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Stepping Stones

Wladimir Albuja explores the connection between memory, location and sequence of a migrant’s life in the UK.

In 2022, the Office of National Statistics reported 1.1 million migrants came to the UK with the intention of settling. This collection of photographs explores the steps that a migrant needs to take to become a legitimate citizen who contributes to the tax system, moves independently and accesses job opportunities and medical care.

Street sign from East London. Migrants needs to get a home address before they get a bank account and a national insurance number.

Photo 1. E15, East London postal code.

It is crucial to have a home address. This is the first stepping stone for a migrant to be recognised by the Government and commercial systems.

Photo 2. £3.40 Peak time, £2.80 Off-Peak, Adults rate for Tube and Rail.

Migrants need to balance travelling time, cost and destination. Understanding the transport network makes a migrant independent to follow the next stepping stones.

Entrance to West Ham Station. The tube is part of the transport network in London. People are coming in and out.

“Migrants may be at increased risk of mental health problems as a result of their experiences prior to, during, or after migration to the UK.”

— UK Government website

Photo 3. £1.75, pay-as-you-go adults rate for Bus and Tram.

Transport for London offers Bus and Tram fares that allow migrants to reach their destinations at a cheaper price, sacrificing time travel. Migrants who start their shift before 5 AM and/or end their shift after midnight need to understand the Night Bus service.

NHS sign. A blurry background shows a female accessing a GP in East London.

Photo 5. 0300 311 22 33, NHS England Customer Contact Centre.

Although proof of address is not needed to be registered in a GP, migrants need to provide one. Understing the UK medical system is a stepping stone that allows migrants to treat common medical conditions.  

Migrant’s stepping stones:

  • Home address,
  • Bank account and
  • National Insurance Number.
A young black man walks on a green area in East London. The pictures help the reader to understand the impact of migration in migrant's mental health.

Photo 6. The Greenway is located in the London Borough of Newham.


The UK government website says, ‘Migrants may be at increased risk of mental health problems as a result of their experiences prior to, during, or after migration to the UK.’ Understanding the impact of migration on wellbeing is a challenge, which increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, says the Apart Together Survey led by the World Health Organisation.

Photo 7.  77-X1-XX identifies a Lloyds Bank branch in East London.

Banks are a critical stepping stone. A bank account allows a migrant to receive a monthly wage from their employer, and a bank statement can be used as proof of address to get a National Insurance Number.

Letterbox from a Lloyds Bank branch. There are a couple of transaction receipts on top of the letterbox. It helps the reader to understand that migrants need to get a bank account before getting a national insurance number.

Understanding the transport network makes a migrant independent to follow the stepping stones.

Job Centre Plus sign with people walking on the street as a background. The picture helps the reader to understand that migrants need to go to a job centre plus to get a national insurance number or NINO.

Photo 8. QQ 12 34 56 A, is an example of a National Insurance Number (NINO).

During the application process to obtain a National Insurance Number, migrants might need to attend an in-person appointment to prove their identity at a designated Job Centre Plus. Getting a NINO is the last stepping stone that a migrant takes to complete the process of becoming a legitimate member of the UK society who is able to work, pay taxes, and access benefits and medical care.

© 2023. All photographs are subject to copyright. Please ask permission from the photograph’s owner to use them for any commercial purpose.

Wladimir albuja

Storytelling, Investigative Journalism, Mobile Documentary and Presenter.

© All visual elements are subject to the UK Copyright Law.

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