r/MovingToTheUK

I’m relocating to the UK for family reasons, and I’m trying to find somewhere decent to live. But according to the internet, every where has turned to crap or I might get stabbed before I even unpack.

Are there any small/mid‑sized towns (100k+ people) that are actually nice, vaguely safe? I’m avoiding the larger cities and just want a place with community vibes, green space, and no stabbing. Any suggestions from people who have actually lived there?

Does anybody be else out there (in the uk) think there should be a vote (referendum) on whether the Uk tax payer should have a choice about paying their money to fund asylum and immigration ?

Hello everyone! My family will be relocating to Scotland this month and part of our to-do list is to get a new car and car insurance. We will only have our U.S. licenses for a while.

Which companies would you recommend and why?

Hello there,

I'm an Italian guy who would like to settle in the Bournemouth area and I started looking for information about the work visa.

I was wondering if there's anyone who has any contact or tips to help me out.

I have experience in restaurants, language teaching and illustration (if this might help).

Thank you in advance for the help.

I did my bio-metrics appointment recently. I'm going from the USA to the UK, by the way. For those of you who have already been through the fiancee/partner visa process, about how long did it take to get your decision? Also, do you have any tips for making my arrival and first few months a bit easier?

Hi, I was born and raised in the UK until I moved to the US 4 years ago.

I want to study pharmacy in the UK and I am planning on moving back permanently in June next year.

About my situation:

• We did not move to the US because of a work visa.
• I have visited only once since moving.
• I still have close family in the UK (my dad's side)
• My mother has a mortgaged house in the UK that she is renting out. Those tenants are leaving and my mom might come with me back to the UK.
• In that house we have a shed with many of our old things in it (could this be proof of the move being only temporary?)
• I have bills in my name (like paying off my phone and my dad added me to one of his utility bills).
• I have a UK passport.

EDIT: I have a UK bank account!! Ive had the bank account for 6 years now.

EDIT 2: Guys. I am NOT trying to take anything away from UK students. It is just a question. education can get expensive and I just wanted to save as much money as I can. In no way will me possibly getting home fees affect any UK students. It was not my choice to move to the USA and I've always wanted to return. 

Hello Reddit, I am a 30F and I am seriously thinking about moving out of London. It’s just to expensive to rent/buy and as a NHS worker I think my money would stretch a lot longer outside of this city. I love London for its diversity and inclusivity. I have lived outside of London before (Kent Medway ) for university. My fear is that I am a WOC and I do not want to end up in a place where it is racist. When looking for answers on Reddit about this it’s most people who are not minorities saying ‘England isn’t racist’ ‘I’ve never seen anything’ but aren’t people of colour so of course you won’t experience it first hand or see it. I think a lot of English people can be very dismissive of what people of colour go through because they themselves have never experience racism within their own space.

Anyways, England is an amazing country to live in. I’ve lived here all my life and I was born here. It is more tolerant than most countries ie Italy and Spain etc. however, there are certain cities I do want to avoid. My brother was hate crimes in Staffordshire. They called him racial slurs and threw things at him. I have had my own issues within Kent also.

So, for those who can comment and not just ‘oh as long as you’re nice people are nice bs’ please tell me what would be the best city to move to which is not only inclusive of race but sexuality and all other forms of living. I would like a city that is pretty liberal and has a young ish scene.

I would want to move to somewhere with affordable rent and good job opportunities and decent transport if possible. I’ve heard Leicester, Manchester, Leeds and Bristol are all good plus Brighton. But if you have more suggestions and experiences that would be lovely.

Hey Guysssssssssssssssssss!!!

My friend and I are international students from India, and we'll be flying with British Airways on 14 September from Bengaluru to Manchester via London Heathrow Terminal 5 on a single booking.

Over the past few days, we've come across quite a few posts and comments online about passengers receiving their checked baggage 2–3 days after arriving, especially on connecting flights and also the baggage is getting delayed and lost in most of the cases. Naturally, that's made us a little anxious because we'll be carrying most of our belongings for our move to the UK.

We want your opinions and experiences on this, whether this is something that happens regularly or if it's just that people with bad experiences are more likely to post about them online.

Also, for those who have flown British Airways recently, especially on routes connecting through Heathrow, guys can u answer some of our queries please????? Such as-

1. Is delayed baggage a common issue, or is it relatively rare?
2. Have you experienced delayed or misplaced baggage recently?
3. If your baggage was delayed, how long did it take to reach you?
4. Have you noticed any improvement or worsening in baggage handling recently?
5. Would you recommend putting an AirTag or another luggage tracker in checked baggage?
6. Are there any practical tips to reduce the chances of baggage delays during a Heathrow connection?

We'd really appreciate hearing about your recent experiences and opinions. Thank you in advance!

Although the 2 years of cohabitation requirement was removed, the Home Office still expects the relationship to be durable. In practice, many successful applications involve relationships of around two years or more, but there is no rule that says you must have been in the relationship for exactly 2 years.
Can some emphasis on above statement suppose some have not yet completed the relationship of 2 year still they can apply ?

Hello everyone,

I’m a mechanical engineering graduate currently living in Istanbul, and I’ll be moving to Glasgow this coming September to start my MSc in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde.
I have a huge interest in the renewable energy sector, particularly wind energy, and I really want to steer my career in this direction. Back in Turkey, my experience was a bit different—I did an internships in the defense industry working on internal combustion engines. While my ultimate goal is to pivot into renewables, I am also completely open to broader mechanical engineering roles across other sectors.
As the move gets closer, I have a few questions for the locals, expats, or fellow engineers in the area:

1. Job Market & Visa Sponsorship: How tough is the job market in Glasgow (and the wider UK) for mechanical engineering and renewable energy roles right now? Coming from an ICE/defense background, will it be difficult to compete for graduate roles? Do companies in the energy field generally open doors for Graduate Visas / Skilled Worker sponsorships?
2. Cost of Living: What is a realistic monthly budget for a student nowadays? I'm trying to gauge rent (student accommodation vs. private flat shares) and general living expenses in Glasgow.
3. Social Life: What is the social scene like for international postgraduate students? Is it easy to make friends outside of the university circle, or are there specific clubs/societies you’d recommend joining?
   Would love to hear any tips, insights, or reality checks you might have. Thanks in advance!

Hey, I’m a 23 male who’s about to go to school for Automotive. This move wouldn’t be for another 3-4 years anyway. But I’m wondering what the demand for Mechanics and other things like it are looking like. I do have a wife that would hopefully move with me that’s going for tax/accounting she’d be getting her CPA which I’m not sure holds any real weight over there. I also have 2 boys that are 2 and 1 right now. So I would also like to know about the best area school wise to live to.

Thank you!!

Hi everyone, so I am a 25-year-old trans man in a relationship with a 29-year-old man. We are planning to get married in like 2-3 years. He is a UK citizen (has dual citizenship), and we want to move overseas as the USA is getting worse for trans people. We are considering the UK if the sentiment and laws regarding trans people improve in the coming years. But if not, then we are heavily considering Australia. We would like to move in like 5-6 years.

I am finishing up my bachelor's and will be starting my master's in Library Science next year. He only completed high school and is a truck driver. I am having trouble figuring out if we would qualify for a visa and if it would be beneficial for immigrating to get a double master's in Library Science and Business Administration, as my target school offers it.

I would love some advice on the situation, as we are at a crossroads on whether to move to a more liberal city in the UK, as it would be easier, or just be safe and move to Australia, but with a more difficult immigration process.

how is the condition there, jobs, rent, travel etc.

[removed]

I’m Canadian in my mid 20’s moving to England at the end of the year doing travel nursing and I don’t know where the best option to live is….
Some options I have right now are Bournemouth, Bristol, Poole, Dorset, Oxford and Gloucestershire.
I love nature, hiking, camping, water activities and don’t like big city’s but I do enjoy a nice town that had some nightlife and good restaurants! I’m indecisive if I want to live and experience the country side of England or the coast.
If anyone has any information on the places above, what living there is like, housing prices and things to do I would LOVE some insight!!!

Hello!

I'm in a bit of a weird situation and I wanted to see if anyone here has been in a similar situation. I'm living abroad with my husband who is not English and does not currently have any visa for the UK. My son is a British citizen, as am I. To get my husband a visa I would need to come to the UK, work for 6 months and get him on a spouse visa which I have done before and was accepted (we lived there for 2.5 years before making the silly decision to move back to his home country).

I'm now at a point where I just need to get out but I don't want to affect my son. I don't have much savings at the moment and don't have family that I can stay with/rely on for childcare.

Of course his father can look after him whilst I work and set us up but I just really wanted to see if there was any possible way I could make it work where I could bring him with me.

Between long waiting lists for childcare and housing and then also being somewhat tied to London (so that I can get a job that meets the financial requirements for the spouse visa easier), it all just feels like I'm going to need to either give up or leave my son here for a long period of time.

If anyone has gone through anything similar, I'm looking for anything to help, advice or options I can look at.

Thank you so much for reading!

I'm working on a project to make the international job search easier, especially for people looking for visa-sponsored opportunities.

Before building further, I'd like to understand what people actually struggle with.

Some questions I'm curious about:

• Did you struggle to find companies that actually sponsor visas?
• Was it difficult to understand visa requirements?
• Did you waste time applying to companies that couldn't sponsor you?
• What tools or websites did you rely on?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience. Real stories are much more valuable than feature requests.

What does UK has to offer to someone like me???

i got my visa rejected for ireland now i plan to try for uk.

i have three offer letter from

birmingham newman university

leeds trinity university

edge hill university

which university had better reputation and overall the best among these three and also the city wise difference which is good for indian student. pls help with honest advice

Hi community, I’m looking on advice of areas to consider for a mod 30s couple with a 2 year old. Preference is to have a peaceful, friendly neighbourhood with good transport links and connectivity, good nurseries , primary schools around as well as other amenities.

Thanks