Moved to the USA - My 10 week update

.danindudlin

This is my first attempt at writing anything of this nature so it may be completely uneventful but hopefully in the midst of my ramblings there may be some information that’s of benefit to somebody who’s coming here for the short or long term.

To give a little background: I work for a small Irish software company who do a lot of business with the US – well maybe more some than lots. I was in the past travel a few times year to the US for work and after a month long trip here in August, I decided it was the place for me. I found every time I left, I was a little more devastated that the time before. I asked if my company would assist me in my move over and four months later I was in Dublin Airport with a sobbing family and three large suitcase – everything I had in the world at that point in time. I’m in my very early 30’s *cough* and had never had any interest in property so I was leaving commitment free. Australia never held much interest and America was going to be the place for me!

I should point out that these are just my own experiences and may be very different from what others have experienced. I just found a lot of the information I got was confusing or … just wrong :eek:

VISA’s & all that
My company has a pre-existing E1 visa which meant the process was fairly painless for me, I was actually shocked to be approved while in the embassy. The visa gives unlimited travel rights for the period of the visa and also allows your spouse to come with you and work. The only disadvantage of this versus other visas is that it can’t ever lead to full residency.

Social Security
While I’d heard a million stories of all the things I would need social security for, I was about to get without it:
• Accommodation
• A bank account
• Electricity
• Gas
• Phone (PAYG)
• Broadband

I’ve moved to Boston and based on the advice I was given I waited the 10 days after I arrived for everything “Sync up” – I still don’t know if they was necessary as they re-verified all information again from my landing documentation. I had to give an address (at this time I didn’t have my own apartment so I used a friends). I left the office with nothing except a receipt – the card, a flimsy bit of paper, arrived by post 10 days later. If you’re moving to Boston, the social security off is in the Tip O'Neill building which is right by TD Gardens/North Station. Don’t bring your gun along (they will actually ask you this several times) and bring something to read. I was there an hour which is considered to be very quick.

Your social security number is very valuable here and it is the primary way of tracking your credit history. For the first few months, you’ll be considered a virtual nobody until you start appearing on the systems of the major credit rating agencies. A lot of services (tv, broadband, electricity) may require you to give a deposit to stop you defaulting on payments.

Bank Accounts
Most Americans seem to be drifting away from the bigger banks but I found going with the bigger ones was easier as they were used to the process of dealing with international customers. Boston is full of foreigners (as you’ll be called) so they are well able to get things rolling. I applied for a bank account on day #2 – with Bank of America - All I needed was a passport and my driver’s license – I volunteered a copy of my visa. Once you have minimum of $2.5k going into your account you get most things for free:
• Debit Card (with your own pic on it)
• Checks / Cheques
• ATM withdrawals
• Online Banking with Direct Deposits (direct debits)

Otherwise I think it’s about $15 a month for the banking fees. Basic banking is free (no online) if you don’t have that much money going through your account. Using other banks ATMs will be expensive.

I left the bank that day with an ATM card and a temporary checkbook (3 cheques). The personalized card and checkbook came just over a week later.
It may be a bit of a shock to realize that banking is a little more behind here; checks are still very common, the security of online banking seems less secure, and setting up online payments can more of a nightmare.
Word of warning – Sending money to Ireland from Bank of America is expensive. The exchange rates isn’t great and there a $35 fee.

Accommodation
On average, accommodation is A LOT more expensive in the main cities. If you’re buying it’s a lot more affordable but it’s rarely an option for the newly arrived. In Boston, the culture is that rents run September to September so you’ll find the market constantly listing places that are starting September 1st. At other times of the year you’ll be giving the option to rent until September and then renew from there for a full year.

In Boston the letting agents are crazy. Once your names get out there that you’re looking for accommodation, you will get hounded. The main reason for this? On average you’re paying for their service. Typically here, to move in you’ll pay:
• First Month
• Last Month
• Security Deposit
• Realtor Fee

All of these will generally be a full month’s rent so expect to hand over 4 months’ rent to move in. Some offer reduced deposits etc for those with good credit – again something you won’t have on arrival.

Most people advise you to go via Craigslist to find apartments but I would advise being very cautious. Most of the ads on Craigslist are automatic posts by lettings agencies which are made to look like one off landlords. The process is tiresome and expect the standard of accommodation to be much less than what you would get in Europe. A typical one bed apartment in Boston starts at about $1800 a month.

If you’re thinking of going a little outside the city, which I did, I would recommend starting on the main T line stops of the orange and red. Blue goes to many undesirable places and the green line is extremely slow and gets very crowed. I live on the orange line and despite being 7 miles from the city, it only takes me less than 20 minutes from my front door to downtown Boston. I managed to get a 1 bed apartment in new build complex with standards on par with Dublin for just 1 months’ rent and 1 month’s deposit
Of the online apps available, I found ‘hotpads’ to be quite good.

Electricity & Gas
Thankfully these were super easy to set up. The only confusion I have is that both are the same company (a bit like Bord Gais in Ireland). They send separate bills without telling you the service. Gets very confusing trying to pay it without know what it is you’re paying for.

Phones
I brought my Irish phone with me (unlocked) and just got a pay as you go sim for now. The services are more expensive. Bill pay will generally require a credit check.
I went with the t-mobile package for $60 a month you get unlimited US calls and texts and unlimited data with first 500mb at 4G speed plus unlimited international landline calls and texts. My phone isn’t 4G enabled but the speeds are … brutal! I’d check online before signing up to any service, different cities get very different reception quality.

Broadband/TV
You may faint on seeing the prices for these. If there are a few people in the house it’s obviously cheaper but as I live alone I decided to just go for broadband on its own. A basic 20mb down/5mb up package was $35 a month. You get basic cable for free but it’s mostly a new local new channels. I have an apple tv and both a Netflix and HuluPlus account – much better than tv imho – plus I have an iPad so I use airplay on my iPad for the RTE player for shows/matches etc. I use ‘unblock us’ as a service for setting my DNS for Ireland – it now allows you to pick one of 10 different countries. If you’re trying to watch something live on the RTE player make sure to change your iPad time to Irish time

Healthcare
I’m starting to think it’s cheaper to fly home than to get healthcare here however in Massachusetts you get fine through your taxes for not having healthcare. Expect the minimum month payment to be $250 for a very basic package with a very high deductible – don’t be fooled, this word actually means excess so it’s the amount become which the health company will pay. Doctors are tied to health insurance companies/packages so you can’t just pick at will

Food
As someone who was used to just eating in restaurants I always thought food here was super cheap – I still think that most restaurants are cheaper than back home but supermarket food is WAY more expensive. Quality meat, fruit and veg are much more expensive. I’m kinda fussy about the quality of my food so I avoid most frozen food but all that stuff seems very cheap but the quality looks to be something awful. Frozen pizzas will be dirt cheap, a good fillet steak will be $14.
If you’re bothered to shop around you will get good value. Most of the main supermarkets here are the same price (Shaws and Stop&Shop). I’ve heard Market Basket is much cheaper. I’ve made a few trips to the ALDI near the Wellington T stop and it think it’s great value.
If you want some very good value, I would sign up for CostCo. If you’ve never come across it, it’s essentially like shopping in a cash & carry. Only members can shop there (I’ve made this mistake) and an annual membership costs $55. Everything is sold in bulk but the chicken and burgers there are very good – each is about $20 for giant packs.

Money
If you’re used to coming here on holidays and now find yourself living here, you’ll very quickly find yourself stopping the exchanging of money in your head. For the first few weeks I keep thinking in Euro and how cheap things where but once you start earning in Dollars that all changes.
Cash is becoming very rare here because you can use your card for almost any transaction – I got a coffee for $1.60 the other day and paid with card and that’s not uncommon. Also staff in restaurants/bars are used to the process of splitting between 2 or many cards so having cash to pay someone back isn’t a problem.

Things that are oddly cheap

• Off-license alcohol
• Non brand medicines
• Crap supermarket food
• Fast food
• Electronics – tv’s etc
• Public transport – costs $18 for unlimited travel

Things that are oddly expensive

• Meat, fruit and veg
• Services (TV/Broadband/Mobile Phone)
• Beer – it’s cheaper in shops, about $6 + $1tip in Boston
• Branded Medicine

Massachusetts has some very weird drinking laws – most bars close by 2am which isn't typical for the US. Most shops DO NOT sell alcohol and its common to find off licenses that sell just beer and wine. However there is no sales tax on alcohol so it’s much much cheaper to buy here. It can just be annoying to get

That’s my 10 week update – I’ll pop back again when I’ve figured some more stuff out! Any YEAH for spring

ProudDUB

Fair play to you Dan. Best of luck to you. You sound like you have a really good handle on things. However, I'd question your decision to not get health insurance. Yes, it can he horribly expensive, off puttingly so especially if you are a hale and hearty 30 something without a wife and kids. However, most Americans still try to factor having some sort of coverage into their annual budget.

It not a luxury in the US. It is a necessity, as the cost of health care without it are incredibly high. Something simple like a weeks stay in a hospital with a broken leg can leave you with a bill of over $200,000. Unlike the Irish model, hospitals in the US are ran as profit making corporations. They can and they will pursue you relentlessly for every single cent that you owe them. Medical bills are the #1 reason for personal bankruptcy filings in the US.

I don't mean to alarm you, but getting ill or seriously injured is not something that you will have always have advance warning of that you can make plans to travel to Ireland for. Look into getting some sort of emergency coverage. That is what I got when I was between jobs. I was covered for anything catastrophic that resulted in me being admitted to a hospital via the ER, but the day to day stuff, or trips to the doctor if I had the sniffles, I had to pay for out of my own pocket. It was much, much cheaper than full comprehensive coverage & really set my mind at ease.

clairefontaine

ProudDUB wrote: »

Fair play to you Dan. Best of luck to you. You sound like you have a really good handle on things. However, I'd question your decision to not get health insurance. Yes, it can he horribly expensive, off puttingly so especially if you are a hale and hearty 30 something without a wife and kids. However, most Americans still try to factor having some sort of coverage into their annual budget.

It not a luxury in the US. It is a necessity, as the cost of health care without it are incredibly high. Something simple like a weeks stay in a hospital with a broken leg can leave you with a bill of over $200,000. Unlike the Irish model, hospitals in the US are ran as profit making corporations. They can and they will pursue you relentlessly for every single cent that you owe them. Medical bills are the #1 reason for personal bankruptcy filings in the US.

I don't mean to alarm you, but getting ill or seriously injured is not something that you will have always have advance warning of that you can make plans to travel to Ireland for. Look into getting some sort of emergency coverage. That is what I got when I was between jobs. I was covered for anything catastrophic that resulted in me being admitted to a hospital via the ER, but the day to day stuff, or trips to the doctor if I had the sniffles, I had to pay for out of my own pocket. It was much, much cheaper than full comprehensive coverage & really set my mind at ease.

This isn't exactly true. You can always go to your county hospital. A lot of Americans do this.

Also, a lot of Americans who don't have health insurance use the ER as their gp. Yes it's ridiculous. But they have to treat you and it ends up being a write off. Part of why health care is so expensive. The accounts departments end up inflating other things to compensate for this. A Pennsylvania fireman explained to me how this works because he says they regularly get called out as taxis to bring people to the hospital.

I grew up entirely without health insurance btw. I was lucky I was healthy. My dad had very good health insurance but they refused to pay the hospital after he died and tried to land me with a 60K bill. Good luck to them with that.

You have to be careful with insurance some of them are just scammers.

.danindudlin

ProudDUB wrote: »

Fair play to you Dan. Best of luck to you. You sound like you have a really good handle on things. However, I'd question your decision to not get health insurance. Yes, it can he horribly expensive, off puttingly so especially if you are a hale and hearty 30 something without a wife and kids. However, most Americans still try to factor having some sort of coverage into their annual budget.

It not a luxury in the US. It is a necessity, as the cost of health care without it are incredibly high. Something simple like a weeks stay in a hospital with a broken leg can leave you with a bill of over $200,000. Unlike the Irish model, hospitals in the US are ran as profit making corporations. They can and they will pursue you relentlessly for every single cent that you owe them. Medical bills are the #1 reason for personal bankruptcy filings in the US.

I don't mean to alarm you, but getting ill or seriously injured is not something that you will have always have advance warning of that you can make plans to travel to Ireland for. Look into getting some sort of emergency coverage. That is what I got when I was between jobs. I was covered for anything catastrophic that resulted in me being admitted to a hospital via the ER, but the day to day stuff, or trips to the doctor if I had the sniffles, I had to pay for out of my own pocket. It was much, much cheaper than full comprehensive coverage & really set my mind at ease.

I may have confused you all with that .... I have health insurance I'm just in the process of getting it sorted now. I wouldn't risk not having it

InTheTrees

clairefontaine wrote: »

Also, a lot of Americans who don't have health insurance use the ER as their gp. Yes it's ridiculous. But they have to treat you and it ends up being a write off.

Yes, but what happens when you do that is that the hospital will try and get the money from you, then they'll send the "debt" to a Collection Agency, which will then come after you by interfering with your Credit Rating. The Hospital may write off the debt in their taxes the next quarter but the Collection Agency will come after you for years. (7 years?).

Your "Credit Rating" is like your your Honour in the US. With a bad credit rating you will have difficulty renting an apartment, you'll get crappy interest rates from your bank (if you can get an account), you wont get any credit cards either, which makes it harder to reestablish "good" credit. Its possible to live with a Debit card though.

Also its Big Business in the US (yes, even the religious non profit hospitals), so you've got to get through the money people before you even get treated and they're not going to be happy with people using them as a gp.

Its only a law that says they have to treat people that prevents them just turning you away. You sometimes hear horror stories about uninsured people in ambulances being shuttled from hospital to hospital and given excuses why they cant be admitted.

rockonollie

Just seconding InTheTrees.....as far as the damage being passed to collections can do......the bank that I work for check all new account applicants, and if there are any delinquencies on their record, we will not open an account.

OU812

Thanks for the update Dan. Would you consider doing a blog with a weekly update?

Ruu

Great info and glad you landed on your feet when getting here.

CaliforniaDream

I found some of the things to be quite different from your experience.

One of the things people should be aware of when moving to the US is that it's a huge country!
What's normal in one state is not in another.
What's cheap somewhere could be expensive elsewhere.

Definitely research before you go.

OU812

California Dream, could you write something comparable?

CaliforniaDream

Sure. I'll be able to put something up over the next few days.

ProudDUB

CaliforniaDream wrote: »

I found some of the things to be quite different from your experience.

One of the things people should be aware of when moving to the US is that it's a huge country!
What's normal in one state is not in another.
What's cheap somewhere could be expensive elsewhere.

Definitely research before you go.

That is a brilliant piece of advice. What is normal in San Diego, may not be so in New York. What is normal in Texas, may not be normal in Seattle. My sister and I lived on opposite coasts of the US for many, many years. The societal, cultural, political and economic norms for me, were often very, very different to what they were for her & vice versa.

.danindudlin

.danindudlin wrote: »

I should point out that these are just my own experiences and may be very different from what others have experienced. I just found a lot of the information I got was confusing or … just wrong :eek:

TBH I was just trying to write something as I saw it, not lay down the law for how everyone should live in America. I'm still very new to it all and wanted to impart a few bits and pieces of personal experience. I should have also pointed out that I'm a complete over planner so most of what I wrote I think I'd done within the first few days My plan was to update as I go - I haven't really gotten very far with credit ratings etc

Hopefully a few people can chip in something similar and we can get some really good info together!

Palmy

Three storys about health insurance.

A lady i work with owes $40k to a hospital,She is paying it back at $25 a month.

I also work with a girl who used to work in the accounts department of a large hospital.As long as you make some type of payment weather that is small or large,legally they can not touch you and this will hold up in court.

An English guy i work with his mother was dying of cancer here and the bill from the hospital was $70k. Once they found out they had no insurance they dropped that figure to $20k they settled at $14k.

CaliforniaDream

I've just copied danindudlin's points to give you a view of my experience.

I live in Vegas. I've been here a few years now. I wanted to move to California but due to the high cost of living there I decided Vegas was good enough for me.
It's close enough to drive to California for weekends but I get the low cost of living of Nevada.
There are no state taxes in Nevada so it makes a big difference on your paycheck.

VISA’s & all that
I won the Greencard lottery. I think I've posted about my experience of that in the megathread already. Basically, it's a long and expensive process but it's worth it.
I can apply for citizenship after five years, or try to renew the GC after 10 years.
I can live and work legally and it doesn't really affect me in my daily life compared to being a citizen.
That said, I will apply for citizenship.

Social Security
I brought my GC and passport to the SS office here. Applied on a Friday and got the card less than two weeks later.
We were in the country two days when we applied and were staying in a hotel. They used the Social Security office address for us and we could go back to pick it up.
We didn't wait in the office very long as far as I can remember.

Bank Accounts
I went with Chase Bank based on a recommendation. I've found them excellent as a bank.
The girl was really helpful when setting it up. I think we used my brother's address to send out the debit cards to, but can't really remember.

I also set up an account with US bank as they do secure credit cards. That's basically where you give them a set amount (we gave $300) and they give you a credit card for that limit. It's perfect for trying to build your score over here. Buy something small and pay it off once a month.
I don't like US bank and have closed my account since.

My score is building. I'ts really good right now. You can tell by the amount of credit card offers you get in the mail.

One thing to look for is how well your bank serves other areas. Places you may live in or visit in the future need to be considered. You get charged twice using another banks ATM. Once by your bank and once by the bank you're using.


Accommodation
Accommodation here is fairly average. We got a 2-bed apartment in a gated community for $909pm.
We had to pay a $300 security deposit, as well as an additional $600 since we had no credit. We also had to pay a 'pet fee' and 'pet rent' per month.

We got a 13 month lease. With that we got one month free rent which we used over the year. So we paid $849 I think per month the first year.
The pet rent is supposed to be per pet. It was $25pm in our complex which was included in the $909 figure. We have two pets but the charged only for one. Water/sewer/trash was also included in the $909 figure.

In the complex there is a small gym, racquetball court and swimming pool open year round.
Nearly all apartment complexes have a gym, couple of pools and tennis court or something.

Our place was maintained really well and we were happy with the guys there. They were pretty quick for repairs and pest control was free.
I saw one cockroach on the whole grounds in two years.

Our rent was slightly on the higher side but we got a spacious apartment and management were decent to deal with.
You can get 2 beds for about $750 average. Stay away from anywhere cheaper!

Edit: Wanted to add, that it's very rare to find a place furnished. Moving in you'll have a fridge, cooker, washer/dryer and maybe microwave. You need to buy everything! Craigslist is key when you first get here.

Electricity & Gas
These were easy for me to set up as well. We paid a small deposit (maybe $80 each) which was refunded through our bill after a few months of on time payments.
Gas ranges from $20-$30 per month. Electricity is $30-$80 per month. Air-con is on all summer so it spikes those months.
Overall, I think they're cheap compared to home.

Very easy to switch addresses too.

Phones
We bought a $10 phone when we got here first. It was a PAYG, but it was awful. After a month we got a rolling contract phone from T-Mobile. It was about $50 each per month.
Now we're on contract phones and pay $60 each for minutes/texts/4g.

I definitely find mobile phone plans expensive here.

Broadband/TV
We have tv/internet/home phone all in one. It cost $140pm.
It's basic tv but has all the channels we watch. Our phone is never even plugged in. It's just cheaper to have it on the plan than without.

Our broadband is really good. I don't know what the exact speed it but we've never had an issue.
There's not contract with these services so we can cancel or change anytime.
They're good for matching prices or giving you discounts to stay.

Healthcare
Healthcare sucks here! We're so spoiled in Ireland and don't even know it.

If you get full time over here nearly every employer offers 'benefits'. Basically medical/dental/vision.
It's considered almost as part of the wages.
Getting your own coverage here can run from $100-$1,000 a month. Get something.


Food
Eating out is definitely normal here. It's cheap and quick.
Supermarkets are good though.

Most places here have a rewards card. But it's not like Tesco where you can redeem points after you earn them. On a lot of products there's a 'without card' price and 'with card' price.
It can save you so much on your bill.

To me, most of the stuff is the same price as home. The differences to me are:
Bread - never buy a sliced pan here. Horrible stuff.
Produce - fruit and veg here is delicious. Ripe and varied and pretty cheap. Tomato's are oddly expensive though...
Meat - there's not a lot of butcher shops here and the ones that are here often have frozen stuff. Not sure why.

Whole Foods is delicious if you can afford it.
Fresh and Easy is owned by Tesco so we can get a lot of Irish/English products too.
Also, Kerrygold is sold in a lot of places. Yum!

Money
Card is definitely King. I think in $$$ now. Stuff is still pretty cheap compared to home but not as cheap as it seems on holidays.

At petrol stations though it's nearly always cheaper to pay in cash. Also diesel is more expensive than petrol.
Speaking of, petrol here is high at the moment at $3.65 per gallon.

Things that are oddly cheap

Alcohol
Petrol
Restaurants
Buying cars
Gas and electricity
Electronics

Things that are oddly expensive

Cinema
Mobile phone bill
Banking
Duvets!


Drinking in Vegas is 24 hours. Both a good and bad thing. Many times I woke up the next day (or same day rather!) after getting home at 10am and wishing they had kicked us out.
You can get alcohol anywhere at anytime. Fremont is relaxed about their open container laws and it's really fun to go there.
Best thing about Vegas is not having to worry about entertainment for visitors.
Life here is nothing like you see on the Strip. If you're local you stay away as prices are insane and service is better off the strip for locals.
We get discounts on everything here though which is great. Plus nothing better than going to Lake Mead on a hot day and renting a boat. Cooler packed and you're good to go.

Weather here is gorgeous. We have two seasons (which I love) - hot and not as hot.
Honestly though, it gets cold November - February.
March-May and September-October are pleasant. Hot during the day, cool at night.
June-August is heaven for me. Coldest it will get at night is probably 30 Celsius.

I love the choice over here for everything. Plus they have better football facilities than we do and they don't even like the sport!

.danindudlin wrote: »

TBH I was just trying to write something as I saw it, not lay down the law for how everyone should live in America. I'm still very new to it all and wanted to impart a few bits and pieces of personal experience. I should have also pointed out that I'm a complete over planner so most of what I wrote I think I'd done within the first few days My plan was to update as I go - I haven't really gotten very far with credit ratings etc

Hopefully a few people can chip in something similar and we can get some really good info together!

I understand, and I was pointing it out so someone reading it understood exactly that this was your experience and not something to be expected everywhere in the country.


So I also wanted to add points about two other topics. Driving licence and jobs.

Driving licence
We went to the DMV a couple of weeks after getting here. Brought passport and greencard again.
We filled out the application and then immediately we were sent to a room to take the theory test. We were taken aback thinking it would be a couple of weeks like at home.
It's 50 questions and you need to get 40 right. Most are obvious but some are US specific and then state specific which I had to guess on. Use your skip button!
You then queue up to get your photo taken for the provisional and you get a temporary piece of paper. You're actual licence takes about 2 weeks in the post.
You make an appointment for your driving test there and then if you're successful.

Driving test is pretty easy. But you need to have your own car and it needs to be insured. Weird getting insurance without having a licence or the car registered yet.
Test was about 20mins driving around. It's straight forward blocks over here so easy enough. But know about local driving laws, turning right on red etc.
Back at the centre you need to parallel park in a huge space! Easy.
If you pass you can retake your photo if you wish and again will get the licence in a couple of weeks.

Jobs
We looked for any job when we first got here. Just wanted money coming in. Everything is online. Search every company website and apply.
We got a p/t job within a month. I got a f/t job in 2 months. Not sure if it was lucky or not but I've got every job I've had an interview for here.
They do background checks on you for everything and possibly a drug test. The process takes a while but not much to it.

Get money coming in at first and then start looking for where you want to work.

Taxes are a mystery to me but most people will be able to give you advice on what to do with your W-4. If you're worried you can choose to take an amount out of your paycheck, like $10, and then when you do your taxes you shouldn't owe.
Employers send out what you need and there's booths everywhere during tax season to help you.
But it's pretty simply to do it yourself on turbotax.

OU812

Thanks CaliforniaDream (NevadaDream). Very informative.

Maybe others who've moved over could contribute their experiences in the first couple of months & this could become a sticky for those going.

I've spent a lot of time in the US over the years and one very obvious important thing was the Irish Network.

Knowing there's other boardsies in certain areas could be a big help to some.

I'm going to be applying for the DV this year, have a young family so it's a big decision but it would make a huge difference to us in terms of earning advantages over there.

dave2pvd

CaliforniaDream wrote: »

Healthcare
Healthcare sucks here! We're so spoiled in Ireland and don't even know it.

I think it's important to be specific about this.

Health insurance in the US sucks.
Healthcare in Ireland sucks.

Generalizing, of course.

For the most part, the standard of care in the US is amazing. From trauma centers to cosmetic surgery clinics, and everything in between, the resources, training and organization is decades ahead of Ireland.

The health/insurance/pharma/PEO 'industry' in the US is designed so that large companies, lobbyists and politicians make a lot of money. That's priority #1. So the while the level of care, speed of response, etc. can be remarkable, the cost would make your eyes bleed (there's probably nearby a surgery center to fix that too).

Some random thoughts:

When I moved here in 1997, my girlfriend was working in a large children's hospital. They had 3 MRI machines. At the time, the whole of Ireland had 3 MRI machines. In 2005, she was ECMO certified. They had 3 ECMO machines (basically pediatric breathing/bypass system). ECMO has only been available in Ireland recently, which mean kids no longer have to be flown to Sweden or the UK.

I had a severe shoulder injury in 2011. Between the surgeries and physio, the total bill was over $100,000. My health insurance only provided 20 physio sessions. I needed more. 30, I think. The bill for the additional 10 was on me. I negotiated with he clinic and ultimately told them I would not pay the billing rate - I would only pay what insurance had reimbursed for the previous visits. I can't recall exactly what % insurance was reimbursing - perhaps <20%, but that's what I paid. It ended up being ~$600.

iusedtoknow

VISA’s & all that
My company organized the whole thing. We came in on an l1a visa, an non-immigrant, dual-intent visa. This means that I have the right to apply for immigration, and will not be stopped when I choose to do so.

The process is the same as all visas - DS-160 and an interview. We did ours at the Madrid Embassy, approved on the spot and passport and visa arrived that afternoon.
My wife came in on an l2 visa allowing her to work once she had her EAD sorted.

Social Security
We waited the 10 days and went to the SS office in San Mateo where my company temporarily put us up.

The cards arrived about 1 week later.

Bank Accounts
We applied for bank accounts on day 2 in the country. All they asked for were our passports, visas and another form of ID.
I also applied for a credit card and was granted a full one based on our savings that we lodged into a savings account. This was not a secured card but a normal one.

Credit starts to build as soon as you have SS and bank account linked. 6 months in, I have 700 rating with 3 lines of credit (2 cc's and a car loan)

Accommodation
Expensive as hell in San Francisco. We were in temporary accommodation for 3 months to get ourselves settled. We had to be prepared to move very fast. We saw a place we liked in the city, and 4000 in a cheque later, we had the place.

You need to bring with you references from employers, something that says your yearly salary on it as well as anything else that shows you are responsible.

The rent is 2540 a month for 2 bedroom house in the Sunset area of the city, with parking in the garage

Electricity & Gas

Pretty cheap - in california they are run by the same crowd PG&E. We pay between 50 and 70 a month

Phones
we both have iPhone 5's. $110 a month, plus $200 deposit each that will come back to us. We have 4G LTE coverage. We also have an iPad mini as an add on to our bill for $15 a month
Internet/cable
We went with comcast, 20mb d/l and full cable as well as european sports channels for 120 a month. My company subsidizes this to 100 a month, so we win
Healthcare
Subsidized to hell by my company. We are on the highest tier (lowest deductable and still costs us 180 a month) Haven't had need to use it, but all my co-workers speak very highly of the corporate scheme
Food
Depending on where you go it an be ok or bad.
Trader joes is great for pretty much everything you need. We tend to spend around 130 a week in here for the 2 of us, and top up in safeway for things you can't get there every 2 weeks or so (cleaning supplies etc).
Good meat is expensive as is good veg and fruit
Wine is pretty expensive, but we moved to the US from Spain where wine was 5euro a bottle.
Domestic beer is pretty good, especially from the smaller breweries.

Money
Card is king, i rarely if ever need cash on me (only in bars etc). We have a debit card and credit card, both are acceptable pretty much anywhere.

Weather
It's California, but not as you know it. October/November are summer here in the bay area.
November-> March it rains and is pretty humid
Apriil/May->September - cold and foggy in the city, hot hot hot in the valleys to the south and East of the city.

Sort of like Ireland, but not as depressing.

Driving licence
I had to start from the bottom - i never learned to drive. I went in, did my 50 questions, passed with flying colors.

3 driving lessons later I passed my driving test

My wife had a spanish license. She had to do the same as me, as the european drivers license cannot be ported over.


Jobs
Didn't matter for me, i came for a job. My wife had to apply for an EAD but her situation is pretty unique as she is a doctor, and so is able to get a visa on her own steam. She is in process of completing this now

Taxes
Complicated, as I arrived in October and so was not a tax resident for 2012.
My return will be submitted May 31st as Dual resident. Tax year 2013 will be my first as tax resident.

My company organized taxes for last year, but next year will be getting a CPA

Ponster

VISA
I had been with my company for 10 years and the opportunity came up to move to a country of my choice. The L1 visa was arranged by my company and the standard process took a couple of days before we got our passports back. My wife has a L2 visa.

Social Security
I was on a 2 month ‘loan’ from the Paris office so there was no rush to get this done. When I did thought it took a 10 minutes at the SS offices and the card arrived 5 days later. My wife had to wait a little longer as we had been married in France and they needed to get the marriage cert translated first.

Bank Accounts
I waited until I had by SSN before applying for a bank account. The Internet recommended Capital One as they have a very good secured credit card which I knew that I’d need to build up my credit score. The ‘interview’ was painless and I walked away from the bank with a temp. debit care and 5 cheques. They did say though that as a non-citizen I wouldn’t be entitled to any ‘points’ programs that normal customers could take advantage of. I’ve been back to the bank once since then to have my wife added to the account and do most of my business online (their app is pretty good) though my landlady requires a monthly cheque and a book of 100 cost me $30 to order. I need to have a balance of $750 to avoid any charges.


Accommodation
we were put up by my company for 3 months in Manhattan, giving us the time to find our own place. We had already chosen Brooklyn before leaving Paris and when my company put us in contact with a realtor we already had a shortlist of places that we wanted to visit. The second place was perfect and we signed the lease about 3 days later.
Everything went pretty smoothly but mostly due to having rented countless times before and owning our own place in Paris we have learned what a landlord requires. I have an uncle in Boston who acted as a guarantor but it wasn’t required as my salary was more than 50 times my rent which in NYC is often how a landlord will choose between potential tenants.
Since then we’ve had 2 weeks in December without heat and 2 weeks in January without hot water. The downstairs neighbors complained to the city, the landlady was fined $5000 and now it turns out that their lease isn’t going to be renewed and they had 4 weeks to leave.
I pay $2400 monthly for a 500sq foot, 2 bedroom rooms. The last tenants used to pay $2100 and the next people to move in downstairs will have to pay $2500.

Electricity & Gas

I had never paid attention to how much it cost me in France and I’m pretty much the same here. I use what I need and pay for it. In NYC power and gas aren’t cut off when you move out so it makes it easy for the next people moving in. Electricity was switched to my name with a 5 minute phone call and gas was done on the Internet. I pay both by direct debit.

Phones

My wife has a pay as you go SIM that she put in to her unlocked phone from France. She pays AT&T about $40 monthly for her needs (500Mb of data and 100 minutes of calls to Europe)
I work for a telecommunications company and so have never had to pay a mobile phone bill so I can’t speak about value for money. I pay $110 monthly with T-Mobile for an unlimited package (national + international calls, texts + uncapped LTE data connection 5mb down/3Mb up). I have though been in parts of the US where T-Mobile didn’t have much of a presence and lost signal.

Internet/cable
In NYC you have very little choice as to who you get Internet from as it depends on which company has ‘cabled’ your apartment. The dreaded Time Warner Cable was our only option without going for a wireless/mid-band option. I pay $65 a month for a 30Mb connection with no phone or TV channels. You can pick up free to air channels (NBC, CBS, etc) with a standard antenna and I use a VPN service to access BBC Iplayer and other UK content. we both have International mobile packages to phone home. I also have a Skype number in Ireland for people who want to call me. My family can call a local number in Ireland which rings my Skype account on my phone and/or PC. The call forwards to my mobile should I not pick up on Skype.
TWC’s customer service is one of the worst I have ever experienced. In the first week of service my speeds were always fine but packet loss was terrible, up to 20% loss out of 200 pings. It took weeks of calling before they sent someone out who spent hours tracing cables through other people’s houses and fixing what he could. I still get the odd loss but it’s nowhere near as bad as before.
I design call/contact centers for a living and TWCs standard of customer service was baffling. I can live with the T1 technical asking you the usual questions every time that you call them (Have you tried turning it off and on again?) but in order to transfer my case from T1 to the T2 helpdesk I was asked to write down my case number and call a new telephone number and give them my case number when (if!) they pick up !!!

Healthcare
I work for a French company and so by company policy are entitled to many benefits that I would get if I was living in France. I used to pay $75 monthly in Paris and now pay $100 for what I’m told is the same level of service. I have yet to actually use it in practice but I’m told that it is very good.

Food/Drink

As someone else said, the cost of good quality food, at least in New York, is surprisingly high. Trader Joes and Wholefoods have wonderful produce but you won’t have a lot in your bag after handing over that $50 bill. So we do our regular shopping in more ‘general’ supermarkets and we have a butchers and grocery/vegetable store on our street where we try to shop local. But there has been countless times that I’ve cooked a meal only to work out that it would cost us the same had we had just ordered take-out!
Living in NY you can find pretty much everything that you could wish for as long as you can afford it. From wonderful French cheeses to Brennen’s bread (yesterday’s bread today!). The craft domestic beer choice is amazing and there are a lot of bars that have a constantly changing selection of beers. Across the road from my flat is The Double Windsor with 15 craft beers, 3 or 4 changing weekly. Pints in these places can cost about $4 or $5 during happy hour (usually from 5-8) and $6 or $7 outside of HH times.
What I often prefer though is the more local, long-time established places that don’t serve Gastro food and I can sit at the bar and read a newspaper without too much noise (I’m getting old!). There are 2 other bars within 2 blocks of me and in both of those I get buybacks meaning that for every 2 or 3 drinks I buy, the bar offers me a free one. Pints are $4.25 and I usually leave the 75c as a tip.

Weather
NY can be hot and cold but what I’ll miss when I leave here is the sun and the amazing amount of light. People complain when there’s been 3 days in a row of cloud cover but don’t mind as much when the temp drops to -10c in January.

Driving license

Never had one and never really wanted one until I moved here and say the enjoyment on my wife’s face driving from Texas to California. I’ve taken the written test and plan to get lessons and a license before the summer.

Palmy

Visa
Won the DV 2010 lottery.Interviewed Jan 2010 in Dublin,Went on vacation for a month in Aug 2010 to activate it.
Returned to Ireland to sell up and moved out for good Aug 2011.

Accommodation
Moved over a week before the family came.Rented a motel room.
I had already researched the complex that we want to move into.I had already been in contacted with them while in Ireland.
An apartment was not available at the time so i rented a 2bed 2 bath fully furnished vacation apt they have for the firtst month until our Apt was available.$1785 mth

This was actually good as it gave us time to look and purchace furniture which we had none of.
Moved into Apt payed first and last month rent of $2400,Pet fee $300 and a $1200 bond.This was alot but as you dont have any credit history this is more than likely to happen.

Car and Insurance
Payed cash for a car $9000 and before this got quotes from differant insurance companies.Geico was the only one that sounded reasonable and i payed $1850 for the first year as long as with in a month i changed my licence over.Went into the DMV,sat the writen test,was waiting for my cert when they asked if i would like to take the driving test.Did the driving test and got my licence in the post two weeks later.

Work
I didn't gain work until late Nov 2011,but my wife got a part time job to help out.

Insurance
I work for a large blue box home improvement store and i currently dont have insurance.Our group rate would cost me about $320mth for my family(Me,Wife,Son)
for a copay 500.Dental and vision is extra.

Weather
Well living in Florida so that pretty much sums that up.

Food and Drink
Meat and Veg Def more expensive.

Drink and most other foods alot cheaper.

Thats about it.

Palmy

Just to add

TV Internet
I have verizon and the cost is about $140mth for an ok package.

Cell phones
Both have ipone 5 with sprint.Unlimited data etc for $179mth

Power
Power ranges depending on the time of the year.$110mth in summer and about $65mth in the winter.A/C in summer is pretty much running 24/7

Rent
My rent with water and trash was $1276mth for 2bed 2 bath 1150sqft Apt in Gated community with pool and gym in complex.

Hazys

Damn ye all with yer gated communities, swimming pools and gyms!!!

Stupid Boston renter's market! I pay a ton for a small, old apartment in Cambridge!!

Palmy

Hazys....lol

Yeah i def moved for the lifestyle.Siesta Key beach where i live is one of the best beachs in the U.S and in the summer the water is blue crystal clear and 85-90f.Its like stepping into a warm bath.
I couldn't move to a place in the States that has all the months.Yeah it does get really hot in the summer but your not going to be working outside unless your a landscaper or something.Everywhere has A/C and the only time you actually sweet is walking from your car into the shops.I went down to the pool the other day and got quite sunburnt...

Jonny_D

Visa
Moved with work in 2011 on an L1. Ended up having loads of hassle due to the dimwit immigration attorney who was filing my petition.
Had already sold our house and told everyone we were moving when I got hit with a Request For Evidence from the USCIS folks.
Cue 1 month of late night calls with attorneys manager and send off paperwork & evidence, all the while not knowing if I'd be rejected or not.
Got accepted in the end and getting the visa in the embassy was a formality. Although I was pretty nervous until I had the passports in hand.
I got 3 out of the 4 passports back on time, but 1 of the kids ones only came back 2 days before we were due to fly.

SSN
On our way out of Dublin, the immigration officer never put an expiry date on our I94's. So we had to get that sorted.
I then took 2 months from applying to get our actual SSN's - which caused quite a bit of hassle.

Banking
I work for a very large company, so it was very smooth as the bank they deal with is used to handling foreign transfers (employees). Was preapproved for a car loan (although I couldn't get it without my SSN).

Accommodation
Had temporary apt for 2 months then we bought a house in the district we wanted. Stressful enough process as they are a lot stricter than I remember them being in Ireland when it comes to how much money they'd give me for a mortgage. Love the house, but it's expensive to maintain a wooden house compared with regular brick houses.


Car and Insurance

I thought the insurance was pricey enough at first, but I've gotten used to it now. Bought an old Nissan sedan when we got here with a car loan from the bank to get my credit score started. Still have that and now we have an SUV on lease. Never would have considered leasing before moving here.
Driving test was the easiest thing I've ever done. Quick spin around the town while the driving test lady chatted about the area. Very friendly. Scored 94/100 and only lost points due her distracting me so much with her yapping!


Health Insurance
We have pretty extensive coverage, so I don't need to worry too much. Which is good considering the amount of times I've had to take the kids to the hospital so far. :mad:

Phone/TV/'Net
Have 2 cell phones from ATT for me & the missus for about $160 pm. Loads of minutes that we never get close to using, unlimited data and texting. Didn't bother getting a home phone.
Have basic cable and fast internet from Comcast for about $60 pm. Use Netflix & Amazon a lot, but need the cable for sports & The Walking Dead.

Weather
Pacific North West. Expected it to be solid rain and darkness but it's actually better than Irish weather. Not much wind, so the rain doesn't drive into you. Summers are awesome. Proper seasons.

Food and Drink
Find most of the chickens you buy in the supermarkets to be very fatty. Hard to get quality meats without paying a lot. Beer is cheap & plentiful though and eating out is also good value for money.

sleepyescapade

Visa
My partner got a H1B with a large company here. I went working for a different company on the 12 month J1 after college, which led to a H1B. I found both visa processes very smooth. I was able to adjust my status from J1 to H1B so didn't have to leave the country to change the visa, but I went home for Christmas so just made an appt to visit the embassy to get the new H1B in my passport while I was at home.

SSN
Visited the office in Seattle a week or two after I arrived, had my SSN by the time I was due to start work. (I arrived 30 days before my job start date).

Banking
I am with BECU here, I find them pretty good. I had to have a US form of ID (state ID), my SSN and my Irish passport when signing up.

Accommodation
Depends on the area. We previously lived in downtown Seattle, which was fantastic but the rent/parking space rent was insane and increased every year. We moved to the eastside last November for a bigger place and cheaper rent. We'd like to buy eventually.

Car and Insurance/Metro
I don't drive right now but it's on my to-do list (I have my permit). I have an Orca card which is a pass for the buses, ferries and rail in Seattle. I commute to the city every day, bus pass for the month is about $90.

Health Insurance
Got this and dental insurance through my employer. Excellent coverage.

Phone/TV/'Net
Currently I have a line on my partner's plan, we are both AT&T and bills work out at around $70 each per month.

Weather
I can deal with the winters/autumn because its kind of like Ireland but mild. Downtown tends to shut down if they get a lot of snow (none this year). Summer is amazing though. Last summer was my first here and it was fantastic! Temps were between 20 and 30 celcius. Can't wait for this summer

Food and Drink
The variety here is fantastic and can be reasonably priced. Particularly enjoy the mexican and asian restaurants here. We joined Costco and do our big shops there, Safeway for the milk\bread top ups

Jonny_D

sleepyescapade wrote: »

Visa
Food and Drink
We joined Costco and do our big shops there, Safeway for the milk\bread top ups

Reminds me of the first (and only) time I bought milk from Costco. Couldn't pour from the carton without spilling it everywhere due to a combination of the size and the design of the lid/opening thingy.

Faith

This thread is amazing for anyone thinking of moving to the States!

A couple of people mentioned going over without jobs - was that because you'd won the green card lottery, or did you chance going over on another visa to look for work when you got there?

iusedtoknow

Faith wrote: »

This thread is amazing for anyone thinking of moving to the States!

A couple of people mentioned going over without jobs - was that because you'd won the green card lottery, or did you chance going over on another visa to look for work when you got there?

Unless you have a job or have won the GC lottery, you can't go and hope for the best.

The Visa waiver program can't be "adjusted" to any other type of visa, so the people in this thread either went over on H1B, L1 or won the green card lottery.

silja

I am jealous of all of you with great employer paid health insurance!

I came over without a job, on a spousal visa. Just starting to look now, 4 years later (had little kids).

iusedtoknow

silja wrote: »

I am jealous of all of you with great employer paid health insurance!

I came over without a job, on a spousal visa. Just starting to look now, 4 years later (had little kids).

Actually, I should have added - that you can also come over on a spousal visa

As for jobs, I don't know where you are, but here in the bay area they are pretty easy to come by. A work-mate of mine who transferred over at the same time as us - his wife got her EADS on a Tuesday morning, started as an office manager the next Monday as a temp, and two weeks ago got made permanent with all the benefits. She had no degree, just some experience.

MadYaker

I'm due to graduate next year with a science degree from NUI Galway. I've been on holidays to the USA loads over the years and I've always thought id like to live there. I have a lot of family there and they all love it and have really nice lifestyles.

Is there anything that I could be doing now that would possibly make things easier for me should I decide to make the move after I graduate? I'm talking about things you guys had to do that made you think "damn, I wish I had sorted this out before I decided to emigrate", or any other advice at all that you guys could give me. Great thread btw.

lil_lisa

Not really. I spent about 6 months preparing to move and felt like a lot of it was a waste of time. No one will look to hire you so far in advance, and no one will consider signing leases. The most you can do is figure out where you're going and learn about the area as much as you can so you can figure out where you should live and work.

Also, save save save. You could get here without a job and and need to support yourself for a few weeks - months.

RGM

lil_lisa wrote: »

The most you can do is figure out where you're going and learn about the area as much as you can so you can figure out where you should live and work.

This. It's already been said, but it's worth repeating: the US is a vast country. The whole of Ireland is smaller than something like 40 American states. Things can be very different from one place to the next, even within states. Always a good idea to do some research.

clairefontaine

RGM wrote: »

This. It's already been said, but it's worth repeating: the US is a vast country. The whole of Ireland is smaller than something like 40 American states. Things can be very different from one place to the next, even within states. Always a good idea to do some research.

Ireland is the size of West Virginia.

southsiderosie

Palmy wrote: »

Three storys about health insurance.

A lady i work with owes $40k to a hospital,She is paying it back at $25 a month.

I also work with a girl who used to work in the accounts department of a large hospital.As long as you make some type of payment weather that is small or large,legally they can not touch you and this will hold up in court.

An English guy i work with his mother was dying of cancer here and the bill from the hospital was $70k. Once they found out they had no insurance they dropped that figure to $20k they settled at $14k.

Health-related expenses are the #1 reason for why people file for bankruptcy in the US. Even if you have good insurance, a serious illness can be financially ruinous, especially if you are the sole breadwinner. If that is the case, it may be worth looking into supplementary insurance like AFLAC, which will pay your wages if you are out of work due to illness (social security disability payments are often insufficient).

.danindudlin wrote: »

Food
As someone who was used to just eating in restaurants I always thought food here was super cheap – I still think that most restaurants are cheaper than back home but supermarket food is WAY more expensive. Quality meat, fruit and veg are much more expensive. I’m kinda fussy about the quality of my food so I avoid most frozen food but all that stuff seems very cheap but the quality looks to be something awful. Frozen pizzas will be dirt cheap, a good fillet steak will be $14.
If you’re bothered to shop around you will get good value. Most of the main supermarkets here are the same price (Shaws and Stop&Shop). I’ve heard Market Basket is much cheaper. I’ve made a few trips to the ALDI near the Wellington T stop and it think it’s great value.
If you want some very good value, I would sign up for CostCo. If you’ve never come across it, it’s essentially like shopping in a cash & carry. Only members can shop there (I’ve made this mistake) and an annual membership costs $55. Everything is sold in bulk but the chicken and burgers there are very good – each is about $20 for giant packs.

Ah, Dan, the trick in Boston is to shop at MARKETBASKET! If there isn't one nearby, it is worth getting a Zipcar to visit one - everything is so much cheaper, especially meat, dairy, and produce - even the organic produce is reasonable. Just be prepared to get your cart rammed by a few grumpy grandmas.

Also, in the summertime there are a lot of farmers markets, so you should be able to get some deals on seasonal produce.

belcampprisoner

you need a social security card to get your taxes back,also if you don't have one you get charged highst rate of taxes,bank with credit union no fees
,you need to get work visa not as easy as first poster said,most of usa is still in recession
healthcare costs are huge as are rents and school costs,wages have not gone up much in years

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9238243/U.S._gets_124_000_H_1B_petitions_45_above_cap,

Palmy

Going into Bankruptcy here seems to be no big deal.People all the time closing down a company and the next day opening up under another name.

It doesn't really seem to worry them and people don't think it's a big deal at all.Since i have lived here i know at least 6-7 people who have gone bankrupt for some reason.Even afew have been bankrupt twice or more.

The first advice i got was put down as little as possible for a deposit on a house.If it all goes bad its going to be the banks problem.This was the advice i got from a Real Estate agent....Yikes.

southsiderosie

Palmy wrote: »

Going into Bankruptcy here seems to be no big deal.People all the time closing down a company and the next day opening up under another name.

It doesn't really seem to worry them and people don't think it's a big deal at all.Since i have lived here i know at least 6-7 people who have gone bankrupt for some reason.Even afew have been bankrupt twice or more.

A business going bankrupt, or even a young healthy person going bankrupt is a very different thing from an older person or a person who is seriously ill going bankrupt - and it is the latter that usually drives bankruptcy. If you have to get medical assistance from the state, as long as you are on it, you cannot own any assets or have any serious income or savings - in effect, you've traded off a comfortable life for medical care.

I really suggest that anyone considering skimping on health care coverage in the US read this op-ed from a professor at MIT on what this can mean for your financial future.

Palmy wrote: »

first advice i got was put down as little as possible for a deposit on a house.If it all goes bad its going to be the banks problem.This was the advice i got from a Real Estate agent....Yikes.

The real estate agent will tell you that because they want to sell you the most expensive house that you can afford on paper, as they will get their commission whether you can make payments on your mortgage or not. They will be long gone when the bank forecloses on your house.

Also, these laws vary by state - in some states you can just mail the keys back to the bank, walk away, and take the hit to your credit score, while in other states, you are still liable for what you owe.

dave2pvd

southsiderosie wrote: »

Also, these laws vary by state - in some states you can just mail the keys back to the bank, walk away, and take the hit to your credit score, while in other states, you are still liable for what you owe.

And in all states, the IRS will come after you for that. The difference between what you owe and what the house is worth is considered as ordinary income and taxed at whatever your marginal rate is. Unless you declare bankruptcy.

clairefontaine

southsiderosie wrote: »

A business going bankrupt, or even a young healthy person going bankrupt is a very different thing from an older person or a person who is seriously ill going bankrupt - and it is the latter that usually drives bankruptcy. If you have to get medical assistance from the state, as long as you are on it, you cannot own any assets or have any serious income or savings - in effect, you've traded off a comfortable life for medical care.

I really suggest that anyone considering skimping on health care coverage in the US read this op-ed from a professor at MIT on what this can mean for your financial future.



The real estate agent will tell you that because they want to sell you the most expensive house that you can afford on paper, as they will get their commission whether you can make payments on your mortgage or not. They will be long gone when the bank forecloses on your house.

Also, these laws vary by state - in some states you can just mail the keys back to the bank, walk away, and take the hit to your credit score, while in other states, you are still liable for what you owe.

Medical bills are a system of chaos.

For one thing, sometimes insurers refuse to pay the bill even if you have been paying for decades, and sometimes you can't get health insurance at all if you have certain histories, like back surgery for example.

Then you have the accountancy padding of the medical bill where they assume its going to go into collection and so double the cost and padd it up, so many people when they get the bill offer half the total in cash and the hospital is happy with that.

Where you have to really scrutinise are prescription costs. Some medicine is preferable and also very expensive. I was on one that cost $700 a month which was far superior to a more primitive one that cost $15 a month but had some very nasty side effects. And I had young persons disease so yes, **** can happen at any age.

I don't agree with Obamacare and I don't like the HMO system either. The real question is why is it so expensive in the first place. It should not cost you $500 to be told you have a chest infection and take some anti biotics.

Its interesting that Obama is trying to FORCE people to buy health insurance but no pressure on the immigrants or the J1 visas to have any coverage.

InTheTrees

clairefontaine wrote: »

I don't agree with Obamacare and I don't like the HMO system either. The real question is why is it so expensive in the first place. It should not cost you $500 to be told you have a chest infection and take some anti biotics.

Its interesting that Obama is trying to FORCE people to buy health insurance but no pressure on the immigrants or the J1 visas to have any coverage.

Read the wiki on the French system. Arguable the best healthcare system in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_France

This is what Obamacare aims to be. And yes, you have to buy in. Just like you have to buy car insurance or pay taxes. And no, visitors on temporary visas dont have to.

There is a huge insurance company funded lobbying effort to discredit the whole plan, and given the political climate it will probably succeed. The "public" debate is a joke. Ask an american about healthcare abroad and they'll tell you how obamacare is socialism. Its bizzare. (As you'll be finding out).

The way I look at it is that if Americans are so dazzled by the insurance company propaganda that they decide to keep their beloved insurance companies, then the "system" will continue to deteriorate until something meaningful IS done. And it is deterioating, despite what the right wingers will tell you. Premiums continue to rise far faster than inflation and benefits continue to be cut. Fifteen years ago, there was almost no talk of reform, ten years ago it was a fringe issue. Now, obviously its a far bigger issue as healthcare becomes something only well employed people have access to.

clairefontaine

InTheTrees wrote: »

Read the wiki on the French system. Arguable the best healthcare system in the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_France

This is what Obamacare aims to be. And yes, you have to buy in. Just like you have to buy car insurance or pay taxes. And no, visitors on temporary visas dont have to.

There is a huge insurance company funded lobbying effort to discredit the whole plan, and given the political climate it will probably succeed. The "public" debate is a joke. Ask an american about healthcare abroad and they'll tell you how obamacare is socialism. Its bizzare. (As you'll be finding out).

The way I look at it is that if Americans are so dazzled by the insurance company propaganda that they decide to keep their beloved insurance companies, then the "system" will continue to deteriorate until something meaningful IS done. And it is deterioating, despite what the right wingers will tell you. Premiums continue to rise far faster than inflation and benefits continue to be cut. Fifteen years ago, there was almost no talk of reform, ten years ago it was a fringe issue. Now, obviously its a far bigger issue as healthcare becomes something only well employed people have access to.

Im very familiar with the French system, having availed of it. I agree that it is the optimal system, although it is sucking them dry financially. And now that France is in a bad recession, as bad as Spain, some report, who knows what will happen.

The French system cannot work in the US because there are fundamental philosophical differences. French doctors do not make humongous salaries nor do they have big student loans to pay back. One thing they do, which I think should be legal requirement EVERYWHERE, is that the surgeons get a flat salary and don't get extra bonuses per procedure. Medicine is seen as a vocation too. The French also have phenomenal taxes, which no US citizen wants to pay. If they did, they would live in Europe.

If Obama forces people to buy health insurance, even if it is state health insurance, it end ups inflating prices, which is the opposite of what you want to happen. That the IRS can come after you for it, is outrageous too.

I hate insurance companies and HMOs too. The problem is the cost of medicine. They say alternative medicine is going to be one of the fastest growing industries in the US, alongside internet security.

sahm123

Hi all,

Myself and my other half are thinking of moving abroad. We were originally thinking about Canada because himself is an electrician and there seems to be a lot of demand in the trade there but Canada really dosen't appeal to me for some reason. So the States is our other choice but I'm not sure what are the chances of him getting an employer to sponsor him while he is trying to search from Ireland. I've been looking at a lot of job ads on Criaglist etc. but they all seem to be looking for guys already in the states.

Any advise on the best way to go about securing a job in the trades from over here?
By the way, this is a great thread for anyone considering heading over,lots of helpful information.:)

iusedtoknow

sahm123 wrote: »

Hi all,

Myself and my other half are thinking of moving abroad. We were originally thinking about Canada because himself is an electrician and there seems to be a lot of demand in the trade there but Canada really dosen't appeal to me for some reason. So the States is our other choice but I'm not sure what are the chances of him getting an employer to sponsor him while he is trying to search from Ireland. I've been looking at a lot of job ads on Criaglist etc. but they all seem to be looking for guys already in the states.

Any advise on the best way to go about securing a job in the trades from over here?
By the way, this is a great thread for anyone considering heading over,lots of helpful information.:)

Unfortunately it won't be possible- getting work papers without winning the visa lottery, or having a company willing to go through the considerable expense (and time consuming process) isn't really a goer.

The US is unlike many countries (such as Australia/Canada) in that there are no working holiday visas (except for J1 for college students or recent graduates) or "skilled visa" programmes for industries in need

Basically the only way in is one of the following:

1. Work for a company with a US office, and eventually get transferred over
2. Be an exceptional figure (ie academic, scientific etc)
3. Win the visa lottery
4. Marry an american
5. invest a fortune (believe it is 1/2 million dollar minimum) and create jobs for americans

Companies are unlikely to hire electricians from abroad when there are a many qualified ones already in the country.

sahm123

Thanks for the prompt reply!:)

Looks like we're outta look with the states so. I have an uncle living there so maybe he might know someone willing to take on hubby but I have'nt seen him in years so I'd feel a bit cheeky picking up the phone asking for a favour:D
Just a quick q about the DV lottery, are kids eligable to travel on it if you win? I haven't really looked into it so I don't know much about it.

InTheTrees

sahm123 wrote: »

Just a quick q about the DV lottery, are kids eligable to travel on it if you win? I haven't really looked into it so I don't know much about it.

I should certainly think so.

I believe the odds are very good too. Almost 50/50? And you can do it multiple times.

sahm123

I need to keep an eye out for when the next lottery opens. In the mean time I guess I'll have to look in Canada. Thanks for your help!

swatki

Thanks a million for starting this thread - lots of good info for people who potentially want to move over

narddog

Great thread. Wish I had it when I moved to Phoenix in 2007!. Anyways, here are some of my tips for those of you already here or thinking or moving here.

Get Health Insurance. Must have. Without it, you're leaving yourself vulnerable to financial ruin.

Get a social security number. It's the most important number you'll use when applying for CC's, banking and tax returns.

Build up credit. I lived in Ireland without once giving thought to my "credit score", but over here, it's important. It'll affect everything from the price you pay for housing/ accommodation to the car you can afford.

Green Card. First off, don't be intimidated by the forms you have to fill out to get your green card ( I came over in 2007 on a work visa, married an American and applied for my GC). There are a lot of forms, but take your time and make sure the info you provide is correct. It's a slow, cumbersome process, but if you stick with it, and don't let the bureaucratic BS get you down you'll be fine.

Finally, enjoy the US :-)

biddywiddy

Here's a summary of my experience here so far. We moved to the Midwest 10 weeks ago.

Visas
The main reason we moved to the US was because my boyfriend has a Green Card. He was selected in the GC Lottery in 2011. We came out on a holiday in 2012 to activate the GC and then moved here in June 2013. The reason we're in the Midwest is I got a job here. I'm in a research position in a University, and they sponsored me for a J-1 Visa. My boyfriend got a job here soon after we arrived.

Social Security
We both did the J-1 Work and Travel programme back in the day, so we had Social Security numbers from then. We couldn't find our original cards, so we applied for replacements in the local SS Office. His came within 2 weeks. I was told mine would be delayed until the University activated my Visa, but it never arrived. I contacted the SS Office and it looks like it got lost in the post (but the receipt of my application for replacement card made it here fine!). I need to go back to the office in person to apply for another replacement. I'm in no rush to do that as I have the number anyway, and their opening hours are awkward. I'll still try to get it sorted in the next few months.

Bank Accounts
We went with Chase. We called into the local branch in the first week after we arrived. We had our Visa/Green Card info, passports, Irish Driving Licences and a copy of our lease. We were given temporary ATM cards, and our real debit cards arrived in the post about a week later. We don't have a credit yet (and haven't missed it really), but the bank said they would work with us to build our credit rating once we have settled in and have a few paychecks come into our accounts.

Car
We had a rental for the first few days after we arrived and then we got another rental as it was difficult to view potential cars without actually having a car! We bought a used car on Craigslist for $4800 and we've had it serviced, replaced brake pads and a couple other things since. We got insurance with Geico. I think it was about $500 for the year for both of us.

Driving Licence
We went to the Secretary of State in the first week or so after moving here. We were given the theory test to do on the spot - we weren't expecting this and took a lot of guesses. A lot of the questions were State-specific. We passed anyway (phew!) and were given a 30-day learners permit (which was just a sheet of paper). In the meantime we bought our car, and Geico required our licence numbers ASAP. Here, the SOS (or DMV) don't do the testing - there are a few local driving schools that do all the testing. We paid $50 each for the test. We had to reverse into a parking space, parallel park and then drive around the city (residential mostly and some highway) for about 30 mins. We went back to the SOS to get our licence (which was another piece of paper), and then the real one came in the mail about 2 weeks later.

Accommodation
Once we knew we were moving here, we took a trip here in April to try to sort out accommodation. We were planning to bring our cats with us, so we knew that arriving and staying in a motel for a week with them wouldn't be ideal. When we were here in April, we quickly realised that, as this is a University town, leases mainly run August-August and that, arriving in June, our options were limited. We managed to organise a sublease and a follow-on lease with the same management company. We're moving out of our sublease and into our main apartment this week. We have a nice 2 bed apartment in a quiet part of town (away from the undergrad party area in the center of town), but still walking distance to downtown and to work. We have heat and water included for $1300 per month, and there's a pet fee for the cats ($40/month). Not cheap, but we didn't have a lot of options available to us as we wanted everything sorted before moving here. Assuming we stay here for another year, we'll probably look for a house or part-house with lower rent. Our sublease is furnished, but our main lease is not, so we've spent the last 10 weeks on Craigslist picking up bits and pieces of furniture. We also got to know the person currently renting the apartment we're moving to, and bought some furniture from her. We got a lot of our plates and stuff in charity shops, and some random household things like frying pans, clothes airers, electric kettle in Aldi.

Electricity
We have only 2 months' experience with electricity. Averaged about $40 per month, with the AC on quite a bit in July!

Phones
Phone plans are expensive here! At the start, we had Prepay T-Mobile (unlimited data, texts and 100 mins) for $30 per month, but the T-Mobile service is pretty patchy here. I had no signal at work, and even Skype/Viber was patchy with a pretty good connection at home. We've since moved to AirVoice, who run off AT&T. We get unlimited talk and text and 500MB of data for $40 per month.

Internet/Cable
In the beginning, we tethered our phones and made good use of the unlimited T-Mobile data! But we have since signed up with Comcast. $30 per month for pretty fast, reliable broadband. We haven't signed up for cable (though we discovered we can access a few local channels for free!). We might reconsider this when the winter moves in, or we might get Netflix.

Healthcare
We both work in the University and get heavily subsidised healthcare. The amount you pay depends on your wages, but I pay $33 per month, and it seems a lot is covered. $20 co-pay to see GP, hospital stays are covered, etc. I haven't had to use it yet thankfully. There were several options, and this particular plan is for Uni employees only, so it seemed like a good value plan.

Food
We have found food is expensive. There is an Aldi here, and we get a lot of our basics (cereal, coffee, milk, rice, etc) there. The fruit and veg don't seem to be a good as home, same goes for their meat. We usually get meat, veg, yoghurt, cheeses etc in Trader Joe's. We bring lunch to work everyday. Our weekly shopping bill is probably around $100 for the two of us (it goes up and down), plus we eat out once or twice a week. In general, eating out seems to be good value, but it's not quite as cheap as we were expecting it to be.

Weather
The weather here seems pretty nuts. We had a seriously hot and humid spell in July, but the humidity has calmed a bit. A lot of random rain and thunderstorms. We're averaging 25-28C daily and we expect the cold winter to kick in around October/November.

Vacation Time
The University has a generous vacation policy. We were expecting to be scrounging together enough days to get home at Christmas, but instead we have 22 vacation days per year (National Holidays like July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving are extra "freebies") and we also have seasonal days over Christmas (Christmas Day - New Year's Day are off). Yay!

Pet Travel
I thought I'd put some info about this here as we really struggled to find out much about this when we were planning our move. We looked into flying with United, Aer Lingus and American Airlines as they offered routes here via either Newark or Chicago. We called United Customer Care numerous times, only to be quoted their webpage info about Pet Cargo (at best) or be simply told no (at worst). Aer Lingus have a pet policy, but, even if your pet is booked on the flight, they cannot guarantee travel on the day. Urgent shipments such as dry ice will take precedence over your booked cat. American Airlines seemed to have a more defined pet policy/list of procedures, even though it wasn't entirely clear where our cats would travel (in the hold or in-cabin) for both flights.

We booked our flights at fairly short notice (as soon as my passport came back from the Embassy, and we travelled the following weekend). Once we had booked our flights online, we called AA customer service and booked one cat under each flight confirmation number. We followed the regulations on the AA website re the allowed size of cat carrier. We went with the size for checked pet even though we didn't know if they would be checked for the second flight - the cat needs to be able to stand up and turn around. We also followed their requirements re vaccinations. As our first arrival point in the US was Chicago, we checked with the Illinois Dept of Agriculture, and they had no further requirements. As we knew we would be moving, we had already had the cats health checked and rabies vaccinated by our vet and then had a health cert issued by the vet within 10 days of travel (AA required this). We then just arrived at the airport 3 hours before our flight and joined the most massive, slow-moving queue. An airline rep spotted us in the queue and had started the paperwork needed for the cats. We also had to pay the pet fee at the AA info/ticket desk ($175 per checked pet). There was also a temperature restriction - the cats can't travel if the temperature at your destination is 85F or greater (29C). Luckily there was a dip in temperatures that weekend in Chicago. If we had travelled one week either side of that date, the cats would not have been allowed on the plane.

The cat carriers were secured with cable ties (provided by the airline), the carriers each got a bag tag (like a checked bag) and we had to fill out paperwork about when they last ate, what time they should receive water/food (we asked for this on arrival in Chicago, before the connecting flight), and then off they went up the excess baggage belt. We did wonder at that point if we would ever see them alive again. We were told that they would go straight through to our connecting flight (and travel in the hold in that flight too), but as our flight from Dublin was delayed, the connection time in Chicago was too short and they didn't make it to the next flight. When we arrived here, no one knew where the cats (and my bags!) were, only that they weren't on our flight. There was another flight due in 2 hours later, so we sat by the baggage carousels waiting for them. Once the next flight arrived, my bags arrived and then the two cats were carried out from the excess baggage area! The whole thing was pretty stressful (for us and them!), but it was fine in the end. If anyone ever wants to pm me for more info, please do.

iusedtoknow

biddywiddy wrote: »

Here's a summary of my experience here so far. We moved to the Midwest 10 weeks ago.

Internet/Cable
In the beginning, we tethered our phones and made good use of the unlimited T-Mobile data! But we have since signed up with Comcast. $30 per month for pretty fast, reliable broadband. We haven't signed up for cable (though we discovered we can access a few local channels for free!). We might reconsider this when the winter moves in, or we might get Netflix.

Get an apple tv. It runs netflix, hulu and itunes all rolled in. It connects to your wifi network. Comcast have unlimited data DL so you'll never need cable. We have cable so we can watch european sports, which for us is worth it.

Pet Travel

For us this was one of the major stresses. We were lucky that my company were paying for and organising everything to move our cat over. She was picked up the morning that the movers came. She was in a kennel for 1 night, shipped to Frankfurt and overnighted there and flew direct to San Francisco. She arrived one day after we did. We were worried about her the whole time.

She arrived slightly hungry, but was none the worse for it. She settled in pretty quickly. They are pretty adaptable.