Coming to USA - Things to do
Things To Do Before Coming To The USA
- Learn typing
- Learn driving- If possible get IDP
- Learn to cook
- Get Medical Checkup Done - dental and fresh checkup, especially if you have a major ailment
- Get prescriptions & medicines for all common ailments (the technical name of the medicine along with Indian/US brand name).
- get your eye-sight checked - get a new prescription. Buy atleast one
extra pair of glasses.
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- Get requisite immunization done (especially MMR)
- get cassettes recorded which you may like to take with you
- Ask someone to receive you and give your flight #, time & date Plan for temporary accomodation if necessary
- if you are very interested in any Indian magazine (Marathi, Tamil, etc.) subscribe to them - you can subscribe to them after going to the US also.
- Note your/parent's bank Account Number
10 Things To Do After Coming To The USA
(Extracted from Shashi Lakkaraju's article)A day or two after you have landed in the US, there are some things that need immediate attention and others that can wait. Here is a list of top ten things that you need to do , if you get a job in the US and need to stay here for an extended period of time.
01-Social Security Card
It does not cost anything to get a social security card, however it is impossible to do anything else without it. Your Social Security number is the unique number assigned to you and everything that you do in the US such as applying for a loan, paying taxes etc. Having a card is necessary for everyone.
02-Drivers License
Obtaining a drivers license is important because at drivers license is accepted as a common form of identification in US. There is a vision test, written test and a road test involved in getting a drivers license. Contact the local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office. The whole process may take some time, therefore initiate the process as soon as you can.
03-Opening a bank account
Opening a bank account is important so that you can have a cheque book to pay for your rent, utility bills etc and also for your salary to get credited to your account.
04-Health Insurance
It is extremely important to have your health insurance as soon as possible. Medical bills are steep in this country and not having a health insurance can lead to a lot of problems. Your employer should be providing you health insurance if that is the case make sure you have it as soon as you can. Some employers expect you to get your own insurance and expect you to pass the bill on to the employer in which case you need to get one immediately.
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05-Credit Card
It helps to have a credit card in this country, however since you will not have any credit history in the country, it is not easy to get one. Some credit card agencies will ask you to deposit some money and issue you a credit card against the money. Even if that is the case, get the credit card so that you can start establishing your credit in the country.
06-Calling Card
If you are new to the country, you are going to miss friends and family back home. Look for calling cards to dial India. Calling cards allow you the flexibility to dial from anywhere and also since you pay the money upfront, you are not likely to run into a situation where you are caught unawares as to how much money you are spending on your phone calls. Shop around for these cards, the best place to get them is in the Indian grocery store.
07-Apartment hunting
Now that you are slowly settling in, you need an apartment. Start hunting for apartments, most Amercian grocery stores have freely booklets available on apartments in the region. These booklets provide all the information that you need, shortlist the ones that meet your financial needs, your location requirements etc.
08-Find an Indian Grocery shop
Finding an Indian Grocery shop nearby is very helpful if you plan to cook Indian food at home and if you need a calling card to call India.
09-Apply for an account with a Credit Union
It is easy to get car loans from Credit Unions, if you intend buying a car in the near future, it is worthwhile to open an account with a Credit Union. Even though there are several advertisements on getting car loans at low rates, with no credit history in the country, it is not easy to get any of these loans.
10-Get a telephone connection
While calling cards are good for calling India, there are deals with leading telephone companies such as AT& T, MCI etc for making calls to India. Also a telephone connection will help in getting in touch with friends and family within the United States.
