Your first month abroad: a checklist from people who just did it

When I landed in Leeds in September 2024, I had two suitcases, a folder of printouts and a list my cousin had written on the back of an envelope. Half of it was useful. The other half I learned the slow way: queueing at the wrong desk, paying for a SIM plan I did not need, and eating toast for three nights because I had not found the Indian grocery yet.

This is the list I wish I had been given, built from my first month and from what TYM mentors in the USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Germany told me about theirs. The everyday steps are similar everywhere. The immigration and tax steps are not, so for those I have linked the official page for each country. Rules change, so treat those links as the final word.

Before you fly: build one folder

Almost everything in your first week depends on documents. Keep them in one folder in your hand luggage, never in the checked bag. If your suitcase goes to the wrong city, you can manage without clothes for two days. You cannot enrol without your papers.

• Passport with your visa or permit details, plus a photocopy of the photo page.
• Study confirmation: CAS for the UK, Form I-20 for the USA, letter of acceptance and port of entry letter for Canada, CoE for Australia, admission or acceptance letter for Ireland and Germany.
• Offer letter and any scholarship or sponsor letters.
• Financial proof you used for the visa, such as bank statements, a loan sanction letter or blocked account confirmation.
• Accommodation contract with your hall's or landlord's contact details.
• Prescriptions for medicine you carry, a doctor's letter, and the medicine in its original packaging.
• Degree certificates and transcripts, as some universities check originals at enrolment.

Then make offline copies. Scan every page into a phone folder that opens without internet, and email a set to yourself and one parent. When I had no signal at Manchester airport, the offline PDF of my accommodation confirmation was how I showed the taxi driver where I was going.

Money for the first few days

Carry a little local currency for day one: enough for a train or taxi, a meal and a SIM top-up. After that, use a forex card or an international debit card from your Indian bank until your local account is open. Tell your bank you are travelling so your first payment abroad is not blocked, and keep a backup card in a different bag.

Pack what is actually hard to find

Rice, dal and most spices are easy to find abroad. Harder to replace quickly: a pressure cooker you trust, a tawa, your usual brand of medicines, plug adapters, and warm clothes for weather you have never lived in. Check your destination's customs rules before packing food. Some countries are strict about seeds, meat, dairy and fresh produce, so declare food when in doubt.

The first 48 hours: arrive, connect, sleep

The first two days are not for admin. They are for landing safely, telling people you are fine and getting your body into the new time zone.

1. 01
   Get connected

   Buy a local SIM or set up an eSIM at the airport or in town. You need a local number for your bank, your doctor and most university forms. Keep your Indian number active for OTPs from Indian banks.

2. 02
   Tell your family you have landed

   Message them when you land and call once you reach your room. Agree a rough calling time for the first week so nobody panics while you sleep.

3. 03
   Get to your accommodation

   Use the route your university or accommodation recommends. Many universities run airport pick-ups or welcome desks at the start of term.

4. 04
   Check your room and photograph everything

   Before you unpack, walk through the room with the inventory. Photograph stains, scratches, the mattress and the inside of the fridge, then email the photos to your landlord or hall office the same day so there is a dated record.

5. 05
   Eat, then sleep

   Eat a proper meal and go to bed at a normal local bedtime, even if you feel wide awake. Jet lag fades faster when you follow local daylight.

On deposits: in England and Wales, if you rent privately on an assured shorthold tenancy, your landlord must put your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme within 30 days of receiving it. Other countries have their own rules, so ask your university accommodation office. Everywhere, the photos from day one are what settle a dispute.

Your first week: the admin week

By day three the excitement settles and the queues begin. Write a short list each morning and finish two or three things a day. Trying to do everything on Monday is how you end up close to tears in a queue, which I did, briefly, outside the student hub.

University enrolment and student ID

Finish online enrolment, then collect your student ID card in person. At many universities this is also where staff check your passport and immigration status. Your student card gets you into the library and often qualifies you for student prices.

Open a bank account

Requirements vary, but you will usually need your passport, proof of immigration status and proof of address. With no bills in your name yet, ask student services for a letter confirming your enrolment and address, which many banks accept. App-based banks can be quicker while you wait for a branch appointment.

Transport and student discounts

Ask the students' union which travel discounts exist. Most cities have student fares, monthly passes or railcards, and some universities, particularly in Germany, include a transport ticket in the semester fee. Sign up for student discount schemes only through official apps and websites.

Find the Indian grocery store

Ask in the UK community or the community for your country. Seniors know which shop has fresh curry leaves and which is cheaper for atta. I found mine in my second week and immediately felt less far from home. If faith matters to you, look up the nearest temple, gurdwara, mosque or church too.

Register with a doctor

Do not wait until you are ill. In England you can register with a GP surgery online for free, and the NHS says you do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status. Elsewhere, your university health centre or international office will explain how student health cover works and which clinic to use.

Country-specific must-dos for your first month

These steps differ by country. I checked each against the official page linked in the table, but rules change, so read your own visa or permit conditions before you act. Your university's international office has answered all of these questions before.

Details that catch people out

• UK: your UKVI account gives you a share code when an employer or landlord asks you to prove your status. GOV.UK says you can start work before your National Insurance number arrives if you can prove your right to work, and that the number can take up to four weeks.
• USA: Study in the States advises waiting 10 days after arriving before applying for an SSN, with your SEVIS record Active for at least two days. Talk to your DSO first.
• Canada: a temporary resident's SIN starts with a 9 and expires with your immigration document. You can only start working once your study programme has started.
• Australia: you must be in Australia to apply for a TFN online, so do it early and have it ready before your first payday.
• Ireland: if you cannot get an appointment within 90 days, the official page says your permission will not be cancelled while you wait. A registration fee may apply, depending on your permission.
• Germany: the DAAD says many registration offices expect you within one or two weeks, so book early. You need the registration confirmation (Meldebestätigung) for your residence permit.

Money, budgeting and cooking

I will not give you prices. They differ hugely between Leeds and London, Toronto and Halifax, Munich and Leipzig, and any number I wrote would be wrong for most of you. Here is the method that worked for me and most mentors I asked.

1. 01
   Start with the total

   Write down the money you have for the term: savings, family support and any scholarship. Do not count money from a job you do not have yet.

2. 02
   Take out the fixed costs

   Subtract rent, tuition instalments, your phone plan, a transport pass and insurance.

3. 03
   Divide by weeks

   Divide what is left by the weeks until more money arrives. That is your weekly budget for food, toiletries, going out and everything else.

4. 04
   Track for four weeks

   Note every spend in a notes app or spreadsheet and compare it with your weekly figure every Sunday. Week one will run over while you set up your room. That is normal. Adjust in week two.

5. 05
   Keep a buffer you do not touch

   Hold a separate emergency amount for a lost phone, a doctor's bill or a sudden trip home.

My biggest leaks were takeaways after late labs, buying kitchen things one at a time instead of at second-hand sales, and converting every price into rupees, which made me either panic or overspend. Stop converting after the first fortnight and think in your weekly figure.

Cooking basics that save money and homesickness

Learn five dishes before you fly: dal, a dry sabzi, rice, a simple chicken or paneer curry, and a breakfast that is not cereal. Cook them once with whoever cooks at home and write down the quantities. Abroad, batch-cook on Sunday and freeze portions for deadline weeks. Cooking with flatmates is also the easiest way to make friends. I met two of my closest friends over a pot of rajma neither of them had tried before.

Part-time work: check your visa first

Almost everyone wants a part-time job in month one. Before you apply, read the work conditions on your own visa or permit and check the hours limit on your visa. Limits depend on the country, your level of study and whether it is term time, and breaking them can put your visa at risk. Read them from the source:

• UK: Student visa: what you can and cannot do, and the conditions in your eVisa.
• USA: Study in the States: maintaining status. F-1 students may only work when authorised, so ask your DSO first.
• Canada: IRCC: work off campus as an international student.
• Australia: Home Affairs: Student visa (subclass 500).
• Ireland: the conditions of your immigration permission, from Immigration Service Delivery.
• Germany: BAMF: studying in Germany.

Start with your university careers service and campus job board. Campus employers understand timetables, and the careers team can rework your CV into the local style. Never take cash-in-hand work that hides your hours. It feels harmless until it is not.

Making friends and dealing with homesickness

Nobody warns you that the first month can be lonely even when you are surrounded by people. Everyone else looks settled. They are not. Welcome week is the easiest time to meet people, because everyone is new.

• Join two societies: one connected to home, like the Indian society, and one that has nothing to do with your course or country.
• Say yes to the first three invitations, even the ones that sound boring.
• Keep your kitchen door open while you cook. It sounds silly. It works.
• Talk to coursemates before and after lectures, not only in the group chat.

When homesickness hits

It often arrives in week two or three, when the excitement fades and the first assignment lands. For me it was a Sunday evening when I realised nobody around me knew it was Dussehra. What helped was a fixed call time with home, cooking something familiar, getting outside in daylight, and telling one friend in Leeds how I actually felt.

If low feelings last more than a couple of weeks, or you stop sleeping, eating or going to class, please talk to someone. Most universities run a counselling or wellbeing service, and at most universities it is free and confidential for students. Find your university's wellbeing page in week one so you know how to book before you need it. Asking for help is not a weakness. It is like seeing a doctor for a fever.

Staying safe and spotting scams

Most student cities are safe if you use the same sense you would at home. Share your live location with a friend on late nights, use licensed taxis or ride apps, and learn the route between campus and home in daylight first.

The scams that target new international students

• Fake landlords. A room is listed far below nearby prices, the owner is conveniently abroad, and they want a deposit before you can view it. Do not pay for a place that you or someone you trust has not seen.
• Fake visa or tax calls. A caller claims to be from immigration or the tax office and says you must pay now or be deported. Hang up. Canada's immigration department says it will never ask you for payment by telephone, and HMRC says it will never ask for personal or payment information by text message.
• Bank account and job scams. Offers to pay you for moving money through your account, or jobs that charge a fee upfront. Either can get your account closed and land you in legal trouble.
• Fake fee requests. Emails asking you to pay tuition into a new account. Pay only through your university's official portal.

Ask people who were there last year

Every question here has been asked in a TYM community, usually at midnight by someone sitting next to unopened suitcases. Join your country community before you fly: UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Ireland or Germany. Search first, then ask a question if nobody has.

If you want someone to walk through your first month with you, book a mentor who studied in your city. For quick questions at odd hours, ask TYM AI and check the answer against the official links above. Still on your application? Read our guides to UK visa funds and SOP openings.

Your first month will not go perfectly. Mine did not. But by week four I had a bank card, a GP, a favourite bench by the library and a group chat that argued every evening about biryani or pasta. You will get there too, probably sooner than you think.