# Moving to the UK



## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Hi All,

I will be moving to the UK this October and I am currently in the process of finding a good location where I can move with my family (wife and a 2 year old son).

I am leaning towards moving to Reading but I am a bit worried about its distance to London.

Can you let me know of good locations to live in the UK, cheap but I can still access London?

Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Vegasgirl94 (Feb 12, 2011)

cesmij said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I will be moving to the UK this October and I am currently in the process of finding a good location where I can move with my family (wife and a 2 year old son).
> 
> ...


I think it all depends on where your job will be? London is HUGE, so is your job central, north, south of the river, etc? If you gave that info, someone might be able to let you know of good places to live in that area would be. I live in a great area south of the river in Kent that is convenient if you worked south of the river. But Reading is west I believe, so I'm assuming you will be working west.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, from what I have heard rent is really expensive in London so I definitely want to rent somewhere outside London. I am looking at Watford right now. 

Do you think exploring Bristol or Birmingham areas is OK?

Many thanks


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

cesmij said:


> Thanks for the reply. Yeah, from what I have heard rent is really expensive in London so I definitely want to rent somewhere outside London. I am looking at Watford right now.
> 
> Do you think exploring Bristol or Birmingham areas is OK?
> 
> Many thanks


Do you have a job lined up, and if so, where is the location?
Is your visa sorted, if you don't have British or other EU/EEA nationality?


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Yes Joppa. Thankfully, I have already a Tier 2 visa on hand. I got a job in a company with several offices in the UK. My contract says I will be based in London, but I expect to be sent to different locations as a consultant. 
I am very open to commuting if this entails that I have lower rent and a more comfortable accommodations for my wife and my 2 year old son. 
Looking for the right location is kind of hard for someone who has not been to the UK.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

cesmij said:


> Yes Joppa. Thankfully, I have already a Tier 2 visa on hand. I got a job in a company with several offices in the UK. My contract says I will be based in London, but I expect to be sent to different locations as a consultant.
> I am very open to commuting if this entails that I have lower rent and a more comfortable accommodations for my wife and my 2 year old son.
> Looking for the right location is kind of hard for someone who has not been to the UK.


Thank you for explaining your situation. Let me try to help.
If your contract says you are based in London but you have to travel a lot within UK, then find a location handy for motorways, such as St Albans, Watford or Hemel Hemstead. You are more likely to be able to afford a house with garden than near Central London. They are all handy for M1 and M25 motorways, and have fast train links to Central London, but being near London, rent etc will still be higher than national average.

Do tell us the exact location of your London office and locations of other offices in UK to give you more specific advice (name of town/city etc).


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Thanks for the information. My office would be in 1 South Place
London and the company (Oracle) has offices in Reading and I think a couple of other offices in the whole UK. 
I agree with your point that I should be staying in an area where I can easily go around. 
Would be good to invest in companies that will find a suitable accommodation for me? But I think they really expensive.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

cesmij said:


> Thanks for the information. My office would be in 1 South Place
> London and the company (Oracle) has offices in Reading and I think a couple of other offices in the whole UK.
> I agree with your point that I should be staying in an area where I can easily go around.
> Would be good to invest in companies that will find a suitable accommodation for me? But I think they really expensive.


So your London office is in the City of London and you may have to travel to Reading. Then you want to be somewhere in West London, such as along Metropolitan Line that has direct connection to Moorgate in the City, and easy to get to Reading by M40 and M4. It's a part of London I used to live in and still visit now and again, and I suggest somewhere like Harrow, Ruislip, Hillingdon or Uxbridge. You should be able to rent a small house or a flat from around £200-£300 a week. No need to use expenisve relocator - just get a temporary accommodation in a hotel or self-catering accommodation for a couple of weeks and start looking for rental properties yourself. Rightmove and Prime Location are two of the better known rental sites.
Here is the list of Oracle's UK locations: http://www.oracle.com/uk/corporate/contact/united-kingdom-offices-307766-en-gb.html


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Yeah, I will look at those locations as well. I got quotes for temporary accommodations, and are they really that expensive, almost 100 pounds per day?
Would it be possible to stay in a hotel for about a week or transfer to a more permanent location which hopefully I have already located before coming to the UK?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

cesmij said:


> Yeah, I will look at those locations as well. I got quotes for temporary accommodations, and are they really that expensive, almost 100 pounds per day?
> Would it be possible to stay in a hotel for about a week or transfer to a more permanent location which hopefully I have already located before coming to the UK?


Temporary accommoodation of all kinds are expensive in London, and £100 a day for a family of three is by no means outrageous. Look at budget hotel chains like Travelodge, which sometimes have rooms for £30 to £50 a night. 
Yes, that's what I suggest you do. Remember there is a high demand for rentals and good places go very quickly, so you need to act promptly. Make sure you have cash for rent in advance and deposit, which will come to a few thousand pounds at least, and confirmation of employment with salary level.


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

thanks, your inputs really are helpful. Right now, I do not have any more questions and I will update this thread when new information comes in. 

Hopefully, I will have a clearer picture in the next few days..


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Is it easy to commute to London from Bedford or Milton Keynes? From what I am seeing in rightmove, the properties are not that expensive?


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## iMss2 (Sep 14, 2011)

cesmij said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I will be moving to the UK this October and I am currently in the process of finding a good location where I can move with my family (wife and a 2 year old son).
> 
> ...



Hi cesmij,

I'm also from Philippines and an expat here in the UK with my family. As Joppa said, renting a temporary place here is very expensive considering the amount we normally pay back home. 

We live in a place called Slough and it's not very far from London. It's between Reading and London. You can travel by train & it will only take you 15-20mins (fastest train) to London Paddington (of course longer if you miss this). Cheap train fares are available after 9:30am. There are Filipinos in this area and some of them work in London & travel by train everyday (but having a car/license soon would save you a lot of money from fares). The rent here is about 750-950£ for a 2 bedroom house (some are offered furnished already but you can still choose to have your own furnitures if you prefer).

Good luck and hope you find the info helpful!


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Hi iMss2,

Thanks Kababayan for your reply. I am looking all over UK to find a good place to live but if there is a community of Filipinos in your area that is definitely a plus for me. I will start to also look at Slough as one my targets.
Would you know the average cost of living per week? Grocery, bills, etc..


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## mauiboy (Sep 14, 2011)

hope this helps...

House rent : £1,000-1,200 average per month. this gets higher the closer you are to central London
Phone/ Internet/ line rental: £25 a month
Council tax : depends on the borough...normally around £100 per month
TV License: £12 a month..yes,you pay monthly to watch just basic channels in the UK
Water bill : £35 a month
Gas and electricity: £150 per month..could go high during winter
Food and Groceries : £100 per week.
Mobile phone: depends on the contract but on average £30 per month

Feel free to ask questions.


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## Superman007 (Jan 11, 2011)

*UK visa question*

Hello,
Sorry to go off topic but I have a question:
I've been living in UK for 6 months now and have attained a spouse visa earlier this year (I'm from USA). It looks like things are not going to work out and I'm getting a divorse. Am I still aloud to stay in UK and work til my visa expires in 2 years time? Can I still apply for being a UK citizen after the 2 years expires?

Thanks


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Superman007 said:


> Hello,
> Sorry to go off topic but I have a question:
> I've been living in UK for 6 months now and have attained a spouse visa earlier this year (I'm from USA). It looks like things are not going to work out and I'm getting a divorse. Am I still aloud to stay in UK and work til my visa expires in 2 years time? Can I still apply for being a UK citizen after the 2 years expires?


When your relationship permanently breaks down, you or your partner is supposed to contact the Home Office and let them know. Depending on individual circumstances, they reserve the right to cancel your spouse visa, but they will take all factors into account, including reasons for the breakdwon. If you are able to switch into another category such as student or sponsored work, that will stop you getting deported. If they do decide to cancel your visa, you have full right of appeal.
See UK Border Agency | If your relationship with your partner breaks down

Even if they allow you to stay, you won't be able to apply for settlement after 2 years, as you are no longer married to a British citizen and living together. So you need to switch into another category to continue your residence. You can only apply for naturalisation as British citizen when you complete the required qualifying period in UK, which is usually 5 years, but a stay under some categories doesn't count towards settlement, such as student.


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## Superman007 (Jan 11, 2011)

Joppa said:


> When your relationship permanently breaks down, you or your partner is supposed to contact the Home Office and let them know. Depending on individual circumstances, they reserve the right to cancel your spouse visa, but they will take all factors into account, including reasons for the breakdwon. If you are able to switch into another category such as student or sponsored work, that will stop you getting deported. If they do decide to cancel your visa, you have full right of appeal.
> See UK Border Agency | If your relationship with your partner breaks down
> 
> Even if they allow you to stay, you won't be able to apply for settlement after 2 years, as you are no longer married to a British citizen and living together. So you need to switch into another category to continue your residence. You can only apply for naturalisation as British citizen when you complete the required qualifying period in UK, which is usually 5 years, but a stay under some categories doesn't count towards settlement, such as student.



Do they quite strictly enforce the fact that you ahve to wait 2 years to apply for settlement? Or can it be done quicker than 2 years?


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Superman007 said:


> Do they quite strictly enforce the fact that you ahve to wait 2 years to apply for settlement? Or can it be done quicker than 2 years?


2 years' residence as spouse of a British citizen is the requirement, and you can't get it any earlier, and your relationship must be sustaining.


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## iMss2 (Sep 14, 2011)

cesmij said:


> Hi iMss2,
> 
> Thanks Kababayan for your reply. I am looking all over UK to find a good place to live but if there is a community of Filipinos in your area that is definitely a plus for me. I will start to also look at Slough as one my targets.
> Would you know the average cost of living per week? Grocery, bills, etc..


Hi there...weekly cost of living is more or less what mauiboy said...of course it also depends on the number of family members & the area where you will live. Also, just to let u know that there's a lot of Filipino Community here in the UK  Earls Court in London is an area with many Filipino restaurants and Pinoy Stores.

One thing worth knowing before moving here is the tax. I was based in Dubai before I moved here (which is a tax-free country) and I was shocked from the taxes that I have to pay here. I know that there'll be taxes to pay but I didn't expect that it's going to be thaaaat much. The monthly deductions from my salary (in my opinion) will suffice to support a family in Manila if you will convert the value in pesos. I guess it's more than the income of an average Pinoy employee back home. Although comparing to Phils, here you will definitely see where your taxes go (you'll benefit from free school, free health service, proper infrastructures, etc.) so it's not that bad. I suggest that you work out your monthly net income (after tax) and all the expenses mauiboy gave you to have a better idea of all your financials.

There's a lot of websites to calculate the UK tax, you just have to enter your gross annual salary and it will tell you the deductions (tax & National Insurance) and what will be your monthly net income (no personal info must be given on any of these sites, that's not required at all so be careful).

Try listentotaxman or just google it....there's loads!  

Feel feel to ask....I've been through that! It was so hard for us when we moved here coz there's no one around to ask (I didn't know about this forum at that time) and we were sooo lost...(On our first day here, my husband drove on the wrong side of the road & got all the left & right mixed up and it was chaos but it all went fine after few hours...phew!)


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## Missy0810 (Sep 15, 2011)

Cesmij,

It's a shame your job is London based as it seems so many people migrating to the UK feel that London is the only place to be. 

I live in Ayrshire, South West Scotland. It is a beautiful coastal area, holiday location and bursting with activites; a lovely place to bring up a child (having a 20 month old son, I can happily vouch for that!), but because of the fantastic motorway, we are only 25 minutes from Glasgow, Scotlands largest City.

We are expecting to be in Australia by the New Year because of my fiance's work, but I will miss our beautiful county very much until we return. 

Good luck with your move and please don't rule out coastal Scotland for a visit!! )

Missy


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## Missy0810 (Sep 15, 2011)

*Cost of Living*

I can't speak for prices in London, but if you are looking for food shopping costs, check out Tesco online

or Asda online

Asda is generally cheaper. 
Also, a couple of well known discount supermarkets in the uk are Aldi and Lidl and on the occassion i've been in there, i was amazed to find that a trolley load that would normally cost over £100 in Tesco, cost me only £58 in Aldi. Some items are hit and miss but if you shop carefully, you can get some good quality items in those stores.

And bills, we pay £190 per month council tax for a Band F home (3 bed, 2 bathroom, detached home).
£165 Per month Dual Fuel (Gas & Elec)
No separate water rates in Scotland so I can't help there (but you WILL get the best cup of tea ever! and the best natural "soft" water for drinking, washing your clothes, hair, etc).


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

iMss2 said:


> Hi there...weekly cost of living is more or less what mauiboy said...of course it also depends on the number of family members & the area where you will live. Also, just to let u know that there's a lot of Filipino Community here in the UK  Earls Court in London is an area with many Filipino restaurants and Pinoy Stores.
> 
> One thing worth knowing before moving here is the tax. I was based in Dubai before I moved here (which is a tax-free country) and I was shocked from the taxes that I have to pay here. I know that there'll be taxes to pay but I didn't expect that it's going to be thaaaat much. The monthly deductions from my salary (in my opinion) will suffice to support a family in Manila if you will convert the value in pesos. I guess it's more than the income of an average Pinoy employee back home. Although comparing to Phils, here you will definitely see where your taxes go (you'll benefit from free school, free health service, proper infrastructures, etc.) so it's not that bad. I suggest that you work out your monthly net income (after tax) and all the expenses mauiboy gave you to have a better idea of all your financials.
> 
> ...


Hi Mam,

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it. After taxes, I project my earnings to be around 2500+ pounds per month. Hopefully that is something that can keep a family of 3 afloat (wife and 2 year old son). What do you think?

I have talked to my Manager and it seems that I do not really have to stay in London as I will be working as a consultant and would be moving to different locations. I was looking at Milton Keynes and also the Berkshire area. As you see I will not be earning a lot so I would like to stay out of London, maybe until my wife also finds work. 

I do have an off topic question, if I were going to UK on a tier 2 migrant visa, do I still need to get an exit clearance from POEA?


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Missy0810 said:


> Cesmij,
> 
> It's a shame your job is London based as it seems so many people migrating to the UK feel that London is the only place to be.
> 
> ...


Hi, 

I would definitely visit Scotland as I have a friend there. 
Thanks for the inputs.


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## cesmij (Sep 10, 2011)

Hi All,

After talking to my manager it seems that I will be assigned in Leeds for 6-12 months. I am now looking at properties there. Do you recommend any locations?


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