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Category: Emigrating to the UK

Emigrating to the UK: settling down

Emigrating to the UK: settling down

Now it has been 3 months since I landed the UK, and most of the necessary things to do have already been done, including renting a house, opening a bank account, registering for GP, etc. I have joined a masters swim club and a triathlon club and started training. Also, I am ramping up my swimming to prepare for my Channel attempt in September. I have also started venturing out of the town I live. In these two months, I…

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Emigrating to the UK: the first month

Emigrating to the UK: the first month

During the self-isolation period, I searched property listings to see where I could have my first home in the UK. Finally I rented a studio in Lansdowne, about 10-minute walk from Bournemouth Station, with 7 months fixed tenancy, starting on 10 May 2021, 20 days after I landed the UK. The standard list of moving into a place has a lot of items to do. Find a home Buy things for my new home (e.g. kitchenware, beddings) Register for bills…

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Emigrating to the UK: leaving Hong Kong

Emigrating to the UK: leaving Hong Kong

On 20th April, I left my old home and my family for the final time, knowing that I was embarking on a journey of no return (the Hong Kong border is completely closed to anyone who has been in the UK in the past 21 days to prevent importing COVID variants), and I will be on my own since then. I brought 2 pieces of checked baggage because 1 was not enough. There was a lot of swimming and diving…

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Emigrating to the UK: pre-departure

Emigrating to the UK: pre-departure

I made my final decision to emigrate to the UK after I swam the Cold Half this year, such that I could apply for a visa as soon as the digital application channel opened. The newly-established visa, called BN(O) visa, is a visa specifically for BN(O) citizens and their family members to emigrate to the UK as a response to the breach of Sino-British Joint Declaration. BN(O) citizens can apply for a visa for 2.5 or 5 years which is…

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Emigrating to the UK: introduction

Emigrating to the UK: introduction

I took a one-way flight from Hong Kong to the UK to start a new chapter of life. Starting from this post, I will write about my emigration progress. As mentioned before, my original intention of this trip was to do a working holiday in Europe departing in winter / spring 2021, such that I can have a better environment for me to develop my orienteering skills, to become a world-class sportsman. As the working holiday was a once-of-a-lifetime chance,…

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