My Journey!

Part 1: Preparing for the Move

US Visa

Visa Types

Work - H1-B and H1-B1

Applying

DS-160 (Online form)
- Save confirmation page to be printed
Submit payment
- Download the receipt number
- Make bank transfer
Apply for interview slot
- Attend interview and hand over passport

Going for Interview

Bring to your local embassy

Passport
LCA
US Passport Photo (50mm x 50mm square)
Appointment Confirmation

Secure facility. Store your phone and any electronics outside. Head inside, queue for interview. They will take your passport. Ask you a few questions.

Whole thing took 30-45 minutes

Being notified for pickup

I got email/sms to pick it up about 1-2 business days after my interview. Blazing fast! I was told 5-7 business days.

There are 2 modes for passport collection

Pick up (I chose from Chinatown)
Delivery (extra $$)

Things to note:

Visa itself has validity of 12-18 months but mine was 18 months
LCA validity is around 3 years
Need to renew the H1-B1 visa around 6 months before expiry
What determines your length of stay is not the LCA nor visa expiry, but Form I-94 when you cross US borders

Part 2: Upon Arrival

Immigration

Documents to prepare:

LCA
Company Offer Letter
Vaccination Letter

I prepared those documents but I did not need to present them to the Immigration Officer. He took my passport and visa and asked some questions about my employment etc. Thank you sir! My I-94 was also ready after a few hours.

Things to follow up:

I-94 (Check that the class should be HSC and Expiry date is correct)

The SSN is the equivalent of your identification in the US. Need to register for this 4-5 days after arriving in the US.

Pre-requisites

Passport & Visa
SSN Application Form
Form I-94

Things to follow up

Once you get your SSN, do not keep it in your wallet. It is super sensitive.

Update your Bank account information with SSN. Update your HR/Tax related documents. But DO NOT give it over email or phone. Do it in person.

Banking

Pre-requisites

Residence
Letter of Employment
Passport / Visa
SSN (I didn't have mine)

To open a checkings or savings account?

Banks usually open both of them at the same time for you. There is some difference between them but tldr:

Direct deposit your salary into Checking
Debit card debits from Checking
Unlimited transfers from Checking to Savings but max 6 free transfers from Savigns to Checking each month

I don't really understand the rationale of savings as the interest rate is almost negligible - it's a different story if you have a lot of cash in your savings account.

I opened my accounts on the same day and got my credit card application put in as well. The cards will be mailed to my residence.

What bank to open?

Somewhere with accessible ATMs and ease of use? I considered big ones like Bank of America, Chase Bank, WellFargo

Driving

Firstly, there is no such thing as an International Driving License. You have a few choices:

Short term visitors - apply for an International Drivers Permit (IDP) and this allows you to drive in all US States for up to 3 months
Long term residents - apply for state issued license. This will allow you to drive in all states.

For me, I was told that I need to fulfil certain requirements to get a Virginia issued license

Pass a theory test
Pass a practical test

This needs to be done within 60 days of arrival. Pre-requisite for the license registration is your SSN as well, so that needs to be kept in mind!

Take note that the requirements differ from state.

If not getting driver's license, consider this

Driver License is used also as a secondary form of identification. If you do not plan to drive or learn to, you may consider getting a state-issued ID to serve as secondary identification.

Car Insurance

Remember to check this out if you're purchasing one! Check if that insurance insures your car in all states.

Taxes

SSN is important for this to start.

Forms to take note:

W-9 for bank
W-4 for paycheck

Housing and Accommodations

I stayed in temporary accommodations when I first reached so that I could view the houses I was going to rent.

Most apartments come bare (Kitchen, dishwasher, fridge, microwave, stove). You will need furnishing.

Things to consider for complete rent:

Rental fee
Utilities (Water, Electricity, Gas)
Wifi

Buy or renting furniture and appliances are options.

Misc

Telephone (AT&T, T-Mobile)
- I went for a Mint Mobile pre-paid plan $20 for 10GB with eSIM. eSIMs can be activated timely once you scanned the QR and is in range of US mobile service unlike physical SIM cards where they need to send it to your residence, especially if you have not found a place to stay.
Internet / WiFi

Awesome References

I'll be updating this page regularly as I learn more :) Look Ma, how much I've grown!