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Go to get drivers license - told to come back when I have a SSN and 2 forms of ID with proof of address. Also told I will need to take a driving test despite having driven for 15 years. Ok ok, I drive on the wrong side of the road and don't mind taking a test as a formality, but the documentation is the frustrating bit..
All you have to do is pull up the site of DMV for the respective state. It gives all the details on issuance of DL to residents new to the state and reciprocity with foreign countries.
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Originally Posted by Marcl
I won't get my SSN for apparently 3 weeks? Arrived 2 days ago. I'm working on 2 forms of ID which is my next vent..
You did not stop at the kiosk at PoE?
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Originally Posted by Marcl
Go to get bank account - had to 'fight' for it for about 1 hour. The bank didn't think I had a visa, even though it was stuck right there in my passport. They finally 'agreed' that I have a valid visa but insisted on using my Australian drivers license as proof of address - so my belief that a bank account could act as 1 form of new USA ID was kind-of crushed. They put the 'mailing address' as my USA address which might be OK... .
See #1
You have no ID showing your US residence - what address should be used but the one on your ID? Check if the account was opened with W8 and make sure to change address and add SS# as soon as possible.
[quote=Marcl;36750517]Bother reading requirements for
???
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Originally Posted by Marcl
In any case, I'm basically in limbo until this SSN arrives because I need it for absolutely everything. .
Not really; it just makes things easier.
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Originally Posted by Marcl
Surely there could/should be a Social Security rep at ports of entry who can print off or whisper in your ear your SSN to help get things started upon arrival..
Or fill out YOUR paper work correctly requesting SS# with I130. Nothing will happen until your information gets routes from PoE/USCIS to Social Security Administration.
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Originally Posted by Marcl
I know, I know, it's hopefully only 3 weeks to wait... but what do I do for 3 weeks? Sit around....
You can stand from time to time.
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Originally Posted by Marcl
I won't even go into my bewilderment upon being told at the port of entry that the actual green card can take up to 12 months to arrive.
Please, someone, tell me it's not 12 months!.
It can take longer and has taken longer since the shutdown in 2013. Try not to loose your passport.
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Originally Posted by Marcl
Trying to 'Americanize' myself is difficult! I'll feel much better with a US drivers license as it will all feel a bit more official... and being able to spend money will be great... then it will all come into place from that point onward.
You will find that a bit of common courtesy is expected and goes a long way. Homework up front pays off. "Fighting" employees who have not been exposed to your circumstances in the past is like fighting wind mills. Chill, spend money, you generally have 30 days on your original drivers license, get to know your area. Next post will be a rant about US working conditions?
It is a different ball game. Get used to it and everything will be peachy.
Go to get drivers license - told to come back when I have a SSN and 2 forms of ID with proof of address. Also told I will need to take a driving test despite having driven for 15 years. Ok ok, I drive on the wrong side of the road and don't mind taking a test as a formality, but the documentation is the frustrating bit.
I won't get my SSN for apparently 3 weeks? Arrived 2 days ago. I'm working on 2 forms of ID which is my next vent.
Go to get bank account - had to 'fight' for it for about 1 hour. The bank didn't think I had a visa, even though it was stuck right there in my passport. They finally 'agreed' that I have a valid visa but insisted on using my Australian drivers license as proof of address - so my belief that a bank account could act as 1 form of new USA ID was kind-of crushed. They put the 'mailing address' as my USA address which might be OK...
In any case, I'm basically in limbo until this SSN arrives because I need it for absolutely everything.
Surely there could/should be a Social Security rep at ports of entry who can print off or whisper in your ear your SSN to help get things started upon arrival.
I know, I know, it's hopefully only 3 weeks to wait... but what do I do for 3 weeks? Sit around...
I won't even go into my bewilderment upon being told at the port of entry that the actual green card can take up to 12 months to arrive.
Please, someone, tell me it's not 12 months!
Trying to 'Americanize' myself is difficult! I'll feel much better with a US drivers license as it will all feel a bit more official... and being able to spend money will be great... then it will all come into place from that point onward.
Theres a big anti-immigrant sentiment in the counrty right now. Why do you sound so surprised that the red carpet hasnt been rolled out for you. Get a grip
Jeez! What happened to "No worries, mate!"?
Can someone just show up in Oz & immediately be issued all the items you are seeking? Without confirmation of such small things as legal status, proof of address, etc.?
Could any of this have been accomplished prior to arrival?
Last edited by bigjake54; 10-05-2014 at 03:35 PM..
Relax. The wheels of bureaucracy grind along very slowly and laboriously. I'm not sure why you would think that you wouldn't have to take a driving test in a new country and extensive paperwork is the norm everywhere. Good grief, I opened up a new bank account in a new local bank a year or so ago after having lived and worked in the same neck of the woods (and owned a business) for the past 30 years. I was only half way through all the paperwork when I started wondering when the question of handing over my first-born was going to pop up. Relax. There will be plenty of opportunities to have an apoplectic fit as you adjust to the American way of life ...
Just to put it into perspective - when my wife came with me back to Australia, she showed the DMV in Australia her Illinois drivers license and they immediately organised an Australian license - no test required - but I agree it was a bit suspiciously easy and wasn't expecting it to be as clear cut in USA
What makes you think you shouldnt have to show documentation when everyone else, even citizens, have to? And everyone, at one point in time, had to take a driving test.
I dont know why you are venting when you are doing something every other single person has to do for the privilege of living here. What makes you so special?
Venting because I don't have what they want me to provide so I'm stuck in a stalemate. You apparently don't have this problem because you would have been born with a SSN so kudos to you. Meanwhile, I'll sit here, unable to work, drive, rent, or pay my taxes.
I'm entitled to vent in much the same way that you're entitled to tell me to suck it up, but I think you've missed the point. I don't feel I deserve royal treatment, it's just frustrating that after the year(s) of organising a Greencard, when it finally arrives it seems immigrants are essentially in a stalemate... if a SSN was provided at port of entry I wouldn't have any reason to vent.
Yeah I did fill out the forms properly which is why I know my SSN is on its way - forums and websites and FAQ on the SS website say my card should arrive in 3 weeks. I'm currently in Illinois to settle in with wives family, then hope to move on to Indiana or elsewhere to get a taste for somewhere different.
I won't vent about USA working conditions... already know about them!
Jeez! What happened to "No worries, mate!"?
Can someone just show up in Oz & immediately be issued all the items you are seeking? Without confirmation of such small things as legal status, proof of address, etc.?
Could any of this have been accomplished prior to arrival?
Yes - when I brought my wife to Australia we literally walked into the DMV and got her a license, and we walked across the road to a bank and got her an account and then enrolled her in Medicare and arranged a Tax File Number (similar to a SSN). I've solely navigated Australian Immigration and the US Greencard Immigration process so it's not like I'm totally unaware of how either country works. Just venting that the SSN is a bottleneck, I guess.
Were you by any chance in Fl ? I was born and raised here, now over 70, and everyone here had to produce all those documents at renewal time. It was a pain in the patootie but I just did it. Supposed to be to prove you are a citizen of USA.
No Annie, I returned to Illinois (born, raised, and lived here my entire life) and they were the state giving me the hard time. Finally took my written test in 10 minutes flat, took my photo ID (absolutely hideous photo, if I ever get pulled over I am sure the reproductive bits of any gender officer will wither and die upon viewing the photo) and the DL# is the exact same one as that of the license they said was "no longer in the system."
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Originally Posted by Marcl
Venting because I don't have what they want me to provide so I'm stuck in a stalemate. You apparently don't have this problem because you would have been born with a SSN so kudos to you. Meanwhile, I'll sit here, unable to work, drive, rent, or pay my taxes.
I'm entitled to vent in much the same way that you're entitled to tell me to suck it up, but I think you've missed the point. I don't feel I deserve royal treatment, it's just frustrating that after the year(s) of organising a Greencard, when it finally arrives it seems immigrants are essentially in a stalemate... if a SSN was provided at port of entry I wouldn't have any reason to vent.
No child born on American soil is "born" with a SSN, the parent (s) have to apply for it once they receive a notarized copy of the child's birth certificate. Citizens here (and elsewhere in the world, I'm sure) are regulated and 'dictated' by specific protocol as well.
Take heart...one foot in front of the other and one hurdle at a time.
You can always go to your local SS Office and have them print out your number on their official letterhead.
This will give you a valid temp card until your real one arrives.
...People tend to vent without bothering to check all of their options. And nowadays Google makes it pretty easy for people to know what the options are if they actually take the time to research them.
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