, usually have no problems.
In addition, children need to wear formal attire for interviews here, as private school uniforms here are all formal wear. After visiting the school, the children liked it very much. The atmosphere of education here is really different from that in China; they attach special importance to sports, arts, etc., and the children's smiles are brighter. I am happy that my child passed the interview with the principal of a private school ranked in the top 100 in the UK yesterday, and will take the exam next week. Hopefully, it will go smoothly.
UK investment immigration, whether it is the preparation before landing or the things to do after landing, cannot be taken lightly, especially the arrangements for children.
