The visa decision lands in your inbox, the movers are booked, and a second list quietly starts: which GP, which school, which letting agent will take a family whose UK address is still a hotel. We see this every week in our Dubai office. Families who handled the Skilled Worker application with great care often arrive with no plan for the first thirty days. Here is what the official UK pages actually say about those days, as at September 2026.
At a glance
- The Immigration Health Surcharge is paid with the online visa application, and NHS access starts on the visa start date.
- Everyone in England can register with a GP surgery for free, usually online, and confirmation normally comes within 5 days.
- State school places are applied for through your local council, even for schools in another council area.
- In England you must prove your right to rent to a landlord, using a share code or your original immigration documents.
- A National Insurance number is applied for online after arrival and can take up to 4 weeks once identity is proved; you can start work before it arrives if you can prove your right to work.
Healthcare: the surcharge you paid before you boarded
Most people pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, the IHS, as part of their online immigration application. The rate depends on the visa route and the length of the visa, with students, their dependants and Youth Mobility Scheme applicants paying a lower rate than most other routes, including the Skilled Worker route. Dependants aged 18 or over usually pay the same amount as the main applicant.
Once it is paid, you can use the NHS free of charge from the date your visa starts. The NHS lists people covered by the surcharge among those who do not pay overseas visitor charges for treatment. Some services still carry their own NHS charges regardless: prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests.
Think of the IHS as a season ticket rather than an insurance policy: it is paid up front, with the application, and it is priced per year of visa rather than per visit. Readers on the Skilled Worker route and the Student route both pay it, each at the rate that applies to their route.
Week one: registering with a GP surgery
In Dubai you walk into a clinic, hand over an insurance card and see a doctor the same afternoon. The NHS works differently: first you register with a GP surgery near where you live.
Everyone in England can register with a GP surgery, or change surgery, for free. Most surgeries let you register online, and the NHS says the online form takes about 15 minutes per person. Registration is based on where you live, and the NHS page does not list a visa or immigration-status requirement for registering.
You should be told when you have been registered. That is usually within 5 days of the surgery receiving your details, but it may take longer. Do this in the first week, before anyone in the family needs an appointment, not after.
Schools: the council is the front door
Many families we meet in Abu Dhabi are used to touring private schools and signing up directly with the school. For state schools in England, the route is different. You apply for a state primary or secondary school place through your local council, online or using the council’s own application form. That stays true even if the school you want is in a different council area.
The council is also where you find out which state-funded schools exist near you and what admission criteria each one uses. GOV.UK notes that the primary and secondary application services cover England and Wales only.
The practical consequence: you need to know which council your new address falls under before you can start the school application.
Renting in England: the right to rent check
Before you can rent a home in England, you must prove your right to rent to the landlord. This requirement applies in England only; you do not need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
If you are not a British or Irish citizen, which covers almost every family relocating from the UAE, you can prove it in one of two ways: a share code, which you get online, or your original immigration documents. The choice is yours. A landlord cannot reject your application because you gave an eligible immigration document instead of a share code.
What will you pay? The Office for National Statistics estimates that average UK private rent rose 3.7% in the 12 months to July 2026, to £1,393 a month, on a provisional basis. In England the average was £1,451, up 3.8%. ONS updates this figure monthly, so check the latest release before you set a budget.
Your National Insurance number
You can apply for a National Insurance number if you live in the UK, have the right to work here, and are working, looking for work or have a job offer. The application is online, and you must prove your identity as part of it. Applicants are asked to upload a passport photo and other identity documents; those with nothing to upload may need an in-person appointment.
You receive an application reference number by email straight away. The number itself can take up to 4 weeks to arrive after you have proved your identity. Two points reassure the anxious new arrival: you can start work before the number arrives if you can prove your right to work, and once issued the number stays the same for life.
The first month on one page
Here is the same information laid out as a checklist. The order matters: the surcharge is paid before you fly, and almost everything else waits for an address.
| First-month task | Where to do it | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge | Within the online immigration application, before travel | The visa length, which sets the surcharge amount for your route |
| Register with a GP surgery | A surgery near where you live; most accept online registration | Your address and about 15 minutes per person for the online form |
| Apply for a state school place | Your local council, online or on its application form | The admission criteria for the schools you are interested in, from the council |
| Prove your right to rent | To the landlord, England only | A share code obtained online, or your original immigration documents |
| Apply for a National Insurance number | Online, once you live in the UK | Proof of identity: a passport photo and other identity documents to upload |
Five years on, and a review that is not yet a rule
A Skilled Worker visa can last up to 5 years before it needs to be extended. After 5 years you may be able to apply to settle permanently, known as indefinite leave to remain. That is the rule in force as at September 2026.
Be aware that the government ran a consultation called Earned settlement on reforming how migrants qualify for settlement. As of 13 September 2026 the consultation is closed, the government says it is analysing feedback, and no outcome or new settlement rules have been published. We tell every family the same thing: plan on the current rule, and expect it to be reviewed. Our UK immigration page covers the routes in more detail.
From the UAE: what this means for you
Some of this list can only be done after you land. A GP surgery registers you by where you live, and a National Insurance number requires that you live in the UK. Both wait for a UK address. What you can do from here is remove the friction.
Budget the surcharge with the visa. The IHS is paid inside the online application, so the money leaves your account while you are still in the UAE. For a family, remember that dependants aged 18 or over usually pay the same amount as the main applicant.
Keep the originals together. Your original immigration documents are one of the two accepted ways to prove your right to rent in England, and identity documents are needed for the National Insurance application. The folder you assembled for the visa should travel in hand luggage, not in the shipping container.
Choose the address with the council in mind. School applications go through your local council, so the neighbourhood you pick decides who you apply to. Ask the council about state-funded schools and their admission criteria before you commit to a tenancy.
Confirm the visa basics first. A Skilled Worker visa needs a confirmed job offer from a Home Office-approved employer, a certificate of sponsorship for an eligible occupation, a minimum salary that depends on the job and the certificate date, and proof of your English. We walk UAE residents through this on our UK visa from Dubai page.
Frequently asked questions
Do my spouse and adult children pay the Immigration Health Surcharge too?
Dependants aged 18 or over usually pay the same amount as the main applicant. Everyone who needs to pay does so as part of the online immigration application, and NHS access starts on the visa start date once the surcharge is paid.
Can I start my job before my National Insurance number arrives?
Yes, if you can prove your right to work in the UK. You get an application reference number by email as soon as you apply, and the number itself can take up to 4 weeks after your identity is proved.
Do I need a right to rent check if we settle in Scotland?
No. The right to rent requirement applies in England only. You do not need to prove your right to rent in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
What to do next
If you are weighing a UK move from the UAE, start with a free eligibility assessment. Call us on 04 357 7796, or book a 20-minute review with one of our consultants in Dubai or Abu Dhabi through our contact page. Each assessment starts with the same honest question: does the route fit your facts? We never promise an outcome, and no consultant can.
Sources
- GOV.UK – Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application (Overview) — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Pay for UK healthcare as part of your immigration application (How much you have to pay) — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- NHS – Register with a GP surgery — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- NHS – Visitors who do not need to pay for NHS treatment — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Apply for a primary school place — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Apply for a secondary school place — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – School admissions: Choosing schools — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Prove your right to rent in England: Overview — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Apply for a National Insurance number: Who can apply — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Apply for a National Insurance number: How to apply — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Skilled Worker visa: Overview and Eligibility — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- Office for National Statistics – Private rent and house prices, UK: August 2026 — accessed 13 Sep 2026
- GOV.UK – Earned settlement (consultation) — accessed 13 Sep 2026
Not sure which route fits you? Book a free eligibility assessment with our Dubai or Abu Dhabi team. No obligation.
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