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The "been there done that" thread: life in the US after DV

https://www.mamamia.com.au/i-won-the-green-card-lottery/

Thoughts on this article??

Is it just when you're done you're done, give up the GC?

Drama queen who didn’t do his research. Not knowing tax obligations is just plain being unprepared. And yes the U.s is not always so easy for people who come from rich countries with public health etc. Been a number of Australians in particular on the forum who seem to view a DV GC as an “adventure” to live in the US for a few years before going back home...
 
"Apparently, as a Green Card holder, I am now considered a US resident, which means I will have to file a US tax return every year unless I decide to relinquish my Green Card. I was planning on keeping my Green Card forever, but now I’m thinking I’ll just hold onto it for a couple more years until I decide for sure whether or not I can ever see myself moving back to America. It’s honestly not worth the hassle."

Oh boy..... :rolleyes:
 
https://www.mamamia.com.au/i-won-the-green-card-lottery/

Thoughts on this article??

Is it just when you're done you're done, give up the GC?

My thoughts on the article is that it is a crappy piece written by a clueless dodo! And she claims to be a journalist, but has no idea as to the importance of the word “research” before embarking on such a life changing journey? Clearly explains why she couldn’t make it in the US. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she writes another article years later claiming she was unjustly denied admission (after being away for a couple of years) when she tried to return to the US and resume her residency since she has an unexpired GC on hand.

The other thing about scoring a Green Card is that if you have it and you lose it, you can never reapply. That’s it, it’s gone forever“ - huhn? o_O Total BS!

This was not what I had signed up for. I wanted an adventure, an experience” - :rolleyes: a visitor’s Visa is for adventure, not a GC

Apparently, as a Green Card holder, I am now considered a US resident, which means I will have to file a US tax return every year unless I decide to relinquish my Green Card. I was planning on keeping my Green Card forever” - :cool: duh! GC = LPR as in Lawful PERMANENT Residence!

The GC is not for people looking for adventure or a change of scenery - it’s meant for people interested in living and working permanently in the US, which is why it provides a part to acquiring US citizenship.
 
https://www.mamamia.com.au/i-won-the-green-card-lottery/

Thoughts on this article??

Is it just when you're done you're done, give up the GC?

Yep - clueless because she failed to do the most basic research - and STILL doesn't have a clue about things as we can see from some of her statements.

From her "about me" - "Demeter Stamell is a Content Producer at Mamamia. She works nights, which suits her perfectly, because waking up before 10am is inhumane. She enjoys writing about pretty much anything, because it all helps her impress her family and friends with her vast general knowledge. "


Having said that, whether it's "worth it" or not depends on a variety of factors. If you are coming from a place with an awful economic or safety situation, then the USA will offer a dramatic change for the better. However, if you are coming from a fairly affluent country and you are doing "OK" there, then the motivation to come to the USA might not be as strong - or will be based on other factors.
 
She's preaching to the choir at Mamma Mia: Australians who comfort themselves about our country's problems by pointing to the US and screeching "SEE! THOSE DUMB AMERICANS".

Let's just say it ain't the most intellectual of crowds.
 
"I will have to file a US tax return" o_O

Really? Where I live, they directly take a big chunk of my salary before I even receive it in my bank account (for government pension fund, unemployment insurance, public health insurance, etc...),...and not happy with that, they force me to file a tax return once a year (which means another big chunk that goes to the wise people in the government so they can run things on my behalf). And other taxes must be paid to the city council and the regional government. At the end, I work 6 months out of a year to pay for taxes.

Now seriously,...people from wealthy countries in Western Europe or Oceania should consider moving to the US only if they admire the american way of life and seek something different to what they have at home. If it's just for money, unless they're young, enterprising and exceptionally talented in their field, they'll likely be disappointed.

Myself people call me crazy to even consider leaving a good and well-paid job at arguablly the biggest automotive company in the world, but I'm ready to take risks (and even ready to take a downgrade and work for an automotive supplier or a smaller company in the US). Because for ideological reasons I fit more in deep America than Europe,...I'm just worried I'm too late and America is already turning into another monster bureaucratic state where people are not free to run their life and take decisions for themselves. Maybe my idealized image of America belongs to the past,....the talks about government-run healthcare and the repeal of the second amendment is not a good sign (for me). So even If I get the GC,...it will be more prudent for me to take a couple of months of unpaid vacations, and test the waters there before taking a final decision.
 
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I left a very high paying senior executive role in Australia. I was called crazy. Nope, just brave. I didn't want to get to retirement, get a clock at my farewell party to remind me of how much time I wasted playing it safe, and spend the rest of my life in quiet regret.

The last two years have been a whirlwind. Moved countries. Moved industries. Separated from my husband. And I've never been happier or more fulfilled.

I come from a family where each generation has immigrated / moved. It's in our DNA to want change. For some, the change is just too much.
 
I left a very high paying senior executive role in Australia. I was called crazy. Nope, just brave. I didn't want to get to retirement, get a clock at my farewell party to remind me of how much time I wasted playing it safe, and spend the rest of my life in quiet regret.

The last two years have been a whirlwind. Moved countries. Moved industries. Separated from my husband. And I've never been happier or more fulfilled.

I come from a family where each generation has immigrated / moved. It's in our DNA to want change. For some, the change is just too much.

I love this post. Encapsulates how my wife and I feel about things. We’d both entered the DV Lottery approximately 15 times before we were successful. In this time we have obtained university degrees together, gotten jobs, married, had three children, studied more, changed careers, bought a house, sold a house, flew to New York as a starting point for a family “gap” year, and stayed there for almost 12 month on tourist Visas. Fifteen years later, and at the end of our time in the U.S we were finally successful in the DV Lottery. Now we’re back in Aus and preparing to make the move permanently. Our friends tell us we’re brave, but behind our backs tell each other that we’re insane. Our parents, migrants themselves, can’t understand why we’d leave “the weather” for brutal New York Winters. We know it’s not going to be easy, we still feel constantly overwhelmed, as we have been for the last six months. We’re not sitting on a financial goldmine, we’re saving hard for this move. We have three children and they’re all used to an easy-going middle-class Aussie lifestyle. We’ll need to be prepared, we’ll all have to hustle. However, if didn’t take this chance we know that in the future, the pain of regret will outweigh the sacrifices our whole family are making now.
 
I would like to hear from someone who is/was going through the same situation!

I got my GC in the middle of January this year through AOS and applied for SSN right away. At the office they couldn't verify my immigration info so I was told to wait. They said if my info wouldn't be verified automatically in 15 days, they would send it manually to be verified. Today I found out that they send the info last week and they have no idea how long it takes to hear from immigration.

Anyone who went through the same thing? How long did it take for you?

Replying to my own post thinking this might be helpful for someone else.

I finally got my ssn this week. It took about 2 monthsm! I visited the office twice too.

Hopefully everyone will get their ssn without a problem.
 
Replying to my own post thinking this might be helpful for someone else.

I finally got my ssn this week. It took about 2 monthsm! I visited the office twice too.

Hopefully everyone will get their ssn without a problem.
we got our GC's through DV AOS process on DS260 we requested SSN to be issued, do I need to go in person to apply or just wait for it to be processed automatically since the visa is issued?
 
we got our GC's through DV AOS process on DS260 we requested SSN to be issued, do I need to go in person to apply or just wait for it to be processed automatically since the visa is issued?

SSN doesn’t automatically get processed for AOSers. You need to go into the SSA office to put in an application in person.
 
I love this post. Encapsulates how my wife and I feel about things. We’d both entered the DV Lottery approximately 15 times before we were successful. In this time we have obtained university degrees together, gotten jobs, married, had three children, studied more, changed careers, bought a house, sold a house, flew to New York as a starting point for a family “gap” year, and stayed there for almost 12 month on tourist Visas. Fifteen years later, and at the end of our time in the U.S we were finally successful in the DV Lottery. Now we’re back in Aus and preparing to make the move permanently. Our friends tell us we’re brave, but behind our backs tell each other that we’re insane. Our parents, migrants themselves, can’t understand why we’d leave “the weather” for brutal New York Winters. We know it’s not going to be easy, we still feel constantly overwhelmed, as we have been for the last six months. We’re not sitting on a financial goldmine, we’re saving hard for this move. We have three children and they’re all used to an easy-going middle-class Aussie lifestyle. We’ll need to be prepared, we’ll all have to hustle. However, if didn’t take this chance we know that in the future, the pain of regret will outweigh the sacrifices our whole family are making now.

Congrats and great determination trying out for 15 years. I hope all goes well for your family in New York.
 
Hi guys. My partner and I have been living in LA for about 6 weeks now on our Green Cards. We activated the visa last year so I see that we're supposed to file taxes for that year even though we weren't living here and earning income. Would you recommend me getting some help from a tax agent to do that, or is it a relatively straightforward form to fill in? The only other issue is my husband's SSN hasn't actually arrived yet, even though mine recently arrived and we visited the Social Security office on the same day. I take it he can't file tax without this? I'm not sure whether or not it will arrive in the mail for him before the tax deadline. Do you know if there's any flexibility on this if we're still trying to set up here and get our paperwork in order?
 
Hi guys. My partner and I have been living in LA for about 6 weeks now on our Green Cards. We activated the visa last year so I see that we're supposed to file taxes for that year even though we weren't living here and earning income. Would you recommend me getting some help from a tax agent to do that, or is it a relatively straightforward form to fill in? The only other issue is my husband's SSN hasn't actually arrived yet, even though mine recently arrived and we visited the Social Security office on the same day. I take it he can't file tax without this? I'm not sure whether or not it will arrive in the mail for him before the tax deadline. Do you know if there's any flexibility on this if we're still trying to set up here and get our paperwork in order?
If you need flexibility then file an extension.
When you say not earning income, do you mean at all, anywhere? Just checking you know green card holders like citizens need to file based on worldwide income.
It’s hard to say how straightforward or not your tax return is as we don’t know anything about your situation, earnings etc. many of us use a tax consultant for peace of mind. and at least compared to where I come from, the tax returns are way more complex to fill in here.
 
If you need flexibility then file an extension.
When you say not earning income, do you mean at all, anywhere? Just checking you know green card holders like citizens need to file based on worldwide income.
It’s hard to say how straightforward or not your tax return is as we don’t know anything about your situation, earnings etc. many of us use a tax consultant for peace of mind. and at least compared to where I come from, the tax returns are way more complex to fill in here.
Thanks Susie. We activated our Green Cards last year but were in the US for less than two weeks (and not even in our state of eventual residence - California), so not able to earn any income here. I'm aware that we need to declare all worldwide income but given we were still Australian residents for tax purposes last year, I understand we can't pay US tax on Australian earnings that are already taxed by Australia. But yes, looking at the complexity of the tax form, and the fact we're still awaiting SSN details, I think we'd definitely need to see a tax consultant. Any recommendations for good agents would be great!
 
Thanks Susie. We activated our Green Cards last year but were in the US for less than two weeks (and not even in our state of eventual residence - California), so not able to earn any income here. I'm aware that we need to declare all worldwide income but given we were still Australian residents for tax purposes last year, I understand we can't pay US tax on Australian earnings that are already taxed by Australia. But yes, looking at the complexity of the tax form, and the fact we're still awaiting SSN details, I think we'd definitely need to see a tax consultant. Any recommendations for good agents would be great!

You still need to file and declare your Australian income even if you don’t owe tax on it, effective from the date you entered the US. Doesn’t matter how long that trip was. And again I don’t know the complexity of your case, if it’s plain vanilla salary with not millions being earned you’re probably right, but there are situations where for example different tax treatments in the US vs the other country, could be capital gains, pension fund issues etc, means you do end up paying tax in the US on something that’s already “gone through the tax system” in your home country.

I’d also suggest you file an extension ASAP with where you are, and given that tax consultants are basically already working 24/7 in the height of tax season and it’s only 2 weeks to tax day.
 
@Gharrison, Susie gives great advice here. I'll message you my accountant's details. She is amazing and has many Aussie clients for whom she does returns. You will need an extension. Most accountants closed off their returns windows (i.e. the time they will accept new clients) 2-3 weeks ago in order for them to have enough time to file before the end of April.

I would always advise Aussies to go through an accountant. Given the way the US sees our superannuation (they don't see it as a pension fund, they see it as a garden variety investment account), how they work capital gains (so in Oz, we wouldn't pay capital gains on a primary residence, here you do), and FBAR reporting... you get peace of mind using an accountant who can file the paperwork and get you deductions.
 
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