# Hi All, First Timers here. Thanks for helping



## SanD (Mar 13, 2008)

Dear All

My husband and I are Indians, and PRs in Singapore. My husband has done his MS with embedded software engineering, in Singapore from a reputed institute.

I work for the second largest bank of US in Singapore. I have been with this firm some 4.5 years. Our long term career goals is for me to continue with my current firm at least for the next ten years and my husband can experiment with his career. 

We plan to move and settle in the US. 

Some specific questions / doubts I have is around the following questions:

1) With his qualification, would he be able to land a job in the US easily? Any websites / agencies that you would recommend.
2) Since I work for a US bank, I will be assured of a job anywhere we decide to settle. Given this, which city or state should we target for my Husbands career to prosper.
3) Husband is planning to pursue an MBA from a Singapore University, to add weightage to our application which we would submit by 2009.Your thoughts on this please; as I read somewhere that pursuing an MBA from a US university will add to our Green Card dreams.
4) If you recommend MBA in US, how do we plan for his career during his pursuit of MBA...would you recommend that he move to US with an H1B and then pursue MBA and subsequently apply for the Green Card.
5) Assuming that I get a transfer to US, which if it happens will be on L1; what visa will my husband be eligible for. 
Can I and if yes then what are the caveats for my husband if I am the principle applicant.
6) Where can I read about apartments for rent and for purchasing (for planning our savings)
7) How much of our savings should we set aside for rent and other utilities. Like rent in Singapore for a government owned apartment of 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 utility room (servants quarters) would be around SGD 1500 and monthly utilities would be around sgd 900-1200.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these. 

Regards
Dsaran


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## Rachel_Heath (Mar 16, 2008)

Hola Dsaran and welcome to the forums!


Yes he should be able to get a job here once he’s applied for an EAD (Employment Authorization Document) since he’d be here on an L2 visa.
Major banking cities I’d imagine would be Chicago and New York to name but two. It would perhaps help more if you could describe what job you’re performing at the bank.
I’m unsure myself if having an MBA would really speed up the process – moving from an L1 Visa to a green card is a very long process that would need to be initiated at the earliest legal opportunity. It may be that your husband has yet to obtain his MBA at that juncture.
As mentioned in answer 1., once he’s got is EAD then he’s fine and won’t need to worry about an H-1B.
Again, see answer 1.
Personally, once my visa etc. had been sorted out I’d plan on staying in a hotel for the first few weeks. Once here there are free magazines that you can pick up virtually anywhere that will list out apartments to rent. Purchasing a house would require a mortgage which, given that you’d have no credit history in the US, you’d not be able to obtain. (Unless of course you have enough cash to buy the house outright or close enough to convince a mortgage company or bank that it’s worth the risk).
Rent varies tremendously, not only in the city, but also areas in the city. I’d expect to be paying anywhere from 1300 SGD to 3000 SGD depending on the area. Utilities etc. are entirely variable. As an example, here in Cincinnati, Ohio we used to pay 1500 SGD for rent and 220 SGD for basic utilities (landline phone, gas, electric and water) (all figure’s approximate and based off an exchange rate of 1 to 1.38 exchange rate. Obviously you’d not have need for any servants quarters!

Hope this all helps!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

>>1) With his qualification, would he be able to land a job in the US easily? Any websites / agencies that you would recommend.<<

As with many things, "it depends." Landing a job these days in the US isn't always easy, even for native born folks. It will depend on what sort of job he is looking for, where he looks and what sort of experience he has. Plus how well he can present himself to potential employers. The ability to "market" oneself is a major advantage when job hunting in the US.

>>2) Since I work for a US bank, I will be assured of a job anywhere we decide to settle. Given this, which city or state should we target for my Husbands career to prosper.<<

You want to find an area near a "high tech" hub of some sort. There are lots of these scattered around the US. Silicon Valley is the one most people have heard of (south of San Francisco), but living in that area is frightfully expensive. There is the "research triangle" in North Carolina. And there are mini-Silicon Valleys springing up in various parts of the US. Pick any big company he might like to work for and check out their website, especially the job postings. You may be surprised to find where some big companies are located - or have major installations.

>>3) Husband is planning to pursue an MBA from a Singapore University, to add weightage to our application which we would submit by 2009.Your thoughts on this please; as I read somewhere that pursuing an MBA from a US university will add to our Green Card dreams.<<

Within the US, a US based MBA will carry more weight. Foreign academic credentials are always difficult to evaluate. The other thing to remember is that many employers in the US will pay for career-oriented schooling for their employees. It might be worthwhile to wait until you get to the US.

>>4) If you recommend MBA in US, how do we plan for his career during his pursuit of MBA...would you recommend that he move to US with an H1B and then pursue MBA and subsequently apply for the Green Card.<<

See Ray's reply to question 5. As long as your husband can get work privileges on his spouse's visa, just let him find an employer willing to pay for the MBA.

>>5) Assuming that I get a transfer to US, which if it happens will be on L1; what visa will my husband be eligible for.
Can I and if yes then what are the caveats for my husband if I am the principle applicant.<<

See Ray's reply.

>>6) Where can I read about apartments for rent and for purchasing (for planning our savings)<<

There are lots of nation-wide real estate agencies that post apartment listings for rent and for sale online. (For example, google any of the following: Century 21, Coldwell Banker, realtor.com - there are lots of others!) Or, look up the major newspapers in the cities you are considering and find their real estate section online. (For a couple good examples, check the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, San Jose Mercury News - or any other major city newspaper.)

>>7) How much of our savings should we set aside for rent and other utilities. Like rent in Singapore for a government owned apartment of 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 kitchen, 1 utility room (servants quarters) would be around SGD 1500 and monthly utilities would be around sgd 900-1200.<<

The US is a very big country and rents and utilities vary greatly from one region to the next. The most expensive are the East and West Coasts, particularly the big cities (and particularly New York City!). Things are somewhat less expensive in the South and Center - but again, big cities tend to have higher costs of living than suburbs and rural areas. The real estate sections of newspapers and many of the real estate websites have links to "cost of living calculators" that might be useful.

Don't worry - it all sounds overwhelming, but once the wheels are set in motion, things have a way of working out.
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

You mention servants quarters. One thing that you will find that is very different in the US is that very few people have live-in help, or even daily help. It's not too uncommon to have someone come in once a week to clean, though.

Another high-tech area to look at is Austin, Texas, which might be a little less expensive than some other areas.

As far as housing goes, if you were to choose Manhattan in New York City, and want to live there, rents are outrageous. Someone I know was renting out her studio (1-room) apartment (on Central Park, so extra expensive) for US$2000 per month, and that was four years ago. California can be equally bad.


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## karrots (Mar 28, 2008)

Hi, I can only help with question #7 . . . I like to look for apartment rentals on the website: ForRent dot com; and for houses to buy at: MLS dot com (sorry I can't just post the links since I'm too new to this site)

These websites will give you a broad range of choices for planning purposes, but it's always better to visit a place in person once you're serious. Best of luck!


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