# Moving from Australia to USA



## CBR600 (Sep 22, 2010)

Hi All,

Only just joined but have found some great information on here thus far.

Just hoping I can get some advise on a company transfer from Australia to the USA on an L-1 visa. 

Little background: My company has been fantastic and very generous (i think, with the package), we have great relationships within the company from the owner down to the casual guys that help out from time to time but having read and hear some of the horror stories associated with international relocation I would like everything rock solid before signing my life away!

Company is providing for:
- Health insurance
- Accommodation allowance 
- Return travel annually
- Providing a relocation allowance to cover one off costs
- visa costs


What were your costs associated with relocation? 

Furniture setup - We are going with 2 suitcases and that is it. I'm not overly pretensions about furniture and very much satisfied ith middle of the range. Can anyone give me an idea of what it is going to cost to set up a house (ie couch, tv, fridge, kitchen bits and bobs, bed etc)
Vehicle Costs - What are the costs associated with buying / running a car? I am being provided a company vehicle but will be purchasing a vehicle for my partner. What costs are involved outside purchase and fuel? Registration, insurance, ???
I'm looking at purchasing a home (Colorado) again over and above the purchase price what taxes and fees apply? Any advise for circumstances unique to the USA?



Financial Questions -
Credit Cards - I've heard Amex will provide a card in the USA if you've had one in your home country. Does anyone have any experience with this?
Bank Accounts - Is it possible to set one up from Australia?
Does anyone have any advise on setting up a home loan?

Have I missed anything?

Thanks!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Others will no doubt jump in here with their thoughts and advice. I've been away from the US for a while now, but return on a regular basis and can offer some thoughts on your questions.

*Furniture setup *- you can deck out a new place at anything from just a few dollars to blowing thousands. Some students even scrounge furniture being thrown away when it's set out for the bin men to collect. (Not advisable, though, due to the current bed bug epidemic/scare over there!) Another option is to rent your furniture for a while until you know where you're going to be and what you need and want. Just google "furniture rental" + the town or state where you'll be living and you find plenty of information. Otherwise, there is everything from IKEA to Roche Bobois and plenty in between.

*Vehicle costs *- insurance is the big question mark. Shop around to see what's on offer for someone newly arrived with no (US) driving record. In some states you can get discounts for odd things, like having a garage for your car or driving less than x miles back and forth to work. There are license fees (for your car and yourselves) - US drivers licences expire every 4 years or so and have to be renewed. The same holds true for license plates (registration for the car). Check the website for the Colorado dmv (department of motor vehicles) or rmv (registry of motor vehicles) for details.

*Purchasing a home *- I'd advise renting for a year or so before worrying about buying. (Unless, of course, you find the ideal home at the perfect price.) In the US, they say the three most important things about a home are: location, location, location. It takes a while to learn the area you're living in, and there are subtle differences in what makes one home highly desirable and another one (maybe even next door) outrageously overpriced. Give yourselves a bit of time to learn how the housing market in the US works.

*Bank Accounts* - probably best to set up your account when you get there. Banks can vary greatly by local branch and there is the annoying little factor of US regulations that require banks to "know your customer" when establishing a new account. Your employer can probably provide some insight into local banks (and often may have some deal with the bank they work with to get employees to consider direct deposit of pay for example).

I wouldn't give up my *credit cards* from back home until I was well settled in the US. You can use them for the first few weeks while you get yourself established. And you may want to hold onto them for use on your trips back home. (It can be difficult to get new accounts and/or credit cards once you're resident elsewhere.)

On the *home loan* front, this is another argument for renting for a year or two. Most banks like to see two years of local (i.e. US) credit history before they'll make a home loan (at least other than a sub-prime type loan). Some banks will work with you better than others on this - though don't be surprised to find policies that require a green card or that limit loan terms to the duration of your visa. Learn the market first - in the US it can be pretty cut-throat, even in the wake of the real estate meltdown these last few years.

I'm sure others will have other opinions, but this will get you started.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Kiwi1234 (Mar 26, 2009)

Hiya

Your situation is the pretty much the exact same scenario that my husband and I had 4yrs ago when we got transferred to the US on a L1 visa (husband), except coming from NZ. Some things that we discovered and may prove useful for you:

*Furniture Setup* - dont bother bringing any of your own furniture, the cost to transport is around $20K not to mention the hassle of customs. My husband's company provided $10K for furnishing and we ended up only spending $6k, things a much cheaper here and in the end you can sell it. Also you may want to consider getting your company to offer around $5k for setup fees to cover the setup of utilities (power, gas, phone, internet, water). These companies will consider you are new account and will require a bond, which can be anywhere from $100 to $500. This also applies to rental, the landlord may ask for not just first and last months rent, but also a further month as well, being that you have no rental history in the US.

*Vechicle costs* - much like you my husband had a company car provided but I had to purchase a car. Without a credit rating get a car on loan in near impossible, so you are best to set aside about $5-10k for a good second hand car. The major issue is insurance. Without a driving history in the US (they dont care how long you had a licence in Aussie or anywhere else), they consider you a new driver and the cost for just liability cover ran me around $260 p/mth and this did not cover the cost of damage to your car, or theft. Basically you are just covering your butt if the other person sues you. After you have a history of driving for 3yrs in the US the cost goes down considerably, I now have full cover (liability/damage) and it costs me about $50 p/mth. Also your drivers licence is connected to your visa, so what ever length your visas is for your drivers licence will be as well. Mine is 2yrs (we renew our visa every 2yrs) so I have to renew my drivers license every 2 yrs and this can only be done when my visa is approved again, you cannot try to do beforehand.

*Purchasing a home *- unless you have plans to stay here permanently (which in itself is near impossible) I wouldnt buy a house, if your company is covering your rental costs (which my husband's is) I would just rent. Plus not having any credit rating in the US will prove very diffiult to get a loan.

*Bank accounts *- we were unable to set up an account until we arrived in the US (this was with Bank of America), they like to see details of where you are staying, i.e power bill, rental agreement, as well as SSN to set up an account, seeing that you are on a visa. I also recommend keeping your bank account open in Aussie. We do in NZ and helps us when we return for visits, as well as sending US money home when the exchange rate is favourable.

*Credit Cards* - this is not easy to obtain, in fact near impossible for people on visas. We have only manage to secure a credit card within the last year and we could only get a $500 credit limit. The reason banks dont like to give credit cards to non-citizens is that we are considered a risk, we could at anytime return to our home country after racking up dept on the credit card and there is no recourse to pay it back. if you can find a bank that will give you more than a $500 credit (unsecured), good luck to you. 

Hope this helps


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## CBR600 (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks so much for your replies!!!

You've been a fantastic help!

If anyone has any further info I'd be most appreciative!!


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## CBR600 (Sep 22, 2010)

Hi All,
The deal is done and contract signed. I'm off to the USA for the next 2 years.

Taking this to the next stage does anyone have any tips? Thinks like...

Setup issues (rentals, utilities, phones etc)
Car issues (purchasing, rego, insurance)
Bank Accounts (who is best, does anyone have experience with HSBC?)
What to take / not to take (I'm pretty much limited to 2 suitcases)
Clubs to join

Again, anything you think would help out I'd love to hear.

Happy to hear gripes and moans (I'd rather hear them from others than go through them myself!!  ) 

Thanks!!!


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