• Tenancy Agreement for your new home in the UK -- When I came here last year, I stayed at my friend's place temporarily. His family let me stay in one of the rooms in their flat. I contribute to rent but the contract of the flat is with him and the agency. So, ... didn't have this.
• Electricity Bill, Gas Bill, Water Bill, Council Tax -- I pay rent all inclusive so again, so ... didn't have this either
• National driving licence -- I just came here so ... didn't have this either
• Proof of your previous or permanent address in the country you came from -- Hmm.. I just came here so ... didn't have this either
• A letter from your previous bank or your agreement that they may contact them  -- ... didn't have this either
• A letter from your employer in the UK confirming your address, salary, etc. -- Doesn't really work for most banks

Oh... And have I mentioned that most companies needs your bank account number so they can transfer salary directly to your account?!

The pre-requisites of opening a bank account have other pre-requisites that a non-resident who just came to the UK doesn't have. Sounds a bit like a deadlock situation!

I eventually was able to open a bank account as I was lucky to have received a letter from the home office that was delivered to my home address. I was able to use it with my employer's confirmation over the phone that I work with them. I'm with HSBC.

After a year, armed with my passport and bank statement, I tried to open an account with another bank to take advantage of the higher savings interest rate. They ran their credit checks on me and told me that I can't because I don't qualify.  My credit rating is not good enough. I checked with Experian (credit rating company) and my details seem to be accurate and I pay my bills on time so I wondered what they problem was. Even Experian couldn't really help... Experian and some friends speculated that it could be any of the following:

• I didn't stay in the UK long enough therefore not enough credit history. -- Doesn't paying the credit card bills on time count?
• The source of my credit history is only from the credit cards -- hmm... so I don't qualify?
• I'm not in the electoral votes -- Seriously?? I'm not even a citizen.

I know they have these things in place for security. But it's just too complicated and there's no one who really understands for sure why or how. It would have been better if there's a system that can actually identify what's wrong with a person's credit rating and provide steps on how it can be improved.

I miss Shanghai. In Shanghai, you just go to the bank, show your passport and open an account.

But out of all these, at least I have one that I can use.  I just can't take advantage of the higher interest rates from other banks.