mfncl

For my first post here, thought I would share my spouse and I's moving experience from the UK to the triangle /Raleigh area of NC, USA since I've made good use of the advice on this forum and can (hopefully) give something back that somebody in similar circumstances may find useful.

After visa petition approval and filing of the DS-160 for my L1, there was only about a weeks waiting period for an embassy appointment in London. Our appointment was at the beginning of April. Like others, the interview was straightforward and mostly consisted of waiting.

Some general job related questions were asked and about our marriage. Everything was done in a few minutes. The interviewer kept the I-797 and passports.

The visas arrived back about 3 working days later with the original I-797. Flights were booked on April 25th (Friday).

For removals from the UK, we used Atlantic International Movers after recommendation from my sister in law. Nothing short of excellent service, they were able to accommodate our requirements with very short notice and provide a collection date two days before our flight. Paula, the customer service rep answered all my questions concerning customs paperwork and made the process straightforward. On collection day, the same high level of professionalism was maintained by the packers who arrived nice and early and packaged everything to a high standard.

After arriving in the US, the first move was to open a bank account. A word of warning here. After entering the country your details are not on the DHS database for a couple of weeks after your arrival, so the social security administration recommended not to apply for a social security number right away since it can complicate the process.

In any case, not having SSN right away didn't cause us any real issues, the only significant of which is that you cannot open a bank account online without one (with the possible exception of Bank of America, however I wanted to avoid these since their accounts carry high service fees).

Unfortunately the US banking system in general seems quite antiquated compared to the UK (No direct debits, third party ATM fees very common, accounts ridden with fees - Bank of America and Wells Fargo seem to be the worst offenders here, cheques ('checks') are still a common form of payment), so its a case of researching the banks in the local area (major ones preferred since they are more likely to have experience with non US citizens) and finding the one with the best deal / lowest fees.

We went with PNC bank since they do not charge third party ATM fees and provide free checks (yes not cheques ). While they charge monthly maintenance fees for their accounts these are waived if you direct deposit a certain level of funds, for example your pay check. All the usual online bill pay / check deposit services are provided and mobile apps are good.
They are also a reputable brick and mortar bank that have plenty of branches in the eastern US.

Opening an account on a Saturday was quite straightforward. We sat down with the bank manager who greeted us with beaming smiles in the typical US fashion (quite refreshing being 'fresh off the boat' from the UK), explained we are non-resident aliens in the country under a working visa and wanted to open a checking account.

We needed passports and UK credit cards as proofs of ID and supplied the hotel address. As we didn't yet have a permanent address to hand, the bank manager wasn't sure about approving the account but called a superior who confirmed it is OK.
An initial deposit was made and we had our joint checking and two savings accounts setup. All in all quite straightforward and the pleasant and helpful staff were great.

Finding an apartment on Sunday was also straightforward, with plenty of complexes to choose from. Signing the lease was done the same day, the only annoyance was they wouldn't accept cash as payment for the deposit, only a personal check, cashiers check or money order would do. Luckily getting money orders is possible on a Sunday from Walmart so that wasn't too inconvenient.

Be warned - when applying for anything (apartment, Internet/TV service, utilities, cell phone etc) you will be asked for your social security number and get credit checked. Naturally having no US credit history we failed each test, but still got accepted for service. I had to pay 1 month deposit and 1 month rent up front for the apartment, $200 deposit for electric and a month upfront+$50 deposit for service with TWC.

The DMV is often a sore topic amongst Americans but overall I had a pretty positive experience. In NC I had 60 days to get my US licence but since its such a universally accepted form of ID it was high on the list to get sorted.
Arriving on a Tuesday morning I waited in line for about an hour, did a vision, roadsign and theory test (studying the state drivers handbook beforehand helped) and did a short road test with a friendly examiner.
I needed my UK passport, I-94, proof of address (luckily I had an email letter from the electric company with my new address on it) and proof of insurance (rental car receipt).

Afterwards I payed all of $8 and received a temporary paper licence there and then while the ID card got processed and sent in the mail.

The one downside is that my license has a 'fleet vehicles only' condition meaning I can only drive rental cars using it since I do not have an insurance certificate.

Complete difference to the UK where I payed 180 quid for three driving tests, loads more in lessens and 35 for the theory test!

The wife and I were quite taken aback at how much we were able to do in such a short space of time, having nine days after landing before I started work to get sorted.

So far everyone encountered has been helpful, friendly, welcoming and polite. The sun is shining.

From a financial perspective, we took plenty of cash with us (there is a $500 ATM limit that will be a pain if you need to shell out a couple of grand to move into an apartment, not to mention horrendous UK debit card issuer fees).
A halifax clarity credit card has also come in very handy since it doesn't charge foreign transaction fees and you get very good market USD>GBP conversion rates for US / non-UK purchases.

Next steps are to climb the long credit building ladder - after getting SSN, its a secured credit card (Capital One 360 secured looks the pick of the bunch with complimentary credit score access), then possibly a high interest loan for a car with no early repayment fees and pay it off as quickly as possible.

Thanks for reading (or ignoring )

Sally Redux

I have never heard of that 'rental car only' endorsement

rbackhouse

The trick is to put enough money in a savings account to begin with. For Bank of America if you have a savings account with $5k then there are no fees for anything. In fact they treat you pretty well.

Welcome to the triangle

AlphaTangoMike

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the US

Pulaski

And welcome to NC!

Orangepants

Great read - very interesting and you have done a lot. I have accounts with Wells Fargo and for me they are brilliant, no fees, direct debits, action any unauthorized items immediately. I do keep a balance in a crown account.

To kick off my credit score 3yrs ago, I did the secured card and 2 store cards for 6 months then was able to get the airmiles card I wanted. I pay as many utilities, monthly bills etc as possible through my CC for usage stats for the score and for airmiles.

Enjoy the gorgeous weather

Pulaski

Wells Fargo works for me too. Remarkably, they managed to keep the best bits of Wachovia when they merged a few years ago. Wells Fargo's customer service is top notch, as was Wachovia's before, and they are often the top rated bank for service.

MidAtlantic

+1 for Wells Fargo

MMcD

I don't know whether they're "the worst"...since a combo of laziness, inertia and mis-placed loyalty have kept me with them forever - and I have no basis for comparison.

I'd also imagine that ones experience might depend on the particular local branch with which you deal - but - their 1-800 customer (dis)service number will throw you into the same screw-the-customer rubbish heap as everyone else.

Whereas with Wells Fargo - the policy is: if we can impose a fee we will and if we can't....we'll find a way

Count yourself lucky
BTW: What's a "crown account"?

-10000 for Wells Fargo

Sally Redux

They fawn all over you when you enter the luxuriously-appointed branch office, but actual customer service is basic (being kind there), and so true on the fees.

MidAtlantic

I have never ever paid a fee at Wells Fargo (or Wachovia before them), having banked with them for over 10 years.

Sally Redux

I probably look gullible

I drew the line at a $150 fee they wanted to deposit a $130 check from Oman.

MMcD

That was the cost of the atlas they had to buy to see where in the world it was.
They're so dense
O man!

Sally Redux

They also kept shooting glances at me and whispering.

If it had been half a mill in a briefcase I could have understood it.

MMcD

Gullible...nah....probably once they'd worked out where in the world Oman was..they decided you were a frontman for an impending terrorist takeover!