jjbandero

Hi Deb,

I came here almost 6 years ago for work, I didn't know anyone except the few people who interviewed me, it's completely normal to feel the way you feel. I was really excited up until the few days leading up to my departure, I started to fret and when I finally got here, there were so many things to take care of, I had no time to dwell on things I found the Americans in LA to be fairly friendly and many of them are transplants (from other states, countries) too, so it was reassuring that if they could make a life here, so can you. You also have an advantage, someone who loves and support you!

Not sure if you will remain in LA after you move here, but here's an organisation for Aussies in the US Advance, I've been to a couple of events, they're pretty fun. Might be fun for you to sign up and check out, perhaps the networking opportunities will land you a job.

There are lots of local charities looking for sensible volunteers to help them with more complex matters of their organisation, which would be great references for future work opportunities.

Have a safe journey!

Cheers

There should be fairly frequent flights between ORD and SFO, even if you missed your flight due to immigration delays, you can always talk to AA to book you on the next available seat (you can choose to go standby). You may be charged a fee, but usually it's not as much as a ticket, I think part of this depends on what you paid for the trip, they are generally more lenient if you paid for a full fare rather than a heavily discounted one.

Cheers

You should be able to get into the city no problem, but for your return trip to the airport, I recommend taking one of the train options to avoid traffic. I believe taxis switch shifts in NYC at around 4pm (which makes it a little harder to flag one down) and if you're there on a Friday, expect the traffic to be terrible.

Cheers

Hello all,

I am a conditional permanent resident right now, when we first submitted our AOS, we haven't decided to change my Last Name. Now, I think I want to have my husband's last name added to my name. That is, I'm now Sally Smith and I want to be Sally Smith Jones.

I would like to do this during the ROC process rather than waiting until naturalization. I understand this would involve me changing all my important documents such as SSN, DL, passport etc, but my question is, what do I need to do with my conditional green card?

For instance, should I change my name on all of my documents, but leave my green card the way it is and send in my application package with everything else as Sally Smith Jones and show Sally Smith as a previous name? Will this cause problems?

Thank you very much.

I'm not a tax accountant, but here's what I've been told:

* Income earned overseas is not taxable in the US; only USCs have to declare worldwide income on their tax return

* If you are bringing cash equivalent to USD10K or more on you as you enter the US, you have to declare it

*$10K is the for cash deposits. The bank is required to report any cash transactions in that amount or higher to the FBI (repeated transactions just under the limit also draw scrutiny), but it does not mean you will be taxed by the IRS.

* ATM withdrawals are convenient, but in addition to the fees you're charged per withdrawal, you need to also consider the exchange rate, typically what happens is that the withdrawal is made possible by partnering banks, and each bank will take a small %, this is reflected in the less favourable exchange rate for you the account holder. You can compare the rates you're getting through the ATM against a US bank's exchange rate to see if you are losing out too much.

* To send money from US to foreign country through wires is fairly simple, large banks already have their networks in place to be able to do this, and smaller banks will just route you through a larger bank to provide the service.

* To send money from foreign country to US can still be fairly easy depending on where you are, e.g. I have a HSBC account in Australia that allows me to perform online wire transfers to other countries. It's worth checking with your bank to see how much it's going to cost you, my experience is about AUD30.

Here's a little math:

You're transferring about USD12K = 15 x $800 withdrawals; @$4 per withdrawal, total fee = $60 (this is not counting the potentially less favourable exchange rate through the ATM network)

Just something to think about

Cheers

Thanks Flyer! I will try to sleep as much as I can! We booked a hotel right down the street from the USCIS office so it should be quick getting there the morning of.

Hi there, we prepared a virtually identical list of documents as you guys and in the end I think the IO pretty much made up his mind even before he talked to us since the first part of the interview consisted of him explaining what conditional residency was. In the end, he only asked for two additional documents showing co-mingling of assets!

So best of luck!

JJ

Hi All,

Just to share my experience with jury summons, I've received two from the State of California in the last five years and this was as a result of the state using the DMV database as a tool for selection (I'm not a registered voter). I've responded to both notices by either writing or calling the court to tell them to mark me as a non-USC.

I consulted with a lawyer at the company I work for and he advised that I should always respond timely to such summons as it failure to do so may result in a bench warrant being issued for your arrest. I don't know how likely this might happen and in which states as it could depend on individual judges, but why chance it?

Cheers

JJ

Hello all,

After more than 3 years in the States, i decided to start investigating purchasing a car. Even tho I'm not sure how to pay for it .

Would anybody be so kind to share his/her experience with buying his/her first car here?

I'm thinking of going for an used car. I've read a lot about it already, and i just wished there was a magic ball telling me which salesman/vendor/dealer is honest, if there is such thing!

I have a harder time tho with finding some good info re: car insurance. I checked a few websites, and the only way I can get an idea of the costs, is by requesting a quote. And for that I need to give them all my info, which i don't want to do at this time. Besides, i don't have a car yet, so what would they be quoting on?

Anyway, I know there are a lot of unknowns, but basically what I'm looking for is to have an idea of how much insurance costs per month.

I'm also wonder how the process works. How can you have the car checked by an independent mechanic? You take it for a test drive, and go to the mechanic's shop, or what?

All stories welcome

Hi There,

I went through the same process about 3 years ago with my car and I used this website for tips Link, it gives you quite a bit of information and options.

When I first got insurance, I was able to provide my clean driving record from the Australian equivalent of the DMV and also a letter from my previous insurance company stating I've not had a claim to the insurance broker here and they were able to apply the 'good driver' discount. Depending on your profession, some insurance companies offer members of professional organizations e.g. CPAs, engineers additional discounts, it doesn't hurt to ask. Also I found it easy to switch insurance companies, just keep looking for new deals. Of course if you already have say housing insurance, usually when you bundle it, most insurance companies will offer a discount.

Cheers

Hi everyone,

My question is related to name changes post marriage. Hubby and I have been talking about me changing my last name before we have our first child, possibly in a couple of years. My understanding is that I could have changed my name prior to filing my AOS, but we didn't have a decision at that point and submitted my AOS packet with everything in my maiden name and it's in process, when is the next best opportunity to change it to minimize problems?

- Is it when conditions are being lifted on the I-751? I just fill in the form with the name I would like to use? Should I go through the process of changing my driver's license, and update SSA first?

- File an I-90 and pay the fee?

Any other suggestions?

Thank you very much.

I didn't highlight any of the official forms, but I did highlight some of our supporting documents because it was not always easy to see the names and addresses on these documents.

I'm not sure how the debit+credit card situation works, but I've noticed a lot of banks have different rules about their accounts, so you might end up not paying off your balance on time and they charge you interest and late fees, lots of nuances designed to earn additional fees I'm sure. I had the good fortune of being told my a friend that I should get myself a credit card ASAP so I could start building my credit history.

My account with WAMU (now Chase) allows me to get free cash withdrawls at supermarket checkouts, the downside is some of them only lets you withdraw a maximum of $40

On the flip side, I was able to earn a lot of points with my credit cards and we were able to stay for free at one of the top tier hotels for our honeymoon

On another topic, I really missed having baked beans (not the stuff that is made with molasses here ); finally found 'em at two places in California, Bristol Farms and Cost Plus World Market (super expensive, but cravings must be satisfied!). I managed to get hubby hooked on it too, so we sometimes have 'breakfast for dinner' nights

That is ridiculous! We're going to be in the same boat, my husband has been living at the same place for over four years and is currently going from month-to-month. We don't want to alter the lease in any way since we're looking to buy a place, all it's doing is to create more paperwork!

I would suggest setting up some convenient ways of contacting her family, phone cards, webcams, Skype...

Help her make friends and feel independent - if you live in an area that is car-dependent, help her get her license so she doesn't feel like she is 'stuck'.

My pet peeve has to be the banking system here... I had no idea I had to open a 'checking account', when I asked why, the bank clerk looked at me like I've sprouted another head. With a condescending tone, she said, 'what country are you from?' Well, where I'm from, we don't use personal cheques much, we use debit cards, credit cards, phone and online banking!

Which brings me to another thing, online banking here is not what you think. I once owed a friend $50 (chipped in for a gift), anyway, I figured I'd just get his account number and do an online transfer to his account - but I was asked for his mailing address I called customer service to figure out what the problem was and it turns out online banking means you fill in the details online and the bank will send the recipient a cheque on your behalf! What the??? I asked about the direct account transfer, apparently that would be considered a wire transfer and I would have to go in to the bank to do it and it would cost $20!!!!

Perhaps volunteer at a local charity/non-profit organization? It will keep you busy, help the community and will look good on your resume while you're waiting or looking for a permanent job.

Cheers

Oh, good to know I'm not the only one, my boss still makes fun of me when I use 'whilst' and 'learnt', usually he raises an eyebrow and says 'Queen's English?'

It's quite confusing really, I call Sprite/7 Up lemonade, imagine my surprise at the restaurants; it's a 'line' when people are waiting for something, but it's a 'queue' when you're printing something... When asked how often I do something, 'fortnightly' received a look of utter confusion, the list goes on...

Hi Everyone, just wondering if you're all able to track your case through the USCIS website?

I understand they do not update the website frequently, but it's been a while since I've received all the initial NOAs and the biometrics appointment letter and still nothing. I also didn't receive any emails about my case.

Thanks