Hey all, I've been lurking for some time now reading up on all the great info you provide. Since I found this forum my visa has been approved.

So.. I'm heading to the states (Philly) in October on a temporary work visa. I've been preparing for ages but now its actually closer I'm excited but also feel totally unprepared.

I still have lots to read through here but I'm looking for any start up tips people have,

- Getting social security numbers,
- Best bank accounts and account types for building credit ratings (do I get a credit card and just put fuel on it then pay it off in full every month? I saw a bank of America secured credit card, is this of use? etc etc)
- Anything I should do.. and of course shouldn't.
- Health insurance to cover the 90 gap, is a travel insurance policy suitable?

I'll be needing a car and then when time permits a PA drivers license.

Anything and everything you can think of would be much appreciated!

Cheers all

Haven't got time to post much - getting ready for work. Your first two bullets (SSN and bank) have been covered to death on these forums so a quick search should bring you all the info you need.

Not sure what you mean by the "90 gap" - can you clarify?

Good luck.

90 days before my employment health insurance policy kicks in.
Thanks, I'll have a search.

Eeek - you have to wait 90 days? That's a bit crap. I thought most peoples' started straight away. I suppose there's no room for negotiation on this?

Hi

For the insurance thing, try Chartis TravelGuard. It's $400 for a 1 year membership, part of which is health insurance while you wait for your plan to start. You can also set up a Citybank Global Executive Account through them (I didn't, as was too late) and can apply for an HSBC credit card (I have applied, still waiting to hear back) which does not require you to have a US credit history. In addition, they can help lower car insurance premiums (we are treated as new drivers here) by taking into account your UK driving history. Try searching the forums for it - there's a number of people that have been happy with the service. Here's the website - http://assist.travelguardworldwide.com/relocation

Each state is different regarding drivers licence - you should look at the DMV site for Pennsylvania to find out how long your UK licence will be valid after you arrive. Here in Connecticut, it's 30 days, and we have to do a classroom course, theory and skills tests, but each state is different so you should find out what your situation will be.

One thing to note about banks - you cannot transfer money between two banks. I wanted to set up a regular payment to my landlady who banks at a different bank to me, and I was told that if I set up a payment online, they would mail her a cheque each month!!! Other than that consideration, there's quite a few to choose from, and it's a fairly simple process to set up. They wont give you a credit card straight away, and the secured card option is a good one if you feel you need a credit card/want to build up a history.

Which visa did you get? There may be a way around the 90 day wait.

H-1B
And Lazza, thanks for the information

My DH is doing this, he got a $500 secured card in February. He asked about it earlier this week and they said when his 12 months are up they send him a check for his $500 and he can change to a regular card. He pays it off in full every month.

He also gets card offers in the mail all the time from Capital One, we haven't been able to make them stop.

Hiya

You might have already found it but Fatbrit did a building credit guide and put it in the wiki section.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Fatbri...it_and_Finance

Hmmm, I don't know how to make this hyperlink there as I'm not that technical, but you get the idea! Edit: Yeah, it did it itself!

I'll admit I don't know if there are any additional aspects of this because of his being from out of the country, but from the perspective of someone working in the states since I finished college - and now working at a health insurance company - it varies widely by employer. A few companies let you be eligible immediately, but these are fairly few and far between; some let you do it the first full month you're working, or the second full month; some have a specific window (30/60/90 days); and some have only very specific enrollment windows (if they go this way, most often twice or 4 times a year) and you can enroll next time one comes up.

90 days is worse than average, but not unheard of.

According to my employer here, the waiting period seems to be imposed by the health plan itself so it might not be negotiable.

90 days seems to be considered a short waiting period these days, there are companies out there where the coverage kicks in after a year...

Maybe if you die in the first year you don't pass your probation or something. Kind of a Darwinian approach to staffing.

Something like that. You get the impression that these companies also tend to have fairly high staff turnover.

Well if they're dying off, I can see why!

For my employer the health insurance kicks in 1st of the month after 1 month completed in the company. So if you joined on the 2nd of a month, you would have to wait for 2 months for the health insurance to kick in. if you joined on the 30th of the month, you would have to wait for 1 month – if you know what I mean.