Yep I would certainly get the residents VISA before you come. I married in London and we went straight to the NIA the day after we landed to get the ARC.
I did need both an international criminal record (ACRO?) check and a health check (to prove I didn’t have TB or syphilis, specifically). These needed to be certified by the Foreign Office and that proof had to be submitted with the VISA application. Not cheap.
It was worth doing in advance, all based on advice I took from this website. No body is asking me about money or coming for a house check. They didn’t seem that fussed about my apparent lack of work either, while I do have a company I run from the cloud, this was never discussed with anyone - we put it down to just getting all the paperwork done before we moved and leave enough time to make sure you got it right before booking the flight.
That being said, if there is an agency to call to get proper advice, do call them. And get your wife to make the call.
