Before you start

A valid UK visa granted under the relevant route
A UKVI account linked to your status
The Immigration Health Surcharge paid up front with the application
An Oxford address, for the NI number application and for right-to-rent checks

Step-by-step

1
Get the route named in writing before you accept
The university, the colleges, Oxford University Hospitals and the science-park companies sponsor under different routes with different salary rules, switching conditions and dependant rights. Two people doing similar work can face very different constraints if they want to move jobs later. Ask HR to state the route, not just 'we will sponsor you'.
Via employerWho: Your employer, college or trustBefore you accept
2
Set up and check the UKVI account before you fly
The eVisa is the only record of your status. Confirm the passport number, personal details and conditions all match the grant. Errors are far easier to fix from outside the country than from an Oxford letting agency in July.
OnlineWho: YouBefore travel
3
Learn to generate a share code before you need one
Employers run right-to-work checks and English landlords run right-to-rent checks, both by entering a share code you generate from your UKVI account. In a market this tight, having the code ready at the viewing is a genuine advantage.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
4
Apply for a National Insurance number once you arrive
The application only works from inside the UK. Check first whether you already have one — several visa categories had it printed on an old biometric residence permit. You can work legally without it but expect an emergency tax code and a reclaim.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Register with a GP and with Oxford City Council
GP registration turns the Immigration Health Surcharge you already paid into actual access. Council Tax registration is with the city council, not the county — and the 25% single-occupant discount and the full all-student exemption both have to be claimed.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
6
Ask whether your shared house has an HMO licence
This is not an immigration step, but it is the first Oxford-specific thing to check. The entire city is designated for additional HMO licensing, so even a three- or four-person share needs a licence. Asking for the number is a legitimate question and a landlord who bristles at it is telling you something.
OnlineWho: YouBefore signing a tenancy

Documents you’ll need

Passport carrying the visa grant
UKVI account credentials with a working email and phone
Share code, generated fresh for each check
Certificate of Sponsorship reference from your employer, college or trust
Proof of your Oxford address

Things most newcomers don’t know

There is no physical document any more, and that changes the failure modes.

Biometric residence permits are no longer issued and vignette stickers ended for new applicants in July 2026. Status exists only as an online record. If your UKVI details are stale, if you renew a passport without updating the account, or if you cannot get into it at a border or a viewing, there is no card to produce instead.

Source: GOV.UK — online immigration status (eVisa)

Oxford's sponsors are not interchangeable, and the route decides your options later.

A college, the central university, an NHS trust and a science-park spinout will each sponsor under whichever route fits their situation, and those routes differ on salary rules, on how easily you can change employer, and on dependant rights. The moment that matters is not the offer but the day you want to move to a different lab or company. Get the route named up front.

Source: GOV.UK — work visas

You cannot apply for a National Insurance number before you arrive.

The application requires you to be physically in the UK, so it cannot be front-loaded like a visa. Apply in your first week and check whether you already have one printed on an old BRP. Working without it is legal but usually means months on an emergency tax code and a reclaim afterwards.

Source: GOV.UK — apply for a National Insurance number

Right to Rent is England-only, and in Oxford it collides with a licensing regime.

English landlords must verify a tenant's immigration status, and the penalty falls on them. Separately, every shared house in Oxford needs an HMO licence. A landlord operating without one has a reason to avoid paperwork and scrutiny generally, so the two questions tend to travel together. Arrive with the share code generated, and ask for the licence number in the same breath.

Source: GOV.UK — right to rent checks; Oxford City Council — additional licensing

Common mistakes to avoid

Accepting an offer without knowing which visa route the sponsor is using.
Travelling before setting up and checking the UKVI account, with no card to fall back on.
Renewing a passport without updating the linked eVisa record.
Applying for a National Insurance number you already have printed on an old BRP.
Signing for a house share without asking for its HMO licence number.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.