Emigrating to the UK?

Banking services and financial advice for individuals emigrating to the UK

If you plan to emigrate to the UK, a Barclays Wealth International bank account can make it easy to keep track of your day-to-day money requirements, in both your home country and the UK.

We can help you by setting up your account even before you arrive in the UK, so that you can have access to your cash from day one. You will not have to worry about getting UK utility bills, which is a typical requirement for setting up a bank account in the UK. By choosing to bank with us, all you need is to provide one proof of identity (usually a certified copy of your passport) plus one proof of your residential address. Original documents are required. However, if you are applying online or by phone, you can provide photocopies certified by an authorised person.

When banking with Barclays Wealth International, you can also choose whether you want your account to be located in the UK or one of our stable and well-founded offshore locations such as Jersey, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar. This will enable you to optimise any tax planning opportunities.

We do not offer tax advice, but we can introduce you to our preferred tax-advice partner, leading international financial services firm Ernst & Young.

Barclays Wealth International is part of the one the world's largest and oldest banking institutions, with over 300 years' financial experience. So you can be sure you'll be in safe hands.

Although we do not provide specific emigration advice, we can help with sources of information on emigrating. Please contact us for more details.

Apply for a Barclays Wealth International bank account today, and you’ll have the option to open a 1 year fixed term deposit offering a fixed 3% AER/Gross* on GBP savings and a fixed 2.5% AER/Gross with EUR and USD deposits between £10,000 to £250,000 (or currency equivalent). The New Client Term Deposit** matures in just one year, with no withdrawals allowed during this period - interest is paid on deposit maturity.

You can also call us on +44 (0)141 352 3986^†, or use our call back service.

Requirements to emigrate to UK

Apart from having a recognised passport, you may need a visa to come to the UK. You can find out whether a visa is required by contacting the British Embassy, commission or consulate in your home country.

Also, resident foreign nationals from outside the European Union and countries like Switzerland and Norway, who want to extend their stay beyond six months, may be required to have an identity card.

Full guidance on requirements is available on the UK Borders Agency website. The site contains specific information on requirements for UK residency.

UK immigration law

How the UK law on immigration affects you depends on where you come from, how long you intend to stay and what you will be doing while in the UK.

A new, points-based system for immigration in to the UK came into force in June 2008. This means that the UK sets annual limits for certain types of person wanting to work or study in the UK. The categories are broad and loose, and they include investors, entrepreneurs, business people and highly skilled workers.

You can find guidance on these categories on the UK Borders Agency website.

Emigrating from the US

If you are a US citizen coming to work or study in the UK as a UK resident non-domiciled, you will need a visa.

The US Embassy in London has a new American Citizens Services blog. It contains lots of advice on such matters as when to pay tax to the IRS and what you have to pay tax on, as well as other issues of interest to Americans living in the UK: http://london.usembassy.gov/americanservices

Advice for people planning to emigrate to the UK

Health care is an important issue to consider before moving to the UK.

Many people decide to look for private healthcare or have it provided as part of employment. But for everyone else, it's good to know that the UK has a state-run healthcare system called the National Health Service (NHS).

The NHS is funded through general taxation and as a resident of the UK paying tax here, including National Insurance contributions, you are entitled to use this free service.

The first step is to get a national insurance number through the Department for Work and Pensions, so that you can then register with a local doctor. In the UK these are called general practitioners (GPs). You might also want to register with a dentist. Most dental services in the UK are privately run so you should look into dental insurance to cover the expense.

Details of NHS services can be found on the NHS Direct web site.

Then, there is the one item on which all the others depend: a good home for your money and banking services designed for your needs. You can get both from us at Barclays Wealth International.

Apply for a Barclays Wealth International bank account.

You can also call us on +44 (0)141 352 3986^†, or use our call back service.