Your Ghana to UK Relocation Toolkit
Ghanaians are one of the UK's largest and most established West African communities, strong in healthcare, finance, and law. Visas, the NHS pathway, jobs, housing, schools, and moving your money — all in one place.
It looks like a lot — but you've already taken the hardest step by deciding to go. We'll walk you through it section by section.
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or Health & Care Worker
£25,000 health & care
English is official in Ghana
then citizenship +12 months
family of 4, outer London
same time as the UK (GMT)
Last updated: June 2026. We keep this guide regularly updated, but immigration rules, fees, and costs change — always confirm the final figures with the official source linked in each section before you rely on them.
Most Ghanaians come on the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa — both need a UK-licensed sponsor and lead to settlement after 5 years.
Skilled Worker visa
A job offer from a UK-licensed sponsor, an eligible occupation, English at B2 (CEFR), and a salary of £41,700/year, or the going rate for the role (whichever is higher). Up to 5 years; ILR after 5 years, then citizenship 12 months later.
Health and Care Worker visa
For eligible clinical roles the floor is £25,000/year (or £12.82/hour, or the going rate) and holders are exempt from the IHS (£1,035 per year per adult). Ghanaian nurses and doctors are widely recruited. Note: overseas social-care worker sponsorship closed 22 July 2025 — clinical roles unaffected.
⚠ Figures marked here change frequently — confirm the current amount with the official source before relying.
Where Ghanaians are settling
Large Ghanaian communities in London (especially South and East — Peckham, Lewisham, Tottenham, Newham), plus Milton Keynes, Manchester, and Birmingham. London has the deepest community and job market; towns outside it offer far lower rents on the same NHS salary.
Renting as a new arrival
UK landlords want payslips, credit history, and a previous-landlord reference you won't have yet (average London rent is now about £2,294/month; most towns are cheaper). Start in a shared house via SpareRoom.co.uk, use community networks, get an employer reference, or offer a larger deposit or a UK guarantor.
🗺️ Explore London, United Kingdom
Use the map to explore neighbourhoods, distances, and key areas before you arrive.
⚠ Figures marked here change frequently — confirm the current amount with the official source before relying.
If you settle in London, weigh commute, schools (Ofsted), and value. South and East London have the deepest Ghanaian communities.
High-demand sectors
Healthcare (nurses, doctors, allied health) — the fastest route. Finance and accounting (ACCA/ICA Ghana professionals are well regarded), law, IT and engineering, and education. Social-care recruitment from overseas closed July 2025; clinical NHS roles unaffected.
London ranks #8 of 226 cities in Mercer's 2024 survey — far more expensive than Accra across rent, utilities, and groceries. Higher UK wages offset this over time; choosing a lower-cost town over London makes the biggest difference in year one.
Cross-check with the calculator below and verify current rents.
💰 Monthly Budget Estimator
Enter your details to get a personalised monthly cost breakdown.
Monthly budget — family of 4, a typical UK town
Rent (3-bed): £1,300–1,900/month · Council tax £150–220 · Groceries £500–800 · Transport £200–400 · Utilities + internet £200–350 · Eating out £200–400. Rough total: £2,550–4,070/month outside London (London adds 40–70% to rent).
Open a UK bank account early
Many essentials require a UK account. App-based banks open with just a passport; high-street banks build the credit history you'll need for a mortgage later.
Moving money abroad? Don’t lose it in the exchange rate.
Banks and high-street transfer services often bury a 3–5% markup in the exchange rate — on top of any upfront fee, and easy to miss because it hides inside a worse rate. On a large transfer — moving your savings across, or sending money home — that quietly costs hundreds to thousands, for nothing.
The mid-market rate is the one you see on Google. We earn a commission if you open a Wise account through our link — it never affects your rate.
Access to the NHS
Full NHS access — via the IHS (£1,035 per year per adult) up front, or exempt on the Health and Care Worker visa. The GP is the gatekeeper: register with a local surgery as soon as you have an address. Elective waits can be long; NHS dentists are scarce, so budget for private dental or join a list early.
State schools — free and generally good
Free and open to all children of legal residents. Ghanaian children, schooled in English, integrate fast and often value the UK's broader subject choices. Contact your council's admissions team; check Ofsted ratings. Grammar schools (free, selective, 11+ exam) are popular with academically focused families.
Large, vibrant, and well-organised
One of the UK's largest West African communities, concentrated in South and East London with strong hubs elsewhere. Churches (Methodist, Pentecostal, Catholic) and hometown/old-students associations are central to community life, and professional networks — Ghanaian nurses, accountants, lawyers — are very active with job leads and housing tips. Ghanaian groceries, restaurants, and event caterers are easy to find.
Ghana is not a 'listed' country for UK pet travel, so the route is longer — expect a rabies blood test and a waiting period. Plan ahead and use an experienced agent.
An ISO-standard microchip before, or at the same time as, the rabies vaccination.
From an unlisted country: rabies vaccination, blood test 30 days later, then a 3-month wait from a successful sample before travel. Start very early.
An official veterinary certificate for entry — confirm current paperwork on gov.uk.
Pets must enter via an approved route on an approved transport company. An experienced agent is strongly recommended.
📅 Your Move Timeline
Relocation feels overwhelming when you look at it all at once. Break it into stages — tick things off as you go. Your progress saves automatically in your browser.
⚠ Figures marked here change frequently — confirm the current amount with the official source before relying.
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Once your visa and housing are sorted, the last big job is shipping your life over. International moving quotes for the same route can vary by thousands — so it pays to compare a few movers before you book.
📦 Compare International Movers — Ghana to UK
Shipping from Accra or Kumasi to the UK — quotes vary by thousands of pounds. Get matched with vetted movers and compare. Free, no obligation.
Form provided by Sirelo. We may earn a small commission if you book with one of their movers — never affects your price.
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