Life here
Settled in — sort out the things that are easy to put off
Five things to do this month: a doctor (GP), an HIV and STI test, PrEP, a therapist, housing. All free — no documents or status needed. Below: where to go and what to say.
The figures come from official UKHSA and Home Office publications. The crime statistics don't include data from London's police: they changed their recording system.
Step 1. Register with a GP — free and with no documents
A GP (general practitioner) is a family doctor — your way into the whole NHS. Registration is free; you don't need a passport, proof of address, status or an ARC card.
Find a practice
Open nhs.uk — How to register with a GP surgery, enter your postcode and pick the nearest practice (GP surgery).
Walk in or register online
Use the online form on the practice's website — or walk in and say the phrase below at reception. If they ask for documents you don't have, you're still entitled to register.
Refused?
Call Doctors of the World on 0808 1647 686: they help migrants register with a GP. Until you have a GP, call NHS 111 if you're ill (24 hours).
At reception
“Hello. I would like to register with this GP practice as a new patient. I don’t have proof of address or ID with me — I understand that’s not required.”
Translation: “Hello. I'd like to register with this practice as a new patient. I don't have proof of address or ID with me — as far as I know, they're not required.”
If you need an interpreter: “I need a Russian interpreter, please.”
Step 2. Get tested for HIV and STIs
42% of new HIV diagnoses in England in 2024 were made late. If you start treatment in time, you live an ordinary life and can't pass the virus on. The test is free for everyone, including people without status.
Sexual health clinic
The fastest route. No referral or booking needed, nobody asks for a passport or address, and it's not linked to your GP. Find one: nhs.uk — Find a sexual health clinic.
Test by post — London
shl.uk: a free kit in a plain box, a finger-prick test at home, the result by text message.
Test by post — the rest of England
freetesting.hiv: enter your postcode — it shows whether your council funds a free home test.
What the test covers, how often to test and a table of infections — “STIs: tests and treatment”.
Step 3. Get PrEP — free and with no referral
Who and where
PrEP is a pill that protects you from HIV. It's for anyone who has sex with men without a condom — not just the “risk group” on paper. Free at a sexual health clinic; no referral needed, and GPs don't deal with it. Find a clinic via the link above, go in and say the phrase on the right.
At the clinic
“Hello. I’d like to start PrEP. I’m a man who has sex with men. Can I have an HIV test and a PrEP appointment, please?”
Translation: “Hello. I'd like to start PrEP. I'm a man who has sex with men. Can I have an HIV test and a PrEP appointment?”
More about PrEP: nhs.uk — HIV prevention.
Step 4. A therapist — sign up yourself, no doctor needed
NHS Talking Therapies
- In England you can refer yourself (self-referral), without talking to a doctor and without a diagnosis.
- Free, for adults aged 18 and over, in some areas from 16.
- Open nhs.uk — NHS Talking Therapies, find the service for your postcode and fill in the form. The form will ask for the name of your GP practice — which is why it's best to do step 1 first.
If it's hard right now
- Samaritans 116 123 — 24/7, free, whatever state you're in.
- Switchboard 0800 0119 100 — LGBTQ+ helpline, daily 10:00–22:00: coming out, loneliness, fear.
- Danger to life — 999.
Step 5. Housing: ask for help early
The council
You can apply if you could lose your home within the next 8 weeks — you don't have to wait until you're on the street. How and where, by postcode: gov.uk — Homelessness help from your council.
An important difference from the NHS: help from the council depends on your immigration status.
Shelter
Free housing advice: 0808 800 4444, Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00. Call before you go to the council — they'll explain what you're entitled to and which documents to bring.
If you're being threatened, blackmailed or abused
Photo blackmail
Don't pay, don't delete the messages, take screenshots. Galop 0800 999 5428. This is a crime, not your fault. Step by step — “Blackmail and safety”.
Hate crime
Report it: report-it.org.uk or 101; in danger — 999. Need full anonymity — Crimestoppers: the police don't promise anonymity. Discrimination at work, in services or in housing — gov.uk/discrimination-your-rights.
The questions people ask most often
I'm waiting for my asylum decision. Will the doctor or clinic tell the Home Office?
Reception is demanding a passport or proof of address. What do I do?
Can I get PrEP from my GP?
Official sources
HIV prevention: PrEP
What PrEP is, who it's for and where to get it free
Open →Find a sexual health clinic
Clinic finder: free and confidential for everyone
Open →Sexual Health London
Free test kits by post for Londoners
Open →Free HIV testing
Free home tests outside London, where the council funds them
Open →NHS Talking Therapies
Mental health support: you can refer yourself without a doctor
Open →Report a hate crime
How to report a hate crime
Open →Homelessness help from your council
What the council must do and how to apply by postcode
Open →Discrimination: your rights
Equality Act 2010: work, services, housing, study
Open →Qadam London
How we can help
- We'll find a sexual health clinic near you and tell you what to say at reception.
- We'll explain what housing help you're entitled to with your status and where to go for it — before it becomes urgent.
- We'll invite you to meet-ups and into the channel — that's how most members joined.
- Want to help others? We'll tell you how to become a volunteer with the project.
Phone numbers
HIV and sexual health
0808 802 1221THT Direct. Testing, treatment, PrEP, rights at work.
Mon–Fri 10:00–18:00
Blackmail, threats, violence
0800 999 5428Galop. A helpline for LGBT+ people.
Mon–Tue 9:15–20:00, Wed–Fri 9:15–16:30
LGBTQ+ support line
0800 0119 100Switchboard. Talk about anything: coming out, loneliness, fear.
Daily 10:00–22:00
Nowhere to live
0808 800 4444Shelter. Free housing advice.
Mon–Fri 8:00–17:00
Struggling and no one to talk to
116 123Samaritans. You can call in any state.
24 hours, free
A medical question, not urgent
111NHS 111. They'll tell you where to go.
24 hours
We don't give immigration advice: only an IAA-registered adviser or an SRA or BSB lawyer can advise on your specific case.
Personal plan · free · 24 hours
Tie up the loose ends in one evening
GP, tests, vaccinations, PrEP, housing — addresses near you, what to say and in what order.