Arriving in Britain

Heathrow has many paths, little grasshopper.Most international students travel by air to Britain, and will likely arrive at Heathrow or Gatwick airports. Some, especially if they are coming from the European Union, may decide to travel on a low fare (or budget) airline and arrive at Luton, London City or Stansted airports instead.

Upon arrival at the airport, you will first have to pass through passport or immigration control. Sometimes the queues can be quite long, so you should be prepared to wait. Keep your passport, visa and all other important documents (for example, your letter of acceptance, proof of accommodation, proof of adequate finances, etc.) ready to hand. The immigration officer may ask you to have a medical check, and if they do, this will be done at the airport. Before travelling to Britain, you should have contacted the British embassy in your home country to find out if a medical check was required before departure. In some cases, the immigration officer will also put a stamp in your passport, requiring that you register with the police within 7 days of your arrival in Britain. It is typical for the immigration officer to ask you questions about why you are coming to the UK, where and what you are studying, where you will be staying, how long is your course/degree, etc. Don't be put off by this as it is the normal procedure for most visitors to the UK!

Once you have cleared immigration control, you can collect your baggage and proceed through customs to the arrivals lobby.

If you are carrying only £50 bills, you should get some smaller change in £5, £10 or £20 bills and coins before you leave the airport. You may need these for public payphones, taxis, buses, snack machines, etc. during your first few days. If you first need to change money (say, US dollars for British pounds) at the airport, then change only what you will need to travel to Oxford and to get to arrive at your college. The reason for this is simple. Currency exchange services at the airport tend to have less favourable rates than those you can get at exchange booths in post offices, banks and various shops (for example, Marks and Spencer) in Oxford.