I’ve been living in Glasgow for nearly 5 years now. While this doesn’t make me near enough an expert on emmigration, I can impart little nuggets of wisdom. Maybe.
I moved over from the Midwest US after applying for Uni. I rented a flat from a mutual friend, sold all my things (or what I could bear to part with) and got on a plane.
I will warn you, that if you’re planning to stay in the UK for an extended period of time, you better have all your documentation ready when you get to immigration. When they say they might not let you in, they mean it. For me, personally, I had to have my acceptance letter from Glasgow Uni, my passport information, my course information, the address of where I would be staying, and my awards letters (showing I’d be paying for Uni myself), and copies of my bank statements showing that I could sustain myself without having to tap public funds.
If you don’t have your documents, they will send you back.
I was then given a visa (aka a stamp), in my passport saying that I could live here for the next 4 years, and that I was able to work, but not to claim public funds. Cool.
…to be updated at a later time….
