Preparations for leaving country following successful VISA application

[JumpingthruHoops 0]

Hi

 I am looking for a little advice with regards to preparing for immigration to another country. I have a few questions only so far. I understand the simplest answer would likely be to speak to an immigration lawyer in my home country, but, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. And I think the best advice comes from those who have been through it. I am leaving the UK just so it’s clear.

 

1.       Financial responsibilities? -  Is it possible to maintain a banking presence in my home country in order to continue to pay off debt, maintain an in service mobile phone contract, pay NI etc…

 

2.       Who to inform? – Do I have to let various government agencies know that I am moving abroad? For example, HMRC would be a given I expect but is there any particular entities that I need to do so for this?

 

 3.       Any other tips or suggestions as to preparing to exit you home country with as little stress as possible.

 

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[appleblossom 4,883]

An immigration lawyer won’t help you with any of this anyway, it’s nothing to do with visas.
 

1. Depends on the bank. Some will close accounts for non residents, but if you have regular payments going in/out then you should be fine. Mine (Starling) has been happy to keep mine open. You can do all of the things you’ve mentioned from the US though if you needed to. 
 

2. File a P85 with HMRC. And if you’re renting your home you need to inform them you’ll be a non resident landlord. That’s it other than the usual people you’d tell if you were moving anyway i.e council tax, utility companies, DVLA, car insurance etc. It’s also good to let your doctor and dentist know, just so they can free up the space and take another NHS patient. 
 

3. Get yourself an AMEX card if you haven’t got one already. Then they’l let you open up a US one using their country transfer service, and you’ll get an instant credit rating in the US. I got a card with a $15k limit and a credit score of over 700 within my first fortnight in the US thanks to that. Get a US phone line set up before you leave so you have it from the moment you land - I did with Mint Mobile. 
 

Good luck!

Edited Friday at 10:42 AM by appleblossom

[yuna628 9,899]

Agree with the above, but just to add do you have any student loans? If you do welcome to the sweet fresh hell only the SLC can provide to your life. You'll need to follow the procedure of notifying them, and then notifying them again when you are employed, sending them pay stubs every year for a reassessment, and then paying every month. If would also be advisable to keep a UK bank account if you do have a loan.