The English Language - Australian vs American

So I plan to update this post over time as I come across examples
of words and translations where confusion would likely reign to the normal
Aussie

Australian	American	Comment
Milkshake	N/A	Expect a Thickshake if you ever order a milkshake
Thickshake	Milkshake
Lemonade	Sprite/7up	Lemonade in USA is drink derived from lemons. One of the few things that make logical sense on the USA
Entree	Starter	Entree in USA is actually a main meal.
Marinara	Seafood	If you ask for marina in the USA, you will end up with a plane tomato base.
Napolitano	Marinara
Biscuit	Cookie	Biscuits in the US are breakfast foods. Similar to scones. Don’t get confused if someone offers you a bacon and egg biscuit.
Ice Chocolate	Good Luck	No ice chocolates seem to exist. If you find a place, please let me know
Boot (Car)	Trunk

A visit to the Social Security Administration

A couple days delayed, but got a little bit busy over the weekend.

Day number 2, Friday consisted of a visit to the Social Security Administration  (SSA) in order to apply for a Social Security Number. The Social Security Number (SSN) acts as the equivalent of your Tax File Number and is important if you ever wish to deal with any level of government as it is pretty much the equivalent of a national identification card/number. So it seems people in the US are just numbers in the grand scheme of things. And I have just applied to be one.

Before leaving Australia, i checked the SSA website and pre-completed the SSN application. Turns out this wasn't absolutely necessary but it did save me filling it out when at the SSA office.

So on Friday, I went for a walk to the nearest SSA office which was a 8km walk (5mile) each way. The best advice I could give is to get there early. The office opens at 9am, and I got there at 10am. This was about an hour too late. The office was already very busy when I got there, and the entire process ended up taking about 2.5 hours. Of which, 2.3 hours was waiting in a chair. So take a book!

When I got to the SSA office, there was a line to "check in", where they simply give you a number and make sure that you have whichever form you need to complete as part of the actual interview process. As I had already completed the form prior to my arrival, I didnt need to complete it again and took my seat.

During the 2+ hour wait, the security guard on premise reminded everyone multiple times that phones must be on silent/vibrate, and any rowdy kids should be taken outside until they calm down. I found it ironic that of the 2 phones that rang that day, and the kids in the office, the most annoying person was the guard and his constant piping up at perceived issues.

Another item of note is that there must be a lot of scams about regarding SSA forms. Apparently, all SSA forms are free of cost and the SSA does not charge for services, yet some people pay for forms and services which are simply scams. One elderly gentleman came in to the office thinking he had done everything needed and "paid" his fees so he could get his services started. The staff had to let him know that it was probably a scam as it was not them who charged them.

So sad, but the same around the world that some people will take advantage of anyone for an easy buck.

Anyway, when my number was called, I went up to the window with my passport/visa/I-94, Certified birth certificate (my copy was certified back in 1989 so timing of certification not an issue) and the SSN application form. A few questions confirming my information / address details and I was done. Was advised the Card and number should be in the mail in the next month.

Then I was done and made the 8km walk back home again (via subway for lunch).

So as long as you have a valid visa and entry documents in your passport, a birth certificate and the correct form, you will be in and out fairly easily.

Banks, Phones & Close Calls

Day Number 1
Times almost run over: 2

So, the hardest thing to comprehend is that cars are on the wrong side of the road. This is not a matter of forgetfulness. Every time I go to cross a road, I think to myself, they drive on the right hand side here. But that doesn't mean that I can then figure out that when they make a right hand turn, they are allowed to run a red light. Or when they turn left, they have big swinging turns.

Oh, and the cars are usually big. And the cars that aren't big, usually have big dents from where they have run into something bigger.

Anyway, first job on the agenda was to open a bank account. Once again, information found on the net was scarce, and not very helpful. So I just put together documents I thought may be needed like my passport / visa / I-94 entry form, birth certificate and job offer letter.

Turns out my passport with attached visa and I-94 was enough. I went to Bank of America for two reasons. One, they have a program thats linked to my employer which makes banking cheaper / easier. And two, there was a branch across the road from where I am staying. To be honest, it was only really the latter reason as to why I chose BoA.

Opening the account was fairly easy. Australian;s are probably used to going into the inquiries line at a bank and talking to someone over the counter to open an account. I can't talk for all the banks here, but BoA, I walked in, was met by someone who asked what I would like to do. Opening a new account meant writing my name on a list and sitting down to wait for a "banker". 5 minutes later, I'm ushered into his office, which was simply an oversized cubicle in the front section of the bank. He processed all the information, got my accounts, helped me set up online banking and organised my initial deposit. He also let me use his computer to arrange for the international transfer from my bank back home. So very helpful all round.

I did find a few things strange about American banking customs. Every card is a debit card or credit card. No simple atm card. They all have debit facilities. And every card has a theme. It could be a football team, baseball, hockey, basketball etc, or a wildlife preservation association, or any other of 200 different themes. But no NRL teams. very disappointed. I went for a simple beach decal in the end.

The second strange thing is personal cheques! I didn't realise people still use them. But it seems they come standard with every transaction account (or "checking" account). So I now have my own personal cheques. Not sure what to do with them, seeing as everything can be paid by EFT, which for me is cleaner, quicker, and easier.

Next up, is the "Keep the Change" program. Once again, not sure if this is every bank, or just BoA, but whenever I make a debit purchase at a shop, BoA will round up the cost to nearest dollar and deposit the rounding amount into my savings account. Pretty much the electronic version of taking the coins in your pocket at the end of the day and dropping them in a tin when you get home. Not sure whether I like the plan yet or not.

Anyway, the new account setup took about 30 minutes and then its done. I have a shiny new package, two new bank accounts, a debit card and some new online tools to learn and have fun with.

Next up was organising a mobile phone (or cell phone in US speak). I only wanted a cheap prepaid option as I am expecting that my company will provide me with a proper phone that I can use, but that probably wont be available for another 4 weeks. And with the world what it is, going without a cell phone is pretty much impossible. So prepaid it is.

I checked a couple websites to see pricing and store locations for Verizon, AT&T (checked others, but too many clicks to find information, so i gave up). I ended up going with AT&T with a $2 per day plan, only charged on days that the phone is used. Pretty much same as the $60/mth plan. Am sure there are other benefits to a monthly plan, but for a cheap non-smartphone, $2 a day was perfect. Especially when it includes unlimited text and talk, and that includes texts to Australia! Definite bonus!

Anyway, getting the phone was easy, no id needed for a pre-paid plan. Just money. Phone itself cost $10, and paid $60 credit, planning for it to last 30 days. Note, no data on my plan due to it being a simple phone.

So with the bank and phone sorted, time for some grocery shopping.

Not much different to Australia. Except walking through any grocery shop and finding alcohol for sale. Well, no liquor, just beer and wine. In Virginia, liquor is only available through specific liquor shops. Beer and wine however, just part of the regular grocery shopping. The nearest grocer is a Harris Teeter, which has a sushi bar, sandwich bar, pharmacy. Although i think my favourite product so far that I have found that isn't available in Sydney is the 6 packs of gatorade, low carb throwdowns (355ml).

Now with all this walking to various shops, combined with jet lag, I was pretty much done for the day. A quick dinner, with a couple glasses of wine (courtesy of grocery shopping) and it was time for bed. Big task for day number 2 was applying for a social security number. Google search shows nearest Social Security Administration (SSA) office was about 4 mile (6.5km) so a decent walk there and back.

Will let you know tomorrow how it goes and what the process was.

E3 Visa - Triumph and Tribulations

To be honest, it was mainly triumph. Not really any tribulations apart from the amount of time it actually took to secure a job.

I'm not going to take you through the numerous phone calls and emails it took to finally get a job lined up, but the process from the time of actually getting a job transfer approved to entering the USA with a Visa.

And it was very straight forward with minimal hassle.

Once the job was approved, my company engaged their usual immigration law firm (yes, its a big company listed on NYSE). This process started on 11th May. The law firm sent out a long questionnaire which asked me lots of questions. Probably the most difficult were about employment history (last 5 jobs, start/finish dates and responsibilities) and previous USA travel history (Entry / Exit dates, purpose and locations). But was able to get the employment information from my CV which was up to date and my old & current passport which were easily accessible.

Initially, the plan was to go via a H-1B visa which is their standard process, but it turns out that the limit of H1-B visas had already been exceeded for the first half of the year and no new ones would be issued till October 2011. However, thankfully, being an Australian, there is a special treaty class called the E-3 visa.

To give the laymans understanding of the E-3 visa, its basically only available for Australian's who work in specific occupations where the US have a "shortage" of those skills. All the occupations and visa holders need to have at least a graduate level education and the role they take up must be in the field of that study.

The two major benefits of the E-3 visa that I can list are:
1 - The number of E-3 visas have apparently never exceed their annual limit, thus no delays in issuing
2 - The E-3 visa applicant apparently doesn't need a Homeland security check. The H-1B visa holder does. Apparently, the American's love Aussies. I don't blame them.

So now, back to the process. Once I had given my information to the law firm, they prepared an Labor Condition Application (LCA) and submitted to the Department of Labor. This was on 18 May and the Dept of Labor approved on 24th May. So less than 1 week. I was pretty happy about that. If you are wondering what the LCA is, basically, its a form the employer lodges to confirm they are not trying to hire cheap foreign labour and bringing them to the USA.

As a side note, if you ever want someone to help improve your resume, get a lawyer. The submission to the DOL made me sound like a genius on the move. And although everything they included was factual, I would never have written my CV that way. Suffice to say, my CV has been updated again!!!

So once the LCA was approved, the lawyers couriered the relevant paperwork to me in Australia and I then had to go to the US consulate website, fill out a DS160 form (very similar questions to that which the law firm asked about), pay a $390 "application" fee, (which is apparently in addition to the visa fee the employer paid) book an appointment at the consulate and gather lots and lots of documents about my education, employment history and financial viability.

Regarding the appointment, the state dept website advising timeframes was fairly accurate. It told me 9 days and sure enough, once i got through the website process of setting up an interview, the first available slot was at 8.15am, 9 business days later.

So in that 9 days, I double checked, triple checked, and quadruple checked that I had all the documents I thought I would need. I had my passport, my Visa Appointment confirmation page, my LCA, my DS160 confirmation, my interview confirmation, my signed job offer, bank account summary (to show financial viability for period until pay cheques would flow), University transcript plus degree, Chartered Accountant membership certificate plus grad diploma transcript and certificate. All the correspondence with the law firm to obtain the LCA, and my birth certificate just in case. So when it came time for the visa interview, I was very prepared.

During all the above process, I got a little impatient and booked my one way flights to Washington DC. I know I should have waited till a visa was in hand, but oh well. I booked a flexible ticket (only $500 more than the non-flexible) and used my accrued miles to upgrade to business class. That upgrade saved me $200 in excess baggage charges, so effectively, a business class ticket for only $300 more than economy. Bargain!

Anyway, interview day. I was nervous to say the least. Basically an 18 month process could all come to nothing if the interviewer doesn't like me. So will give a run down on the morning's process.

I got to the consulate at 7.45 for an 8.15 appointment. Consulate opens at 7.45 and there were already about 30 people ahead of me. Go through a security checkpoint, hand over mobile phones and hop in another line for a pre-pre-interview. The pre-pre-interview is a process on the ground floor where they ask what type of visa application is being made, and ensure that you have all the compulsory documents that will be needed to actually process anything. For me, this was my passport, LCA, DS160 Confirmation page, Receipt for the $390 fee and an Australia Post Platinum mail satchel so they can mail your passport and visa back to you via registered post. These were all ready for the pre-pre interview.

Strangely enough, despite the interview confirmation page being very clear that these documents are necessary, there were a couple of people before me who obviously didn't read the simple brief instructions. They were sent away from the pre-pre interview presumably returning later in the day.

Anyway, after the pre-pre interview, we were guided to a nearby seat where once about 5 people were ready, and an elevator was available, we were escorted up to the consulate which is on about level 50 of the building. We go inside, get a number, then hop in another line? (didnt understand the need for a number as well as the line). Anyway, their systems crashed for about 15 minutes so they told everyone to sit down and they would just call the numbers anyway.

about 20 minutes later, once the systems are up and running again, my number is called and I head to the pre-interview window. This pre-interview is simply so they can collect my documents and put my name into the system and queue for the visa interview. Once again, back to my seat to wait for my number to be caled again.

Very nervous by this stage. Last stop before success or failure in the whole process.

I checked that I had all my supporting documents (again). Then my number was called and up I go.

Turns out, I had nothing to be worried about. About 5 questions such as:
What is my highest education (Grad diploma);
Am I a chartered accountant (Yep)
What will I be doing in my new job (Accounting and contract analysis stuff)
How did I find out about the job (internal job transfer)
How long have I been with my employer (about 3.5 years)

Thank you very much, your application is approved.

What the hell??? What about all my supporting documents. All that stress and preparation! Nothing. Nada. No Need. But I'm smart enough to know not to say the above. I said thank you very much, how long before i should get them, and have a nice day.

In at 7.45am and out by 9am. Very easy.

So with the interview being conducted on 15th June, and the Visa (and passport) in my hand by the 17th June, the entire process from engaging the law firm to success was about 36 days. and 6 of that was me not finishing the DS160 in one go.

Anyway, hopefully the above helps someone in the future as a basic understanding of the process in getting an E-3 visa. That was all done out of Sydney by me (and USA by the law firm).

This post was kinda boring. But was to be more informational than entertainment. Will try and do better next time.

In The Beginning

So I have graduated from Facebook notes to the world of blogging.

The reason for doing so was so I could write about my experiences as an Australian who is coming to grips with the American way of life. Over the past 18 months, I have done lots of surfing through the web trying to find out as much information as I can about stuff in the US, and was able to find a few different places that provided some answers, but not all of them.

So perhaps by putting my own experiences on paper, it may assist the next person from Oz in their planning stage. This includes boring stuff like visas and bank accounts, social security numbers and drivers license, checking the both sides of the road before crossing and ridiculous size of the meals over here!

And hopefully, I can also provide a laugh along the way.

I guess, first up, I should provide a little information about me to put my experiences in context.

My name is Adam and I'm an Australian. And no, this isn't a therapy group. Although I may need one after being away from home for too long.

I am in my low 30's and am an accountant who has transferred to the USA with my employer. The reason I requested a transfer was so I could be closer to my girlfriend who is an American. Probably the only fault I have yet found with her :-) I will be living in North Virginia, in the Reston area, and hopefully getting to know the North Virginia and Washington DC area well. My girlfriends family is from Maryland, so will try and avoid that area sa much as possible... Oh and will also try and make sure she never ever reads this blog!

I flew in from Sydney last night, but as I only finished my transit at about 9pm, yesterday doesn't count. As such, Today,  Thursday 23rd of June, 2011 will be forever known as Day number 1 of my new life.

If you are planning on backpacking around the US, then unfortunately, this is the wrong site. I could be (and have been) called a "princess". If travelling, I like my hotels with many stars, big beds and spacious showers. I like my seats on the plane up the front, with plenty of leg room, lots of recline (preferably flatbed) and a decent meal. And I usually buy better quality that should last me longer. The only exception is I don't mind plastic cups and plates when hosting a party as it means less cleaning up!

Anyway, thats it for the introduction. I will have a couple extra posts up with respect to my experience getting a visa pre-arrival, as well as Day number 1 and organising a bank account and getting a phone. Hopefully, I will have a post up about once a week, maybe a bit more in the early stages, maybe a little slower once I am more entrenched and my IQ has dropped, love for guns has increased and I believe fox news reports the facts (ironically, if I ever believe the last, someone please shoot me).