A few questions?

Not sure where these should go, but an trying here. 

Ok, my husband will be going to Queens in Belfast.
He has student loans but will not get them until 3 weeks after he gets there.
Once he gets there he will need to find an apartment for us (wife and 3 kids).
We can't get apply for our Visa's until he has an apartment for us right?

So, the question is?
How much cash should he take with him? And is there a limit on how much he can take though customs?

How much will he need to get an apartment? First month rent I assume, hooking up utilities etc.

And how much will he need to live off of for 3 weeks, food, bus fare ect?

Also, anyone have links with places to rent near Queens?

Thank you so much!
~Mary

First off you need a visa before you make reservations for travel. What if you get turned down and you would loose your cost of air fare.
I just got asked last week when I crossed the border how much money we were carrying so I guess it is an issue (don't have too much).
If you are with Bank of America you can draw on your account through Barclays Bank in Belfast.
Check on line for renting and they will give you the terms. Try, rightmove.com.uk

First off you need a visa before you make reservations for travel. What if you get turned down and you would loose your cost of air fare.

Yes, my husband has his Visa, he will be staying in the dorm until he has an apartment, and will travel alone.
Once he gets there he will get an apartment and then the kids and I can apply for our Visa, and once we get them make plans to join him.

When I came back into the US last week, the limit was $10,000 coming in.

Not sure what it might be going into Ireland, though, but I'm sure it's a quick find on a google search.

When I came back into the US last week, the limit was $10,000 coming in.

Not sure what it might be going into Ireland, though, but I'm sure it's a quick find on a google search.

I've tried google but just keep getting food restrictions. lol I now know I can't bring any form of meat or potato - not even potato seeds. :-)

Your husbands Debit card & Credit card should work over here, especially if they have a  Visa/Mastercard logo.  I relied on my US debit card the first 9 months I was here and would withdraw money in larger chunks because every withdrawl i got charged a small fee from my bank. Most credit cards will work as well.. you just have to ask the cashier to swipe them... so I dont really see the need to carry over a huge amount of money.  I even charged my accomodation on my debit card when i first arrived. 

If i were him, i'd bring over some cash to get me by for the first week til he got settled in, but not anything near $10,000 or anything like that.

Your husbands Debit card & Credit card should work over here, especially if they have a  Visa/Mastercard logo.  I relied on my US debit card the first 9 months I was here and would withdraw money in larger chunks because every withdrawl i got charged a small fee from my bank. Most credit cards will work as well.. you just have to ask the cashier to swipe them... so I dont really see the need to carry over a huge amount of money.  I even charged my accomodation on my debit card when i first arrived. 

If i were him, i'd bring over some cash to get me by for the first week til he got settled in, but not anything near $10,000 or anything like that.

That's a good point, I didn't think about that!
We do have a visa debit card!

I checked rightmove.co.uk and they don't seem to have anything for NI! Try propertynews.com and findaproperty.com. Just be aware that there are definitely areas to avoid. When I first arrived, my boss sat me down with a map and circled the good areas for me! So I can give you an idea, but it might be easier for him to talk to someone there.

You might have a look at Bangor as well. It's a really nice little seaside town about 30 min. from Belfast, which would be quieter and maybe a bit more family-friendly (possibly even cheaper). The train and bus links are good and there's a train station very close to the university. I worked with at least two people who lived there.

I checked rightmove.co.uk and they don't seem to have anything for NI! Try propertynews.com and findaproperty.com. Just be aware that there are definitely areas to avoid. When I first arrived, my boss sat me down with a map and circled the good areas for me! So I can give you an idea, but it might be easier for him to talk to someone there.

You might have a look at Bangor as well. It's a really nice little seaside town about 30 min. from Belfast, which would be quieter and maybe a bit more family-friendly (possibly even cheaper). The train and bus links are good and there's a train station very close to the university. I worked with at least two people who lived there.

Ah, thank you - I thought I was just filling out the form wrong at rightmove. lol
I'll try the other ones!

Yeah, I recommend the debit card route too.  At the ATM too, you often get the best exchange rate of the day, rather than at a money exchange place.  I had to pay a full month's deposit as well as rent on my place ,so keep that in mind.  Lots of trips to the ATM, once a day for about a week! 
I would recommend that he try and get a student bank account as soon as possible (he may have trouble opening another type of account without a full address) - there is often a catch 22 that you can't get a bank account without an address and you can't get an address without a bank account. So if he can get a student account which are often easier than other types, he'll be better ahead for finding a place to live. 

Ah, thank you - I thought I was just filling out the form wrong at rightmove. lol
I'll try the other ones!

Welcome to Northern Ireland, chopped liver capital of the world. 

Seriously, though, you will find many, MANY instances where things just don't work the same as in the rest of the UK.