Relocation support in the UK: what settling-in includes

What do relocation support services include?

Relocation support services, also sold as settling-in services, are the admin of your first weeks in a new country: proving who you are, getting the numbers and registrations you need, finding a doctor, opening a bank account, choosing schools. They are different from home search, which is covered in how to find a flat in London, and from moving your belongings.

What a package contains depends on the agent. One London agency lists orientation, school search, settling-in, temporary housing and reporting in its per-assignee corporate packages (London Relocation). The Association of Relocation Professionals (ARP) describes a wider group of specialist providers that serve staff moved by their employers, from educational and legal advisers to serviced-apartment and furniture-rental suppliers (ARP). Ask for the list in writing.

Which steps can an agent do, and which need you?

The list follows the order in which most people do them. “Needs you” marks a step the official page ties to your own identity or device.

• eVisa account. You need a UK Visas and Immigration account to access your eVisa, created with a phone number and email address (gov.uk). Needs you: Yes: the identity check uses an app on your smartphone, or another route if you cannot use one.
• Share code. If you are not a British or Irish citizen, you can prove your right to rent in England with a share code you get online (gov.uk). Needs you: Yes, it is generated for you and your status.
• NI number. Apply online if you live in the UK and have the right to work; only once you are in the UK; up to 4 weeks (gov.uk). Needs you: Your details and documents; an agent can prepare them.
• GP registration. Free for everyone in England, about 15 minutes online for each person, usually confirmed within 5 days (NHS England). Needs you: A form for each person; an agent can help fill it in.
• Bank account. We did not open an official page on what banks ask newcomers for. Needs you: Usually, with ID; ask the bank.
• Driving licence. You can drive on a full, valid non-EU licence for 12 months from becoming resident, then exchange it if your country is on the designated list (gov.uk). Needs you: Your licence and your application.
• Schools. In England, your local council for state schools; the school itself for private schools (gov.uk). Needs you: The application is yours; an agent can shortlist and book visits.
• Council Tax and bills. A landlord can include Council Tax and utilities in the rent if the tenancy agreement says so; if not, you pay the council yourself (gov.uk). Needs you: Read the tenancy agreement; an agent can explain it.

The pattern is the same for every step. An agent saves you the searching, the phone calls and the forms. The checks about who you are stay with you.

How long does each step take?

Put the sourced timelines in one line and plan around them:

• Visa. A Skilled Worker application can start up to 3 months before the day you are due to start work. gov.uk says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks if you are outside the UK and 8 weeks if you are inside it, after you have applied, proved your identity and provided your documents (gov.uk).
• NI number. Up to 4 weeks after you apply. You can start work before it arrives if you can prove your right to work.
• GP. Usually confirmed within 5 days of the surgery getting your details, though it can take longer.
• Holding deposit. Held for up to 15 days unless you agree otherwise in writing (gov.uk).
• Driving. 12 months on your own licence, then you exchange it or take the UK tests.

We found no official figure for how long a bank account takes, so we give none. That gap is typical of what an agent knows from experience and a government page does not publish.

What does a settling-in package cost?

Published prices are thin. One London agency lists a settling-in service at GBP 800 and school search at GBP 1,200, both before 20% VAT, in a price page recorded in our research on 5 October 2026 (Simply London Relocation). A second lists per-assignee corporate packages that include settling-in from GBP 2,500 (London Relocation). Both are marketing figures. Our guide on what a relocation agent costs in the UK sets them next to the rent, the VAT and the payment terms.

What can an agent not do?

An agent cannot give you immigration advice unless the person is registered or authorised to give it. If you ask which visa to apply for, or what to put in your form, check the registration first. Our guide on who may give immigration advice in the UK explains how. The identity checks are about you, so plan to be present for them.

What should you ask before you buy a package?

1. Which steps from the list above are included, in writing?
2. How many hours of the consultant’s time does the price cover, and what happens when they run out?
3. Does the consultant come to appointments with you, or only prepare the paperwork?
4. Which items cost extra, and is VAT added?
5. What does the agent do if a step stalls, for example an NI number that has not arrived after 4 weeks?

To pick an agent, read how to choose a relocation agent in London. For the order of the whole move, read moving to the UK: your first weeks, in order, and for health care see the NHS for newcomers. To see agencies that offer settling-in help, get matched or open the United Kingdom directory. How we rank explains the order.

What we could not source

We did not find an official list of what UK banks ask newcomers for, a time for opening a bank account or a figure for the cost of temporary housing. Agent prices are marketing figures from London only, and the Simply London Relocation page could not be opened again on 7 October 2026 because the site showed a robot check. The steps are for England; we did not cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This guide is general information, not legal advice.