Hello all!

Hey guys just wanted to introduce myself. I just recently received my spouse visa (on the 5th of July in fact!) and my wife and I are very excited! We had spent many months apart, experienced a lot of stress, but now it all seems worth while after getting the visa. I have been a long time lurker on the forum reading your advice on preparing the visa application, and without this forum I don't think we could have made a successful application. So thank you all so much!

I just had a question. For those who have received your visa, what were your next steps? What did you do for health care? Just have a lot of questions and would love to speak with all of you and hear your thoughts on what to do after receiving the visa.

Look forward to meeting you all and speaking to you!

Oh and I'm moving from Sweet Home Alabama to beautiful Norwich!

You are eligible for medical treatment under the NHS.  Simply register with a GP.

When you get to the UK get your name on the council tax bill and other utility bills.

If you're going to work get a National Insurance number through the a job Centre.

Thank you Anonymiss for your reply. I wasn't sure if I was eligible for NHS healthcare so that is a huge relief! And yes I am planning on working so I will get a National Insurance number ASAP. I was slightly surprised (well maybe not that surprised) that I did not receive a welcome packet or some sort of info from the UKBA instructing me on my next steps. They just put the visa in your passport and send you on your way!

Also, when I get to the UK do I need to provide any additional information to the entry officer upon arrival, or is it a matter of simply showing them your spouse visa and you are allowed entry? I ask because I know how strict they are when you enter into the country, and previously before I got my visa I was expected to provide extra documentation when visiting.

Thanks again for your help!

Welcome to the UK and good luck with the move. I entered with everything I used to apply with (unless you have a really good reason for not having it). When I entered on a student visa they wanted all the letters, etc. and when I arrived on my residence card for the first time (I applied for the spouse visa from within the UK) I was expected to have basics like marriage certificate, etc. They didn't ask for anything crazy but I think they wanted to make sure I was the person who made the application, etc. Don't fret about it though. The wait in line is the most stressful part of the immigration process.

When you get here, sign up with your local GP and get an NI number ASAP. It took me a month to get mine back in 2009 and they needed important things like my passport.

Do you drive? I know it sounds silly but that is the one thing that drove me bonkers when I moved here. While pubic transport is fab, in my line of work driving was essential so I worked to get my license ASAP. A provisional was £50 (and took me months to get due to paperwork issues) and meant that I could help my husband on long journeys without the huge cost of driving on my US license (was going is cost us over £1000 on top of what he paid for himself). Plus, driving over here was different and I was thankful for the time to practice so I could take the manual test.

Anyway, I'm sure that is the last thing on your mind. Congrats and good luck!

Thanks jackzlukasik for your advice. I will be sure to have all my documents at hand just in case. But after your initial entrance into the UK, say you wanted to travel outside the UK say for a holiday, are you then required to show extra documentation every time? Or will your spouse visa suffice?

And yes I am planning on driving so I will be sure to get my license soon. Yes diving there is definitely different! I was there for six months just on my American license, and I remember when I first started driving there how I freaked out because the national speed limit on some of those narrow country roads was 60 mph! I bout had a panic attack! But now after six months of that I just zip down the road like the rest of them.

Thanks again for your help you guys are awesome!

Thanks jackzlukasik for your advice. I will be sure to have all my documents at hand just in case. But after your initial entrance into the UK, say you wanted to travel outside the UK say for a holiday, are you then required to show extra documentation every time? Or will your spouse visa suffice?

The spousal visa will be enough at that point.

I have a Biometrics card (equivalent to your visa in your passport) and they want to see it every time. I can back from France on Saturday with a group of 7 British passports and me and they still wanted to see it. Didn't check my finger prints like they normally do in the airport but they will still want that. Nothing else, so don't fret. Good luck!

They didn't ask for anything more than my visa when I arrived (I had it opened to the visa page so I didn't get stamped in as a visitor by an IO in a hurry!).  He did ask me a bit about my plans (I came on a fiance visa so he asked about the wedding and what we had planned- they seemed like just pleasant questions.... not grilling by any means).

The first time you enter the UK, don't fly through Ireland.  There is no immigration control flying from Ireland to the UK and you'll want a UK entry stamp in your passport showing the day you entered the UK.    Flying through another country would be fine (I flew direct from Canada even though I'm American)... just don't fly through Ireland. 

Thanks for all your responses guys. Looks like I don't have too much to worry about when I get there then. I've just had bad experiences in the past with grumpy IOs (and to be fair I was grumpy too after 18 hours of travelling!), so I just like to be extra prepared. I'll pack my spouse visa supporting documents in my carry on for my initial entry just to err on the side of caution though. I appreciate all the advice!