What to do after arriving in USA for employment? There are many lists you can find from the internet but I can name the top 5 based from personal experience. Ensure that you have enough money to survive for at least a month or more because you will likely not get your first paycheck the first month. Read in full to get idea on the expenses.
1. Get a Social Security number
This should be on top of your list and should be done the very first day after you arrive. Without this, you cannot open bank accounts, get driver's license, etc... and the worst is that your employer cannot pay you without it.
Find a Social Security office near you and immediately come down to the office. There's a form to fill up and bring your immigration documents and/or work permits. You'll be advised to wait for "one month" to get your card via mail. One month?! Yes, one month.
But you don't need to wait for your social security ID card. You can call their office and ask for your SS number. Ask for their number after you submit the filled up form.
2. Open checking and savings account
Remember, you need the SS number to do this. The bank does not need the SS ID card. Simply write your number on their form. They will ask you to fill up a W-9 IRS form in addition to the regular bank documents.
You can go to any bank but inquire about what "Credit Union" your company is associated with. Note that this is also very much like a bank. What is the difference? Here is what wikipedia defines it "A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members, and providing other financial services to its members."
The bank will give you temporary cheque book and bank card. You can order cheque book on same day or later.
Ask about "secured credit card" at the bank. Why? Checkout next item for details on this.
3. Build your credit history
USA rates consumers based on credit worthiness. Unfortunately, a "no credit" history is also considered "bad credit". With bad credit, financial institutions will not give you loan for the car you wanted to buy, utility providers such as electricity and home/mobile phone will not easily give you an account without security deposit, your credit card application is always denied, etc.
Credit card is best option to build your credit. But how can you build credit if your application is always denied? The answer is "secured credit card".
While at the bank opening your checking/savings account, apply for "secured credit card". This is a credit card account where the bank will ask you to put deposit as security. The amount of money you deposit is the amount of credit limit the credit card will have. $500 is a good start and at least prevent you from overspending.
Once you get the credit card, start using it on all your expenses (e.g. groceries, bills, shopping, etc) and make sure you pay it in full at the end of the billing cycle.
4. Get a driver's license
This is only necessary if living in California or locations where public transportation is not efficient. The Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) will not only require your SS number, they will also ask for your immigration documents/work permits. Also without a driver's license, you cannot buy a car.
Personally, the driver's license is the most important identification and mostly used in America. It is not only for driving but also for any institutions or retailers that requests further identification. This is the one mostly used when retailers double check your identity when paying via credit card. Although you can use your passport, it is bothersome to carry it all the time.
Remember that getting a driver's license requires passing a written and driving test. The DMV provides a free booklet for the written test. To learn more about requirements and office locations, checkout the internet for the state's website. For California, the website is http://www.dmv.ca.gov
After passing the written test, DMV will provide a student driving license. Schedule immediately when you can take the driving test. On the driving test, DMV requires that you bring a car (rental or not) with full insurance coverage. You can rent for this purpose or use your friend's or relative's car. If not comfortable taking the driving test immediately, enroll on a driving school.
If your employer gave you a relocation package that includes rental car, America will allow you to drive the car using your foreign driver's license. But I recommend to check the state law as different states may have different regulations and may have changed recently. Note that you can use that rental car for the driving test.
Remember that you cannot use your foreign driver's license to purchase a car. The car dealer will likely not sell you one.
5. Get a car (or know public transportation)
Get a car if public transportation is not efficient. Although California have good public transport, everyone still drive's a car. But if you live in New York, you will not need a car.
Before going to the car dealer, do the following:
1. Know how much deposit you can afford and get a pre-approved car loan
2. Get a quote for car insurance from multiple providers
3. Know the invoice price of the car you want to buy
Good resource for item 3 are:
www.edmunds.com
www.kbb.com
One tip on the car loan. If your company is associated with a Credit Union, try getting a quote from them. Usually, Credit Union provides lower interest rates.
I recommend not to buy a car at MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price). This is always $2000+ above the invoice price. Personally, if you can negotiate at least $200 to 500 (inclusive of destination charge) above invoice price, that's already a good deal. But if you can get it at invoice price or even lower, that is an awesome deal.
Remember you still have "no credit" history at this time. You can choose to wait until your credit history builds up (usually after a year) or get the car before the rental car provided by your company expires. The pre-approved car loan will likely have higher interest rate if approved. The car insurance quote will be high since you don't have driving history in America yet. Know those quotes first before going to the car dealer. This will help you make an informed decision.
Apartment or Lodging
I didn't mention finding apartment because this is easy to find depending on your budget. But things you should know about apartments:
- Contract is required for at least 6 months. Sign up for a year or more because they tend to increase the rent after the contract expires.
- Apartment owner/management usually require 1 month advance and 1 month deposit. But the deposit sometimes can be more since you do not have credit history yet.
- Usually the ones closer to public transportation such as rail system are the expensive ones aside from being at the downtown area.
- Do not terminate your contract pre-maturely as it will have a bad record on your credit history. Not unless you have valid reason like loosing your job, then credit history is the least of your worries.
But if you are looking for rooms for rent, you will hardly find them on the internet. Go to a local community store and checkout their bulletin board.
Hope this helps.
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