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

[BrisOC22]

I am planning to move soon but have a couple of issues.

1. Unfortunately, I will send my green card and SSN to a relative as I do not have an address now. I am paranoid about them using my SSN in the wrong way. Is there a way to know if my SSN was tampered with and can they mail it to me (and the green card) once they get them?
2. Apartments. I do not want to live with someone else, how can I easily find a place to stay without a job yet?
3. Finding a job. I am applying for jobs now but I feel like using my foreign address is a barrier as people may think I need sponsorship (even if I answer "No" on the questionnaire). Can I easily get a job within a month of living in the US so I can at least live in a hotel temporarily?
4. Driving. I live in Europe where driving is not necessary but driving lessons are insane. Is it better to learn now or will it be cheaper in the US (here it is about 1000+ Euro).

Quite a lot of vague questions that all depend on the individual / how hard you try / are so generic you can't answer them without more information.

1. You can't really tell if someone has used your SSN, there is a million things you can sign up for that could require SSN, some people dont find out their card was used by someone else until years later when they are told they owe money for something. If you dont trust them, you probably shouldn't be having it sent to them.

2. Threes no 'easy' way to find a place. You just apply for apartments, or stay in a hotel. Apartments are going to ask for proof of salary, so if you dont have a job yet you will just have to rely on showing them proof of funds that you are going to easily be able to pay the rent and hope you get approved.

3. Can't you just leave you address off your resume then? A lot of foreigners applying for jobs will usually get a US number and use that as like you've said, Ive heard of a lot of cases where resumes will instantly be put in the "no" pile if they have a foreign address / number on them. No need to mention where you live until you get an interview. Can you easily get a job? Well... depends how many you apply for, what your qualifications are, what kind of jobs they are, this is such a vague question. You could be applying for minimum wage retail jobs, or Software Engineering jobs and not be a good Software Engineer, this all depends on you. Some can go months without finding a job, others can find 3 jobs in a week, depends on the individual. Yes you can live in a hotel, there are people that live in their cars here in LA and work retail jobs, you can live wherever you want. If it's a remote job, you could even live in Europe

4. Again this is pretty vague, what does 1000+ euros get you? 1 lesson, 20 lessons? How much it costs is going to depend on how many lessons you need. How many lessons you need will depend on how fast you learn to drive. Lesson cost will vary based on where you live, in California it seems to be about 80 / hour on average. Is it necessary? again depends on where you are going to live, some places have a tonne of public transport where plenty of people may not drive (NYC) other places may require you to drive everywhere.

 

[nervouswreck]

Quite a lot of vague questions that all depend on the individual / how hard you try / are so generic you can't answer them without more information.

1. You can't really tell if someone has used your SSN, there is a million things you can sign up for that could require SSN, some people dont find out their card was used by someone else until years later when they are told they owe money for something. If you dont trust them, you probably shouldn't be having it sent to them.

2. Threes no 'easy' way to find a place. You just apply for apartments, or stay in a hotel. Apartments are going to ask for proof of salary, so if you dont have a job yet you will just have to rely on showing them proof of funds that you are going to easily be able to pay the rent and hope you get approved.

3. Can't you just leave you address off your resume then? A lot of foreigners applying for jobs will usually get a US number and use that as like you've said, Ive heard of a lot of cases where resumes will instantly be put in the "no" pile if they have a foreign address / number on them. No need to mention where you live until you get an interview. Can you easily get a job? Well... depends how many you apply for, what your qualifications are, what kind of jobs they are, this is such a vague question. You could be applying for minimum wage retail jobs, or Software Engineering jobs and not be a good Software Engineer, this all depends on you. Some can go months without finding a job, others can find 3 jobs in a week, depends on the individual. Yes you can live in a hotel, there are people that live in their cars here in LA and work retail jobs, you can live wherever you want. If it's a remote job, you could even live in Europe

4. Again this is pretty vague, what does 1000+ euros get you? 1 lesson, 20 lessons? How much it costs is going to depend on how many lessons you need. How many lessons you need will depend on how fast you learn to drive. Lesson cost will vary based on where you live, in California it seems to be about 80 / hour on average. Is it necessary? again depends on where you are going to live, some places have a tonne of public transport where plenty of people may not drive (NYC) other places may require you to drive everywhere.

Thank you so much.

1. For the person, it's not that I don't trust them. They know more about the US than I do as they've lived there for ages. I could live with them and get my docs myself but I will return to Europe after "activation" and be away for months.
2. I will try and see how it goes
3. I do not have my address/number on my resume but using EasyApply on LI where people ask for your number. I will look into getting a US e-SIM perhaps. I am a SWE and paradoxically now getting mostly recruiters from Europe hitting me up which makes me think I could have better luck if I am doing my search within the US.
4. 1000+ euros gets you three months (40 hours? if I remember correctly) which is the entire course. I am looking into moving to cities where I won't need to drive as that could give me some time to learn to drive.

 

[vladoo]

If there's one thing I learned after 6y in the US, there will always be someone to make you pay more for what you need and for the same/similar service/product. Building a network, having a community, hearing from someone was key to my experience; the thing is that it's often very local or it will depend on the state/town/etc. USA is diverse and it's also a good thing because you'll find a lot of people who went trough the same thing.

I can talk only about my experience in NYC for the a driver's license for example back in 2018; I was looking at 500-1000 in Manhattan in some driving school but you can have it for 150-200 in Flushing, a 30min train ride from midtown!

Good luck to you!

 

[dazza2104]

Thank you so much.

1. For the person, it's not that I don't trust them. They know more about the US than I do as they've lived there for ages. I could live with them and get my docs myself but I will return to Europe after "activation" and be away for months.
2. I will try and see how it goes
3. I do not have my address/number on my resume but using EasyApply on LI where people ask for your number. I will look into getting a US e-SIM perhaps. I am a SWE and paradoxically now getting mostly recruiters from Europe hitting me up which makes me think I could have better luck if I am doing my search within the US.
4. 1000+ euros gets you three months (40 hours? if I remember correctly) which is the entire course. I am looking into moving to cities where I won't need to drive as that could give me some time to learn to drive.

On #1, you can request the credit agencies to 'lock' your file. This will prevent third parties (incl. financial institutions) to use your SSN to open new lines of credit or even perform a credit check. You can readily unlock when you're applying for financial products and then relock once it's done. A lot of countries use SSN or have national identification numbers - identity theft is no joke but it's a reality of living in the modern world.

 

[nervouswreck]

If there's one thing I learned after 6y in the US, there will always be someone to make you pay more for what you need and for the same/similar service/product. Building a network, having a community, hearing from someone was key to my experience; the thing is that it's often very local or it will depend on the state/town/etc. USA is diverse and it's also a good thing because you'll find a lot of people who went trough the same thing.

I can talk only about my experience in NYC for the a driver's license for example back in 2018; I was looking at 500-1000 in Manhattan in some driving school but you can have it for 150-200 in Flushing, a 30min train ride from midtown!

Good luck to you!

Thanks a lot!

 

[nervouswreck]

On #1, you can request the credit agencies to 'lock' your file. This will prevent third parties (incl. financial institutions) to use your SSN to open new lines of credit or even perform a credit check. You can readily unlock when you're applying for financial products and then relock once it's done. A lot of countries use SSN or have national identification numbers - identity theft is no joke but it's a reality of living in the modern world.

Thank you, I will do this!

 

[Bob22]

My son turned 14 a few months ago, so I'm required to replace his GC as it now needs biometrics. The wait for this is immense, pushing a year by the looks of it. Will this cause issues? As far as I can tell, his current GC is still active until it is replaced?

I'm still waiting for this. The wait time is genuinely impressive. The heat death of the universe may happen before this is renewed. (he's now half way to 16)

 

[DV immigrant]

I'm still waiting for this. The wait time is genuinely impressive. The heat death of the universe may happen before this is renewed. (he's now half way to 16)

My son traveled overseas with the current GC and it was no problem. From my experience, the current card is still active until you receive the new one.

 

[nervouswreck]

Hi all, I got my SSN and green card. As stated before, someone knows my SSN and all my details so I wanted to put a freeze on my credit. I tried registering on ssa.gov, id.me, myequifax, and transunion but all say they cannot verify me or cannot get my details. What is going on and how can I solve this? I have no US bank account and no credit card yet, I plan to move back permanently in eary Fall but scared and worried about this. Anyone with any experience?

 

[dazza2104]

Hi all, I got my SSN and green card. As stated before, someone knows my SSN and all my details so I wanted to put a freeze on my credit. I tried registering on ssa.gov, id.me, myequifax, and transunion but all say they cannot verify me or cannot get my details. What is going on and how can I solve this? I have no US bank account and no credit card yet, I plan to move back permanently in eary Fall but scared and worried about this. Anyone with any experience?

The credit agencies don't have a record of you because you don't have active accounts open. Why don't you open up a checking account from your local bank using your SSN in the first instance? Also considering you have no active open accounts, the risk of identity fraud is extremely extremely low .. think you can stop stressing about this. No financial institution is going to open up a line of credit when you have no history.

 

[nervouswreck]

The credit agencies don't have a record of you because you don't have active accounts open. Why don't you open up a checking account from your local bank using your SSN in the first instance? Also considering you have no active open accounts, the risk of identity fraud is extremely extremely low .. think you can stop stressing about this. No financial institution is going to open up a line of credit when you have no history.

Thanks. I am not in the US right now and banks wouldn't let me open an account online. It's good to know my risk is low.

 

[nervouswreck]

It's the salaries that I've seen on sites like glass door and indeed, but I don't actually know anyone working in those fields in the states. What would be a decent salary for a couple with no kids? Pretty set on NY, since I don't have a driver's license neither planning on getting one, plus I have some family there. Although I do know it's not the best place for oil&gas, but I figure the experience in project management & design can somehow translate. We also don't mind living in one of the other boroughs, we're quite low maintenance, so I (naively maybe?) think an income of 8-9k net monthly for both of us would be more than enough to keep our standard of living. (2-3k for a one bedroom in Brooklyn, 1k utilities and metro pass, so around 3-4k for food & other expenses)

What did you end up doing? How much money should a single person have? How easy was it to get a job?

 

[nervouswreck]

Well it's a sad day, but I have decided to officially give up my Greencard and move back to my home country.
I have been here since the middle of March and after trying so hard, have been unable to obtain a job.

It hasn't been a pleasant experience, but I think I can at least say I tried to live my dream and it just didn't work out.

I just wish the GC wouldn't have been such a waste

I am considering this. I have now applied to hundreds of jobs even basic low level jobs and getting rejected. I am just thinking of giving up this whole green card thing as it seems a waste of time. I am also yet to find a place to stay. I am not in the US yet though and right now deciding if I really want to go there. European jobs are much easier to get, unexpectedly. The only emails I get are from recruiters from a certain country who just take my resume and never email me back.

 

[Xarthisius]

I am considering this. I have now applied to hundreds of jobs even basic low level jobs and getting rejected. I am just thinking of giving up this whole green card thing as it seems a waste of time. I am also yet to find a place to stay. I am not in the US yet though and right now deciding if I really want to go there. European jobs are much easier to get, unexpectedly. The only emails I get are from recruiters from a certain country who just take my resume and never email me back.

You mention lack of place to stay. Sending a CV with a foreign address or non-US phone is a basic mistake. Those get tossed immediately. Seeing "hiring now" on basically every business I pass daily, I can't imagine not being able to get "even a basic low level job".

 

[nervouswreck]

You mention lack of place to stay. Sending a CV with a foreign address or non-US phone is a basic mistake. Those get tossed immediately. Seeing "hiring now" on basically every business I pass daily, I can't imagine not being able to get "even a basic low level job".

Thanks, I am not yet in the US. I have listed a US address but my current job shows that I am still in Europe. I have a US virtual phone and use that (not sure if hiring managers can know) but I did get less than five calls so far. For entry level jobs, I tried data entry, bank teller, and was rejected. I did not dumb down my CV so not sure if that makes a difference. I list that I am a data scientist, list all my skills.

 

[Samusoni]

Thanks, I am not yet in the US. I have listed a US address but my current job shows that I am still in Europe. I have a US virtual phone and use that (not sure if hiring managers can know) but I did get less than five calls so far. For entry level jobs, I tried data entry, bank teller, and was rejected. I did not dumb down my CV so not sure if that makes a difference. I list that I am a data scientist, list all my skills.

From my experience, many US employers prefer someone that was schooled in the US and has US experience....unless you come to academia, and even that, the hiring process takes forever. My personal suggestion: If you can manage to find something to help you get by, take some quick courses at community colleges, continuing education, etc. You will eventually get a job. One dude recently moved to the US, took a one month crash course and was hired on completion of the course. Doesn't necessarily happen to everyone, but that is just one example of how some employers prefer US education and experience than foreign credentials.

 

[nervouswreck]

From my experience, many US employers prefer someone that was schooled in the US and has US experience....unless you come to academia, and even that, the hiring process takes forever. My personal suggestion: If you can manage to find something to help you get by, take some quick courses at community colleges, continuing education, etc. You will eventually get a job. One dude recently moved to the US, took a one month crash course and was hired on completion of the course. Doesn't necessarily happen to everyone, but that is just one example of how some employers prefer US education and experience than foreign credentials.

Thanks. I have a bachelors from a top (30) uni already, does it still make sense to go to a community college? Doing a Masters would set me back financially and time-wise. My only goal of moving to the US is/was to make more money fast. I also work for an American company abroad so thought that would somehow help me (I can't be transferred which is a b*mmer).

 

[EmilyW]

Just my experience: I took a job that paid well below what I was getting in Australia. Within a few months, I was promoted, and was back at the level I was at in Australia. Now I earn triple what I was earning in Australia. I knew that I could prove myself and I was happy to take a temporary hit. But I had to be here in the US to do it: I had no luck applying from overseas.

 

[nervouswreck]

JFK & yes less than 6 months.

Was questioned on my second "visit" (less than 6 months) at JFK too. I didn't expect any questions so was caught offguard and fumbled a bit with my answers but was allowed in anyway though didn't get the "welcome home". I was also fingerprinted

 

[dazza2104]

Thanks. I have a bachelors from a top (30) uni already, does it still make sense to go to a community college? Doing a Masters would set me back financially and time-wise. My only goal of moving to the US is/was to make more money fast. I also work for an American company abroad so thought that would somehow help me (I can't be transferred which is a b*mmer).

Why don't you reach out to recruiters or employment agencies who might be able to help? Recruiters earn commissions from their clients (the employer) on successful placements so provided that you have all the qualifications you say you have, they should be more than willing to help you. Of course, it's *much* easier when you're in the US but most of the recruiters I've dealt with post-pandemic have initial screening interviews via phone.