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Personal Blog

Categories: Living in the USA

Social Security Number

Here the social security number reminds me of the Danish CPR (national identity number), it is necessary for everything, in particular, as seen in my previous post, to open a bank account, to obtain a driving license or receiving one’s salary… and later on, to pay taxes.

If you are targeting the same visa as me, the process of obtaining the SSN (Social Security Number) is greatly simplified, you just have to check the box that asks if you want to get one at the online step (DS-260) of the NVC stage and you’ll receive your card directly at your US home!

If you arrive with a work visa and that same option is not available, you’ll have to go to a social security office, about 10 days after your arrival, with your passport and your work permit. 10 days is about the time it takes for them to record your arrival / admission on the American soil.

10 days is also the average time it takes to receive your social security card at home. It arrived in less than a week in my case.
Unfortunately it was of course at my maiden name, and I had to go to an office to ask for a new card. Very simple too, just fill in the appropriate form, and bring your passport with visa and your marriage certificate.
I was given proof of my application and received my new card at home in less than a week!

Categories: Living in the USA

US bank account

This will be a very short post just to continue with the inevitable formalities upon arrival in a new country.

The opening of a bank account was not really complicated for me, despite my “name problems”. I went to my in-laws bank because they are happy with it, they told me that many transactions were free while most other banks take a fee, and it is a credit union, indicating low interest rates if I am later interested in a loan.

All that was needed for the opening of a checking account and a savings account (the opening of the second was automatic with the first) was:

  • valid identification (passport)
  • visa or green card
  • social security number
  • proof of residence (in my case I used the immigration paper I mentioned in my post about the P.O. Box, and my stepfather vouched for me as he already is a member).
  • a minimum deposit of $ 5 + $ 5 fee (to be seen depending on the bank)

I went there for information before and I had to wait for my social security number, which only took a week in my case but may take longer, so you should still plan a way to withdraw money and/or pay less fees in the meantime.

I was also asked who should benefit my money if something happened to me, and I wanted to put Alan but hard to know how he could access it. They said that in the case of the spouse, they send a letter to my address and that if he is there he only has to deal with it … but it is impossible to predict when I will die and if Alan has a chance to live with me at this time (which, in addition, remains rather unlikely). So to simplify things I put my mother-in-law, because I know she will give him the money, but I still have to research more on the subject.

Small difference with France, you are asked to choose the pin code of your debit card and you leave with it right away!

Until now, things seem much simpler here 🙂

 

Categories: Living in the USA

Moving to the USA

When one moves “definitively” to a foreign and very distantcountry, the question arises of what is most profitable between leaving all their stuff behind and buying everything up there, and bringing all their stuff.

It was really necessary for me to calculate what I absolutely wanted to keep, what I would need more or less immediately, and everything that could wait or was easily replaceable. Having reduced my things a lot in two years, I have to say that it is quite hard for me to still have to make a selection in what remains.

I tried to assess the fees if I used a company by reading expat blogs and checking out websites, but inevitably, you have to make a request for an estimate to get a price, and to make that application of estimate, you have to know exactly what you are taking… while I was working in reverse: depending on the price, I would see what I could take. Given the prices I saw online, it seemed to me that sending me a few boxes would be the most reasonable way, financially. I went back to the solution I used to repatriate part of my things from Denmark to my mother’s in the South of France, while I dropped the rest to storage by truck.

I had fixed a budget of about 1000 €, with a list of essential things to take to make this budget profitable.
I then made 50 simulations of numbers of boxes/weight on packlink.fr.
Even if I leave a lot of things in France, I find that I didn’t do too bad, with a first shipment of 6 boxes (I wanted to do it in two times to test the passage at the customs and not lose EVERYTHING if there was a problem) and a following 6 boxes + a cardboard wardrobe (only boxe that could hold my drums’ stand, + hop I have a wardrobe on arrival lol).
Unfortunately I miscalculated (or I had more difficulty to abandon certain things than expected…) and an extra box will have to follow me. All this would have costed me about 1250 €, and all boxes arrive within a few days.
Of course, I also leave with two full suitcases. 😱

edit 07/31/2017: So the packages are well arrived but I don’t tell you in what state! I went both times through UPS, and the first round was taken care of by UPS directly and arrived in good condition, however the second round came with the boxes all ripped open. It seems that the boxes are open in Bordeaux for verification of the content, before being sent to Paris, then the USA, except that they are not closed back! The wardrobe box arrived with all the bottom torn down, it’s a miracle that nothing was lost. For the second time, there was an intermediary who came to pick up the boxes at home, why, I do not know, nor if it had any impact on the process but I can say that the guy was absolutely not careful (Vs Mr UPS who had taken my things carefully). In short, I guess I still made a deal but all the DVDs contained in the last boxes have broken boxes etc. When you know how careful I am with all my stuff and that everything seems perfectly new after several years, it hurts to find yourself with damaged goods after having paid so much.

Categories: Living in the USA, US immigration: CR1 (spouse) Visa

Visa CR-1 / IR-1 ➤ My Interview

My interview was at 10am, I arrived a little early but as I read in testimonials (on visajourney for example), no need to arrive more than 15 minutes early because they will not let you in.
I had made the mistake of wearing heels (even if quite small!) but with the heat (I had my interview in the middle of a heat wave) I already had foot pain when I arrived.
I waited in the small park on the other side of the road and went at 9:45. The security guards at the entrance joked with me, but I can’t remember on what… but it was a relaxed atmosphere.

After this first security point, I presented my passport, my DS-260, the sealed envelope given at the medical examination and my criminal record.

1st security point and verification of your identity and appointments.

You then pass a second security check where they take all your electronic equipment (phone, headphones, and so on) and give you a badge to pick it up at the exit.

Once inside the embassy, an agent signaled me to go in line. There were a few people in front of me (about ten people), and I waited a good hour. The VERY bad surprise (compared to the fact that I did not want to land in flip flops when believe me a lot did not shy away) is that there are no seats! It just did not work out, the only benefit I would say is that I was so much in pain that it completely took precedence over my stress.

When I finally arrived at the first window, they took my fingerprints, checked my documents, gave me back the unnecessary duplicates – we actually already had provided a lot of originals so I did not need to bring all that (but caution is mother of safety …). In the end I think they only needed my pictures, my more recent criminal record and my sealed medical envelope. I have only been asked one question, who is my sponsor (my mother-in-law), is she married and does she have dependent children?
Everything was OK so I was told to go in line for the next window.

After another hour of unbearable suffering wait, I finally arrived at the window for the actual interview!
There is about zero confidentiality because while you are queuing you are roughly one meter behind the people who are interviewing.

I do not know if it’s because I arrived with a “Good morning” but my interview was conducted in English while all the other windows were in French.
The Consular Officer was impassive from A to Z, typing on his computer the whole time, stopping only to look at the file and mark a new page with his pen. He did not ask a lot of questions and kept typing at the same time. The annoying side for me is that I have a weak ear and I have a lot of trouble hearing 1) behind a thick glass 2) with noise around (as I was saying people waiting are right behind you ).
He asked me:

  • How long have you been married?
  • What’s his job?
  • How did you meet?
  • When did you start writing?
  • How many times have you seen him?
  • Where did you get married?
  • What is your mother-in-law’s job?
  • Do you stay at his mother’s when you visit?
  • Will you live with her?

There was just a moment when he apologized and left for a minute, so I was afraid he had discovered a problem with our file, but he came back alone and continued typing.
After all these questions, he joined his hands and leaned a little towards me/the window and said “I guess you do but I have to ask you, are you aware of his legal situation?” I answered “Yes” and I was expecting other questions on the subject to follow but he said “Looks like everything is okay, your visa has been approved, you’ll receive it in about ten days”.
I didn’t even know how to react on the moment, I just said “okay …”. He did not ask for any proof of relationship or anything extra. I happily thanked him and greeted him all the same, but my foot pain prevented me from doing my little victory dance in the bathroom.

Categories: Living in the USA, US immigration: CR1 (spouse) Visa

Visa CR-1 / IR-1 ➤ Our Timeline

To give you an idea, here is our complete timeline for my visa:

  • April 23th, 2016: Wedding in the USA.
  • May 27th, 2016: sent I-130 (also our priority date).
  • June 1st, 2016: NOA1.
  • October 14th, 2016: transfer from Nebraska Service Center (that is veryyyyyyy behind in its applications) to Texas Service Center.
  • December 1st, 2016: NO2 – I-130 approved.
  • December 14th, 2016: file received at the NVC.
  • December 30th, 2016: payment of Immigrant and Affidavit of Support fees.
  • January 5th, 2017: DS-260 unlocked.
  • January 24th, 2017: DS-260 sent.
  • February 7th, 2017: I-864 sent.
  • April 14th, 2017 : Case Complete.
  • May 3rd, 2017 : Packet IV received.
  • June 19th, 2017 : blood test, urine test and chest x-ray.
  • June 20th, 2017 : medical examination.
  • June 21th, 2017: Interview – visa approved.
  • June 26th, 2017: Administrative Processing.
  • June 30th, 2017: Issued.
  • July 11th, 2017 : Issued again (?).
  • July 12th, 2017 : return of documents email notification.
  • July 13th, 2017 : visa delivery by UPS.

You probably noticed that we lost a month at the NVC stage. It’s because, despite my emails to our lawyer asking if everything was ready to be sent as soon as the file would arrive at the NVC, he was missing a document quite long to get for my mother-in-law and he also insisted that we try to get a social security card for Alan… when I KNEW that it was impossible. In the end, the prison gave us a paper confirming his security number so it was not completely useless, but everything could have LARGELY been done in advance and ready to go in time.

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Criminal Justice Reform / Prison Rights Activist.
Small Business @ Pentionery.
Mother in Training.

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