Moving to the UK in 2026: the complete guide for families and professionals, in the right order

1. The visa, and what it costs before you fly

Most people moving to the UK for work or family arrive on one of five routes. The Skilled Worker visa, for a job with a licensed sponsor, costs £819 per person for up to three years or £1,618 for longer, and each dependant applies and pays separately. The partner visa, for the spouse or partner of a British citizen or settled person, costs £2,064 from outside the UK and usually needs a combined income of at least £29,000 a year. The Student visa costs £558. The UK Ancestry visa, for Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent, costs £726 and lasts five years. The BN(O) visa for Hong Kong residents costs £206 for 30 months or £285 for five years. Which route fits you is a question for GOV.UK and, where it is not obvious, a regulated immigration adviser; this site does not give visa advice.

What catches families out is the second payment. The immigration health surcharge is paid in full, up front, for the whole visa, on top of the fee: £1,035 a year for each adult and £776 for each child. A family of four on a five-year visa pays about £18,100 in surcharge before travelling, and once here NHS care is free at the point of use. It is the first line in an honest moving budget and the one most often missing.

The Blueprint starts from your visa type, because it decides your right to rent, your timeline and whether an employer letter will carry your referencing.

2. The money: what you can afford, and what you pay before the keys

Two numbers decide where you can live, and they are not the same. A referencing check usually passes you at annual income of around 30 times the monthly rent; the Office for National Statistics calls rent affordable at 30% of gross income or less. On England's average rent of £1,459 a month, the check passes at £43,770 a year and the affordable line sits at £58,360. Our rent calculator gives both figures for your salary.

Before the keys you pay a holding deposit of up to a week's rent, a deposit of up to five weeks' rent, and the first month: about £3,500 on the England average, from a UK account. Then the monthly bills, about £1,000 a month before rent and fuel for a family of four, and the one newcomers never budget for is council tax, usually paid by the tenant. Our cost of living guide sets out every bill, with a calculator.

The Blueprint works both numbers for your household, then applies them to real rents in the areas it recommends.

3. Renting with no UK credit history

Your credit record at home does not travel. A UK referencing check returns nothing for a newcomer, and nothing is not a bad score: it means there is nothing to assess. What fails an application is income below the agent's affordability line, a bad credit record, or a poor reference from a previous landlord. Until 1 May 2026 the way round that was six months' rent up front. Since the Renters' Rights Act came into force, a landlord in England cannot take rent before the tenancy is signed or require more than one month in advance after it, so that route has gone.

What carries a newcomer through is the proof pack: a signed UK employment contract or an employer letter confirming salary and start date, three months of bank statements, passport and visa, and a landlord reference where you have one. A working tenant who earns enough against the rent usually needs nothing more. A guarantor, usually referenced at 36 to 42 times the monthly rent, comes in when income falls short, the credit record is bad or a reference is poor; students and anyone on a low or unconfirmed income should expect to need one, and some agents ask every overseas applicant regardless. Have it ready before you start viewing, because good homes go in days. Most visa holders also prove their right to rent with a share code from GOV.UK, which expires after about 90 days, so generate it when viewings start.

The Blueprint sets out what the agent will ask for in your case, and whether a guarantor applies to you, so the proof pack is ready before the first viewing.

4. Schools, before you choose a house

If you have children, the school decides the house, not the other way round. In England a child's year group is fixed by age on 31 August, not by the year they left behind, and the deadlines run well ahead of the school year: 31 October for a secondary place the following September, 15 January for primary. Arrive later and you apply in-year to the council, which must respond within fifteen school days. Places mostly go by distance, so a house chosen before the school can put you outside the catchment you wanted. Our year group calculator tells you which year your child lands in; the deadlines guide covers the rest.

Families who buy the Blueprint get a separate Schools and education plan, drawn up by Adrian Duckett, Co-founder and Schools and Education Consultant, with sixteen years in school leadership, covering the year group, the timing and the application route for each child.

5. Where to live

The honest answer to "where should we live" is three areas, not one, chosen on budget, commute and, for families, schools. Our area guides cover twelve English cities, three areas each, with current rents and what to check before you view. At every viewing, ask for two numbers the listing may not show: the council tax band and the EPC rating. Between them they decide most of what the home costs to run.

Do not sign a tenancy from abroad. Book two to four weeks of temporary accommodation, view in person in the first fortnight with the proof pack ready, and take the tenancy from there. It costs a few hundred pounds more than moving straight in and it is the difference between choosing a home and accepting one.

This is the part of the move the Blueprint is built around: three areas for your household, with the rent, bills and commute for each, and the reasoning behind the choice.

6. The first month

Register to vote at your new address: it is the first thing lenders and referencing providers look for on a credit file. Register with a GP, which needs no ID or proof of address. Open a UK current account if you have not already. Tell the council you have moved in so the council tax account is in your name. And if you drive, check how long your licence is valid here, because it depends on where it was issued; if it was issued in the United States, our driving licence guide covers it.

The Blueprint ends with this list for your household, in order, with the deadlines filled in.

What it costs: one family, in order

The figures above are scattered across six stages, so here they are for one defined household: two adults and two children, both under 18, coming on a three-year Skilled Worker visa with the main applicant sponsored, renting a two-to-three-bedroom home outside London at England's average rent. Every line is sourced on this page or the guide it links to.

So about £14,100 before you fly, about £3,500 before the keys, and about £2,500 a month from then on, before fuel, clothing, eating out and childcare. A child under three adds about £1,600 a month in nursery fees for a family on a work visa, which cannot use the funded hours; the cost of living guide covers it. A family of five, London, or an older house moves every line, which is what the calculators on the rent and cost of living guides are for.

The timeline: what to do when

Twelve months out, if you have children: check the year group and the application deadlines, because 31 October and 15 January come round before most moves are confirmed, and a missed deadline means an in-year application into whatever places are left. Six months out: the money plan, the proof pack and the area shortlist, because your rent ceiling decides the areas and the areas decide the schools, and none of that should wait for the visa. Three months out: the visa application, because a Skilled Worker application can be made up to three months before the start date and usually takes about three weeks to decide, and the health surcharge is paid with it; book the temporary accommodation now, because the first fortnight is when you view. The first two weeks after arrival: generate the Right to Rent share code, because it expires after about 90 days, then viewings, the holding deposit and the tenancy. The first month: the electoral roll, because it is the first thing a credit file is built from; the GP; the bank account; council tax; and the in-year school application if you missed the deadline.

The Blueprint lays this out as dates for your move, not months out.

Where the general rule stops

The order above is right for most moves. What it cannot tell you is which three areas fit your budget and commute; whether an in-year application will reach the school you want; whether a guarantor applies to you and whether your employer's letter will pass the provider your agent uses; or what your bills will be in the home you choose. Those are decisions about your family, and they are what a written plan is for.

How Moovedin can help

The free scorecard takes four minutes and shows where your move stands. The Blueprint is a written plan of all six stages for your household, drawn up by a relocation consultant with sixteen years in UK lettings: the areas, the rent and bills, the referencing route and the first-month list, with a separate Schools and education plan where there are children. It costs £99 and includes WhatsApp support from the Moovedin team until two weeks after you move in. Where your situation needs a judgement call, a call with me costs £79. Whichever you choose, do the stages in this order. The house comes fifth, not first.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to move to the UK?

For two adults and two children on a three-year Skilled Worker visa: about £14,100 before you fly (four visa fees at £819 and £10,866 of health surcharge), about £3,500 before the keys (a holding deposit, a five-week deposit and the first month's rent on the England average), then about £2,500 a month for rent and core bills outside London, before fuel and childcare.

Can I rent in the UK with no credit history?

Yes. A blank UK credit file is not a fail; referencing turns on whether your income clears the agent's affordability line and whether you can prove it, with a signed UK contract or employer letter and bank statements. Paying rent up front to get round it has not been allowed in England since 1 May 2026. A guarantor is needed only if your income, credit record or landlord reference falls short, though students and low incomes should expect to need one.

What should I do first when moving to the UK?

The visa, then the money, then schools if you have children, then the area, then the house, then the first-month admin. The commonest mistake is starting with the house.

How long does it take to find a home in the UK?

The search itself is fast once the proof pack is ready; good homes go within days, which is why you view from temporary accommodation in the first fortnight rather than signing from abroad. The slow part is everything before it: the money plan, the employer letter and the school decision.

Our area guides

Our area guides cover twelve English cities, three areas each, with current rents and what to check before you view: Manchester, London, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford and York.