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DV 2015 Oceania winners

Permutation said:
Do you need to inform Aussie banks that you became LPR in the States?
I remember I opened a bank account a few days before the visa was issued and one of the last questions was "Are you USA citizen or Green card holder?"... ah!- well, at that time checked No that was factually true.
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You should check with the bank. There may be different reporting requirments for US residents - I had this on the bank accounts I held in the UK (in which I never lived, but had the accounts both before and after I became a LPR).
 
Permutation said:
Do you need to inform Aussie banks that you became LPR in the States?
I remember I opened a bank account a few days before the visa was issued and one of the last questions was "Are you USA citizen or Green card holder?"... ah!- well, at that time checked No that was factually true.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to tell the Australian banks anything. You aren't a greencard holder until you activate so you can still check No.

Last time I lived in the States I:
  • pointed my bank account phone number to a Telstra SIM that roamed to a spare phone I kept next to my bed in Denver. Long life pre-paid plan so I didn't need to recharge it.
  • address to my mum's place
Will do the same again.
 
guestgulkan said:
I'm not going to tell the Australian banks anything. You aren't a greencard holder until you activate so you can still check No.

Last time I lived in the States I:
  • pointed my bank account phone number to a Telstra SIM that roamed to a spare phone I kept next to my bed in Denver. Long life pre-paid plan so I didn't need to recharge it.
  • address to my mum's place
Will do the same again.
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From his question I assumed he referred to the situation once activated as he referred to when one becomes an LPR.

So you keep an address in Australia for your bank accounts then? Edit: saw you use your mum. Does Australia not follow other countries requiring proof that you actually live at the address you give the bank? Mine all got updated automatically when I changed my address to my US one.
And obviously you know that if your bank accounts outside the US total $10k or more you need to file an FBAR with the IRS.
 
I am planning to open a bank account and apply for secured credit card when I land in the States, both before having my SSN that would most likely arrive after I depart back. The reason is to start credit history early. Assuming all works well, I will call the bank later to update my SSN. The plan is to make small purchases with the new card and and pay them off on time. I will get T-Mobile prepaid SIM that should work on roaming if needed to receive confirmation codes from the bank.
Do you guys see this silly?
 
Permutation said:
I am planning to open a bank account and apply for secured credit card when I land in the States, both before having my SSN that would most likely arrive after I depart back. The reason is to start credit history early. Assuming all works well, I will call the bank later to update my SSN. The plan is to make small purchases with the new card and and pay them off on time. I will get T-Mobile prepaid SIM that should work on roaming if needed to receive confirmation codes from the bank.
Do you guys see this silly?
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I like your style of thinking. Good plans -but- imho you won't be able to get a secured credit card until you give them a social number.
 
guestgulkan said:
I like your style of thinking. Good plans -but- imho you won't be able to get a secured credit card until you give them a social number.
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I chatted to Citibank and BoA support and they said I can apply - of course this is far from approval. I also found a few articles saying that only for non-secured there would be issues... Still, if it does not work, does not work. I am rather worried that my credit history may not go linked properly to my SSN if provided later, due to people or technical error.
 
SusieQQQ said:
From his question I assumed he referred to the situation once activated as he referred to when one becomes an LPR.

So you keep an address in Australia for your bank accounts then? Edit: saw you use your mum. Does Australia not follow other countries requiring proof that you actually live at the address you give the bank? Mine all got updated automatically when I changed my address to my US one.
And obviously you know that if your bank accounts outside the US total $10k or more you need to file an FBAR with the IRS.
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Excuse my ignorance but what exactly is an FBAR.
 
I've read a few articles tonight that make me feel my attempt to get a secured credit card during the POE trip would be turned down... I felt a bit naive. I was planning to walk in a bank office, deposit some cash and get the card in the mail in a week to be forwarded to Oz. Well, I thought this was just a formality. It happens that people are getting turned down because they can not show income and others, plus that I would not show SSN at the moment of application... a bit disappointing. May be there are some options outside the big 4 banks that would work but I am not optimistic.

Many thanks to @Britsimon for the excellent article on health insurance for new immigrants, that recommendations I used to buy ours.
 
Permutation said:
I've read a few articles tonight that make me feel my attempt to get a secured credit card during the POE trip would be turned down... I felt a bit naive. I was planning to walk in a bank office, deposit some cash and get the card in the mail in a week to be forwarded to Oz. Well, I thought this was just a formality. It happens that people are getting turned down because they can not show income and others, plus that I would not show SSN at the moment of application... a bit disappointing. May be there are some options outside the big 4 banks that would work but I am not optimistic.

Many thanks to @Britsimon for the excellent article on health insurance for new immigrants, that recommendations I used to buy ours.
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How long is your activation trip? It might be possible to get your social number..

When I moved to America on my E3, getting a credit card and credit rating was -very- frustrating. I spend alot of time researching the best offers and credit cards. There is a forum called Credit Boards that might be useful for you to read.
 
Hey everyone

If someone's passport is lost or destroyed, how would one get the replacement i551 into the new passport? Would you just need to contact the Sydney consulate to get a new sticker?

Thanks
 
My hubby,daughter and myself have received our green cards but just tonight I realized mine and hubby NZ passports which have the visa stamp inside have expired, my ? Is can we arrive into the states now as LPR on our auzzie passports as they are both valid until 2018?
 
cj27 said:
Hey everyone

If someone's passport is lost or destroyed, how would one get the replacement i551 into the new passport? Would you just need to contact the Sydney consulate to get a new sticker?

Thanks
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Embassies do not stamp I551 on the passport, this is done by the USCIS within the US. Embassies however can issue you with a transportation letter for a return trip to the US, and this is only issued for an absence of less than a year. This information from the US London embassy is equally applicable to Sydney:

http://london.usembassy.gov/mobile/dhs/cbp/lostprc.html
 
CC1 said:
My hubby,daughter and myself have received our green cards but just tonight I realized mine and hubby NZ passports which have the visa stamp inside have expired, my ? Is can we arrive into the states now as LPR on our auzzie passports as they are both valid until 2018?
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You should be fine as long as you also present the passport with the I-551 stamp. And the names on both the NZ and Aussie passports are an exact match.
 
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CC1 said:
My hubby,daughter and myself have received our green cards but just tonight I realized mine and hubby NZ passports which have the visa stamp inside have expired, my ? Is can we arrive into the states now as LPR on our auzzie passports as they are both valid until 2018?
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If you've got your physical green cards it doesn't matter what (unexpired) passport you use or what visa stamps it has or doesn't.
 
Any help with Credit karma would be appreciated,tried to create an account and log in to check my credit history since we opened our bank accounts nearly a year ago now and it says my records don't match??? Anyone else had this problem, it does the same thing for my hubby:(
 
CC1 said:
Any help with Credit karma would be appreciated,tried to create an account and log in to check my credit history since we opened our bank accounts nearly a year ago now and it says my records don't match??? Anyone else had this problem, it does the same thing for my hubby:(
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Not sure about that message, but just having a bank account won't have established a credit history. You need credit to have a credit history. You might have a "thin file" which is where they know you exist, but don't have any credit reported.
 
Britsimon said:
Not sure about that message, but just having a bank account won't have established a credit history. You need credit to have a credit history. You might have a "thin file" which is where they know you exist, but don't have any credit reported.
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But it will say that (if it's a thin file) - mine did at first.
 
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