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

I have also come across people that are dismissive of degrees obtained online, and I'm ok with that. It will change with time, and more and more established and recognised universities are offering degrees through distance learning now. I love them because it means I can continue education flexibly, work at the same time, and pay for it as I go. The education debt situation some people have disturbs me a lot. I'm mulling over which UK unis employees would be more familiar with, apart from the super famous ones of course, I don't have the GPA for those unfortunately! To keep it simple I will probably go with a US one in the end.
 
SusieQQQ said:
South African universities do not exactly have the reputation of Oxford or Cambridge, yet don't seem to be a hindrance - and when I say I know a lot of people using them in the US, I mean a lot! As with anything, a degree is part of the package. I do think having no degree can be an issue as it might auto-deselect you from a bunch of applications, but to be honest I think a lot of people just aren't prepared for how competitive the US job market is and find it easier to blame it on "they don't recognize my degree". I mean, I'd love to know the percentage of people saying that who were actually told that was the reason ... I don't doubt it's harder coming with a degree from Cape Town or Queensland than from a good state college (never mind the ivies) and that the applicant might have to work a bit harder to get noticed, especially given that most comparable jobs just probably have a lot more applicants than "back home". Some people get lucky quickly, but for a lot of people it is a lot of work to get an interview. (That's really what you're after - that's where you convince them you can do the job.) I think blaming a foreign degree can be counter productive because it takes the focus away from what you need to do to get noticed job hunting in a big, big market.
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There are two ways degrees are used by employers.

1. Is as a knockout question. Many jobs (technology jobs especially) require a degree. The online application processes can be set to filters out applicants that are not able to answer the question "Do you hold a Bachelors degree or higher". My own company insists on Masters for most of the Engineering positions. So - regardless of where it comes from, a degree is useful for that.

1a. As a subtext to that point, if every job has let's say 100 applications (which is not unlikely), managers don't want to sift through 100 resumes to have a shortlist. When I am hiring, I expect to see just a handful. So - the degree knockout question will have been applied, and also the recruiters will have used a keyword search to make sure the person has "relevant" skills. The recruiters typically have no real understanding of the job role so it is important to consider the words on the resume. This by the way is why certain job types should IGNORE the advice that a resume should be one page.

2. The second is more a "feeling" or perception about the college where the degree was attained. Any employer in the USA is going to recognize the "big name" Universities and perceive the applicant accordingly. So - if I am interviewing someone with a degree from an Ivy league college, that is going to reflect in my estimation of the candidate (at least at the resume screening stage). It's more likely that I would interview that candidate than someone with a degree from a college I don't know. Again, that follows to USA versus foreign Universities. If I were a typical American manager (most of whom have zero experience of the world outside the USA), I might recognize a foreign University such as Oxford or Cambridge, but how many USA managers would recognize (for example) Keio University (Japan). Keio is rated in the top 50 Universities in the world, but that isn't going to gain as much name recognition/credibility as it perhaps should. We could apply that to many other Universities. The point is it is not so much that the degree is not "recognized" in the USA. It's that the name of the University and the fact that the degree was earned in an "unknown" place (and therefore to "unkown" standards).

Note that both of these factors have an impact on the chance of winning an interview. Once someone is in an interview there is a chance to sell oneself and there may be a benefit at that point of a degree equivalency document.
 
I wish there was one post Trump. I got my diversity visa this week and now worried about entry to the states.
 
I went through this entire thread but didn't find a basic to-do checklist of things to do during an activation trip, say of a few weeks, and on the assumption you plan to return before a year is up. This is what I have so far (for a single person)

- SSN
- Driving licence conversion/application
- Global Entry registration
- Temporary health insurance
- Bank account
- AMEX transfer
- Secured credit card
- Job applications

What am I missing?
 
Wingpin said:
I went through this entire thread but didn't find a basic to-do checklist of things to do during an activation trip, say of a few weeks, and on the assumption you plan to return before a year is up. This is what I have so far (for a single person)

- SSN
- Driving licence conversion/application
- Global Entry registration
- Temporary health insurance
- Bank account
- AMEX transfer
- Secured credit card
- Job applications

What am I missing?
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I think the thread is mainly for people actually living in the US not just activating, but it's a reasonable post to have.

FYI global entry usually takes weeks or even months before you can get an appointment after registering online, so it's not really something you can do in an activation trip. If you fly more than a couple of times a year, even domestically (you get TSA pre check privileges as part of it) it's definitely worthwhile doing, but you'd probably have to wait till you've made the permanent move to do it.

Depending where you are you may not be able to get a driver license appointment during an activation trip either.
 
Yeah I figured a few things might not be viable. So most administrative things need to be done in person? In this regard I will miss the UK, everything is effortless and done online on the gov.uk website. Their Global Entry equivalent, Registered Traveller, takes 5 mins online and activates the next time you go through immigration. I've heard the pop culture references about the DMV, are the wait times still awful then? And why couldn't someone obtain a driving licence? Just the time scale of it is too long?
 
Wingpin said:
Yeah I figured a few things might not be viable. So most administrative things need to be done in person? In this regard I will miss the UK, everything is effortless and done online on the gov.uk website. Their Global Entry equivalent, Registered Traveller, takes 5 mins online and activates the next time you go through immigration. I've heard the pop culture references about the DMV, are the wait times still awful then? And why couldn't someone obtain a driving licence? Just the time scale of it is too long?
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Coming from the UK, everything bureaucratic is going to feel like an over complicated mess. That is partly because everything is a mess, and partly because you won't know the basic procedures (which would be assumed by a local). You are also going to find yourself wondering about the lack of common sense in the admin people you meet.

You're probably also going to struggle to make yourself understood, even though you speak English.
 
Wingpin said:
Yeah I figured a few things might not be viable. So most administrative things need to be done in person? In this regard I will miss the UK, everything is effortless and done online on the gov.uk website. Their Global Entry equivalent, Registered Traveller, takes 5 mins online and activates the next time you go through immigration. I've heard the pop culture references about the DMV, are the wait times still awful then? And why couldn't someone obtain a driving licence? Just the time scale of it is too long?
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Global Entry requires you to have a face to face interview with a CBP officer. Quite honestly, I'm surprised the U.K. one allows you to do it all online - doesn't seem a very secure way to vet people.

DMV to me has always been pretty efficient, but if you live in a populous area it's a bit strange to assume you can get an appointment for a test in a day or two? If you're in, I dunno, rural Alabama or something that's probably feasible. The Bay Area - no way.
Also there's much more of a car culture in the US. I knew a surprisingly large number of people in their mid to late20s in the U.K. without a driving license, some of whom never intended to get one ever! By contrast, I don't know anyone here who's reached 17 without one....so maybe just less demand per capita in the U.K. also makes it easier thrrr?
 
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SusieQQQ said:
Global Entry requires you to have a face to face interview with a CBP officer. Quite honestly, I'm surprised the U.K. one allows you to do it all online - doesn't seem a very secure way to vet people.

DMV to me has always been pretty efficient, but if you live in a populous area it's a bit strange to assume you can get an appointment for a test in a day or two? If you're in, I dunno, rural Alabama or something that's probably feasible. The Bay Area - no way.
Also there's much more of a car culture in the US. I knew a surprisingly large number of people in their mid to late20s in the U.K. without a driving license, some of whom never intended to get one ever! By contrast, I don't know anyone here who's reached 17 without one....so maybe just less demand per capita in the U.K. also makes it easier thrrr?
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I think you nailed it.
 
DMV also varies state to state. States decide how they run their systems. It's very different here compared to what I had to do in Texas. Texas allowed use of a Kenyan license for 60 or 90 days. The state I'm in has no such option.
 
Guriix said:
DMV also varies state to state. States decide how they run their systems. It's very different here compared to what I had to do in Texas. Texas allowed use of a Kenyan license for 60 or 90 days. The state I'm in has no such option.
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At all??:eek: CA allows you to use a foreign license for 10 days if you are now a CA resident, but of course it's generally impossible to get a test appointment within that window! I just carried a confirmation of my appointment for in case I ever got a traffic stop.
 
At all, not even an international driving license..California is a different country. lol
 
Guriix said:
At all, not even an international driving license..California is a different country. lol
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That's strange, most states allow a grace period - and most are longer than CA.

An international driving license is not actually a license - it's just a translation document assuring people you have a valid license from your home country.
 
I eventually got round to checking out the U.K. registered traveler thing. It doesn't seem comparable to global entry to me. It's for visitors not residents, and only applies if you have a current visa or visited the U.K. 4 times in the last 24 months - and while the application is online, you still have to first go through the "other passports" line the first time after you apply (so i guess that's the equivalent of the CBP in person interview) and then after that's done and you're approved, it just allows you to use the U.K./EU entry lane on your next travels - not a dedicated express one like global entry. On top of all that, you can't get it for kids like global entry, and it's way more expensive (£70 then £50 per year vs $100 for a 5-year period).

https://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry
 
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Hello Guys,
We applied I-90 when our child turned 14 years old on October 2016, he went and did the BIO ON Dec. 2nd and didn't hear back from them yet.
I appreciate you experience if you can answer my questions :
1- when they might be answer?
2- is my son able to travel to our home country and return back with us or that might cause any problem?
3- was it necessary to apply this form I-90? Many people didn't do it and had no problems even when they applied for the citizenship.
Thanks
Sam
 
Sam2015 said:
Hello Guys,
We applied I-90 when our child turned 14 years old on October 2016, he went and did the BIO ON Dec. 2nd and didn't hear back from them yet.
I appreciate you experience if you can answer my questions :
1- when they might be answer?
2- is my son able to travel to our home country and return back with us or that might cause any problem?
3- was it necessary to apply this form I-90? Many people didn't do it and had no problems even when they applied for the citizenship.
Thanks
Sam
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Do you mean the replacement green card? We haven't heard back either (late December) and it seems these are taking 6-9 months at the moment from when I enquired. Assuming he has an existing unexpired green card he can still travel on that, that's what the lady at our FO told us.
You've already done it so why worry now about whethe or not it was "necessary"? Anyway with the current administration I wouldn't be so complacent about ignoring specific instructions.
 
Thanks for your reply.
Yes I mean replacement the card for 14 years child. They said since you applied to renew the GC, the one we have is canceled automatically even if it still valid for 8 years.

They also said with the new administration we are not sure if your son will be able to reinterpret or not.
I don't know if seems we will list the tickets to our country until we see.

Hope to hear soon.
Even through with the new administration it's not sure for anything related to the re-inter thenUSA specially for the Middle East.
 
Sam2015 said:
Thanks for your reply.
Yes I mean replacement the card for 14 years child. They said since you applied to renew the GC, the one we have is canceled automatically even if it still valid for 8 years.

They also said with the new administration we are not sure if your son will be able to reinterpret or not.
I don't know if seems we will list the tickets to our country until we see.

Hope to hear soon.
Even through with the new administration it's not sure for anything related to the re-inter thenUSA specially for the Middle East.
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Well, I think they mean cancelled when it's issued, not when they take 9 months to process it.... We actually have been out the country and back again a couple of months after doing the biometrics for my daughter and had no problem re-entering on her old green card. This travel was after the first travel ban was issued.
 
SusieQQQ said:
I eventually got round to checking out the U.K. registered traveler thing. It doesn't seem comparable to global entry to me. It's for visitors not residents, and only applies if you have a current visa or visited the U.K. 4 times in the last 24 months - and while the application is online, you still have to first go through the "other passports" line the first time after you apply (so i guess that's the equivalent of the CBP in person interview) and then after that's done and you're approved, it just allows you to use the U.K./EU entry lane on your next travels - not a dedicated express one like global entry. On top of all that, you can't get it for kids like global entry, and it's way more expensive (£70 then £50 per year vs $100 for a 5-year period).

https://www.gov.uk/registered-traveller

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry
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Not sure if the poster who started GE discussion is a UK citizen or just a resident, but GE is now available for British citizens [has been since Nov 2015].

You have to be vetted by the UK gov't first [£42 fee] and then the US one [$100] followed by the interview.
 
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