Your Philippines to UK Relocation Toolkit
Filipinos are the backbone of NHS recruitment and one of the UK's most valued communities. Visas, the NHS pathway, jobs, housing, schools, pets, and sending money home — 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 Skilled Worker
£41,700 general
£1,035/yr otherwise
then citizenship +12 months
family of 4, outer London
7–8 hrs behind Manila
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 Filipinos come on the Health and Care Worker or Skilled Worker visa. As an overseas Filipino worker you'll also need clearance from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Health and Care Worker visa — the main route
Filipino nurses, carers, and allied-health workers are recruited in huge numbers. The salary 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) — a saving of over £5,000 across 5 years. Note: overseas social-care worker sponsorship closed 22 July 2025 — nurses, doctors, and clinical roles are unaffected.
Skilled Worker visa
For other professions: 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.
DMW / OEC clearance
As an Overseas Filipino Worker you must process your deployment through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before leaving. Use only DMW-licensed agencies and verify your employer — this protects you from illegal recruitment.
⚠ Figures marked here change frequently — confirm the current amount with the official source before relying.
Where Filipinos settle
Filipinos follow NHS jobs, so they're everywhere — strong communities in London (especially the outer boroughs), Manchester, Birmingham, and the North, and the hospital towns across the country. Towns outside London offer far lower rents on the same NHS salary, and most have an active Filipino community and church.
Renting as a new arrival
UK landlords want references and a credit history you won't have yet (average London rent is now about £2,294/month; most towns are far cheaper). Many trusts offer subsidised initial accommodation for incoming nurses. After that, start in a shared house, lean on Filipino community networks, get an employer reference, or offer a larger deposit.
🗺️ 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.
For NHS staff, the hospital town and a short commute usually matter more than the postcode. A quick orientation:
High-demand sectors
Healthcare above all — nurses, carers, doctors, radiographers, and allied health are recruited in large numbers via the Health and Care Worker visa. Also strong: hospitality, seafaring and engineering, IT, accounting and finance, and education. Social-care recruitment from overseas closed July 2025; clinical NHS roles are unaffected and in high demand.
London ranks #8 of 226 cities in Mercer's 2024 survey — far more expensive than Manila across rent, utilities, and groceries. Higher UK wages offset this and allow meaningful remittances home, but the first year is intense while you build UK savings. Choosing a lower-cost town over London makes the biggest single difference.
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): £1,200–1,800/month · Council tax £150–220 · Groceries £500–800 · Transport £200–400 · Utilities + internet £200–350 · Eating out £200–400. Rough total: £2,450–3,970/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 credit history. For sending money home, compare Wise and specialist remittance services against bank rates — small differences add up over years of monthly remittances.
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 — exempt from the IHS on the Health and Care Worker visa, or via the surcharge (£1,035 per year per adult) on a standard Skilled Worker visa. As an NHS worker you'll know the system from the inside; for your family, remember the GP is the gatekeeper — register with a local surgery as soon as you have an address. 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. Filipino children, schooled in English, integrate quickly. Contact your local council's admissions team for a place; check Ofsted ratings before choosing an area. Grammar schools (free, selective, 11+ exam) are popular with academically focused families and exist in some areas.
Large, close-knit, and NHS-rooted
The UK's Filipino community is large and tight-knit, built around NHS workplaces and the church. Catholic parishes are central, Filipino grocery stores and turo-turo eateries are in most cities, and Filipino nurse and community associations (plus Facebook groups) are very active with job leads, housing, and welcome support. New arrivals are rarely on their own for long.
The Philippines 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 — Philippines to UK
Shipping from Manila, Cebu, or Davao to the UK — quotes vary by thousands of pounds. Get matched with vetted movers and compare. Free, no obligation.
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