# Moving to Duluth Georgia



## ghsoft (May 22, 2011)

Hello all,

I am currently working in an international company and I am offered a relocation to US, Duluth Georgia, the offer is as follows:

The salary range is 45,000 – 50,000 US Dollars. This does not include overtime I will occasionally log.

Here are the benefits package:

I will be eligible to receive benefits in accordance with the Company’s policies. Benefits currently available for eligible employees include: 

1-	Health & dental insurance
2-	Life insurance in the amount of one year’s salary
3-	Long term and short term disability
4-	After completing six months of employment, eligibility for the company’s 401(k) and Profit Sharing. The company’s Profit Sharing is solely contributed by the Company.
5-	After completing six months of employment and in accordance with the employee manual, the Company will match 100% of your 401K-deferral contributions that do not exceed 3% of your compensation, plus 50% of your 401K deferral that exceeds 3% of compensation; not to exceed 5% of compensation.
6-	Flexible Spending after six months of employment
7-	Employee Assistance Program 
8-	Ten paid Holidays
9-	22 days of PTO (Personal Time Off) as outlined in the Employee Handbook 

Currently the company pays 100% of all employee insurance coverage (health, dental, STD, LTD, Life & ADD). The cost of the insurance coverage exceeds $6,000.00 annually. Employees may purchase health and dental insurance benefits for their dependents through payroll deductions. At the time of your orientation, you will be provided with information about the benefits enrollment process, eligibility criteria for these benefits, and the effective dates of coverage. 

I would like to know how good is this offer? and what is the average living cost for a family of Dad, Mom and a 2-month baby-girl

Also as I am new to US, I don't know what are the things in the above details 4 to 9, if you can please help me with explaining them as well.

Thanks all


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

401k is a pre-tax savings plan. It is limited to a certain percentage (Bev will know more) and your employer will match your contributions probably in increments. You cannot access it until you are of retirement age unless you pay penalties and tax on it but you can use it as collateral. 
Profit sharing is a company decison which depends on management decision. There is no given amount/percentage or guarantee of it being a regular occurance.
PTO - your sick and vacation days.
Overtime - it is a factor you cannot rely on.

My sister lives in Duluth. You have no issue with a heavy Mexican/Korean population I hope. Groceries are strangely inexpensive. You will need at least one car as there is no public transportation to speak of.

Take your gross pay, deduct 20% tax, medical for your family, co-pays for medical, basics such as utilities, insurances ... it will be tight but maybe your wife can pick up a part time job, can she?


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

You need to find out how much you will be paying in medical insurance premiums for your wife and child - the company is apparently paying all of your premium for insurance.

Sometimes the premiums for dependents can be relatively high, and other posters have found them to be too expensive. So get an accurate figure for this expense.

You should also try and find what percentage of bills the insurance pays, the deductibles and co-pays - this is what YOU pay in addition to the premiums.

You cannot be without health insurance for any of your family.

The rest of the package sounds pretty standard.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

The 401K is a retirement savings plan. You can deduct what you put into the plan from your salary for tax purposes, and you are not taxed on any gains in the plans while you're under retirement age. You are taxed on the money when you withdraw it at retirement. Besides US Social Security (for which you need to contribute for 10 years to be eligible to draw benefits at retirement) a 401K is the standard type of retirement plan in the US these days.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

ghsoft said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I am currently working in an international company and I am offered a relocation to US, Duluth Georgia, the offer is as follows:
> 
> ...


Oh, one more thing. Don't ever count with any overtime to set your family budget, as you -foreigner worker- will be limited to certain amount of hours. The company I worked for in the US, only allowed me to let foreign workers clock a maximum of 10 OT hours weekly, and I can tell you that it wasn't related to any budget restriction. 

Animo
(Cheers)


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## ghsoft (May 22, 2011)

Thank you all for your valuable replies, I could understand from the above that the package is not bad and I should survive with it?
On the other hand and from the information above, will I be paying any taxes from my salary or this 45 to 50k will be a net salary?
by the way, what is the cost of 2bed apartment in Duluth? and an average insurance for my wife and kid?

Cheers


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## ghsoft (May 22, 2011)

Hello,

By the way, will I be eligible to apply for the US nationality? (how many years I have to stay before applying if so?) , this is an important factor to meas well to accept the offer frankly.

Thanks


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

ghsoft said:


> Thank you all for your valuable replies, I could understand from the above that the package is not bad and I should survive with it?
> On the other hand and from the information above, will I be paying any taxes from my salary or this 45 to 50k will be a net salary?
> by the way, what is the cost of 2bed apartment in Duluth? and an average insurance for my wife and kid?
> 
> Cheers


Salaries in the US are always "gross" - i.e. before any taxes or deductions are taken. You have to establish with your employer your family size and your desires regarding how much tax is to be withheld from your paychecks. There are also state and local taxes to reckon with. 

Your participation in the 401K retirement plan and a number of other factors will affect your tax situation, too.
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

ghsoft said:


> Thank you all for your valuable replies, I could understand from the above that the package is not bad and I should survive with it?
> On the other hand and from the information above, will I be paying any taxes from my salary or this 45 to 50k will be a net salary?
> by the way, what is the cost of 2bed apartment in Duluth? and an average insurance for my wife and kid?
> 
> Cheers


Please read the information folks posted for you.
Of course you will pay taxes on your salary and of course it will be extremely tight. Your insurance is through your employer so this is the source you will information about coverage and premiums from. I do not understand why you will be given information about eligibility at on-boarding which gives you no time to review the complete expat package.
There is no way to give you an average rent plus utilities for an apartment. It depends on what area, what your needs and wants are. Consider traffic and commute. Take your place of employment, draw a reasonable commute circle and start using Google to find rentals or real estate agents handling rentals. Sis paid 1200 for 2 br/2 bath/2 garage off Peachtree about five years ago. Do not forget utilitites/phones/tv/internet. Not to mention car and insurance.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

ghsoft said:


> Hello,
> 
> By the way, will I be eligible to apply for the US nationality? (how many years I have to stay before applying if so?) , this is an important factor to meas well to accept the offer frankly.
> 
> Thanks


Time to do some homework! Read up on US citizenship at uscis.gov, the stickies at the beginning of the US forum and a lot of the posts. 
First you need a Green Card which your employer has to sponsor you for (unless you qualify for Diversity Lottery or some other options which you can read up) which will cost him time and money plus waiting times between 1 and 10+ years (travel.state.gov has the details under Visa Bulletin) and once you have it you are free to change employers. Five years later you can apply for citizenship. Will US immigration policy change over the next couple of years? Who knows.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Sorry, but I just thought of this. Your list of job benefits doesn't mention the visa your employer will transfer you on. Usually, this is an L category (i.e. transfer) visa, but not all employers are qualified to get L visas for their transfers.

You may want to ask specifically what sort of visa they are offering - for you and for your family. You should also inquire about relocation benefits - i.e. are they paying for you to move to the US and on what terms?
Cheers,
Bev


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

ghsoft said:


> Thank you all for your valuable replies, I could understand from the above that the package is not bad and I should survive with it?
> On the other hand and from the information above, will I be paying any taxes from my salary or this 45 to 50k will be a net salary?
> by the way, what is the cost of 2bed apartment in Duluth? and an average insurance for my wife and kid?
> 
> Cheers


The salary quoted is "gross"and yes, you will be paying taxes from this. Google Duluth to find out a ball park figure for apartments to rent. There is no average insurance premium. Ask you prospective employer how much the premiums will be for your dependents.

Where are you living now by the way and what visa is your employer getting for you?


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

Thank you all for your valuable replies, I could understand from the above that the package is not bad and I should survive with it?
On the other hand and from the information above, will I be paying any taxes from my salary or this 45 to 50k will be a net salary?

*With all due respect, I truly believe an Expat shouldn’t have to “survive”, but to make a decent living. Expats “should have unique skills” citizens or PR’s of any given country don’t have, hence intra-company transfers take place and International Head Hunters have jobs. I strongly suggest you read your relocation package thoroughly, before you put your family and yourself in a very unpleasant predicament. I will tell you point blank, if the same package, as you posted it, was offered to me I will reject it without a doubt, but that’s me. *

by the way, what is the cost of 2bed apartment in Duluth?

*The rental cost of a 2 bedroom apartment can start at $500.00 in a rough neighborhood, and $750.00 - $ 900.00 in a decent area. Check this: *Apartments For Rent in Duluth, GA - ForRent.com

*Then you will have to add: cable, Internet, landline (you can get a bundle through Verizon, Comcast or local providers - most of them start at $100.00 p/m), electricity (depends on usage/season), renters insurance $15.00 - $41.00 p/m, car insurance $100.00 p/m and upwards (you have no driving record in the US), gas (for a small car $45.00 weekly), groceries heavily depends on your likes/wants/lifestyle/diet (our monthly grocery bill was $800.00 – my wife only eats organic food-), clothing, and so on and so forth.*

and an average insurance for my wife and kid?
*In most cases, large employers can offer affordable H&D Insurance packages. My former employer offers tier plans with an annual premium base of $3,500.00 and upwards. What does your employer offer?* 

By the way, will I be eligible to apply for the US nationality? (how many years I have to stay before applying if so?) , this is an important factor to meas well to accept the offer frankly.

*This depends on your employer. If they are willing to endure such an uphill battle, and you willing to wait years, upon years in a “survival mode”; then first in 5 to 7 years you will become a permanent resident (AKA: green card holder), and 5 years later you can apply for citizenship or 3 years if you joint the armed forces and serve in active duty, like me!*

Animo 
(Cheers)


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## ghsoft (May 22, 2011)

Thanks guys,

When I said "survive" that doesn't mean to live a tight life, i am currently living in Dubai and I am earning quite good here in my company but the problem is that there is no way to get a citizenship here and in my home country Syria, the political situation is too bad and there is no way to go back there soon, and I was planning to immigrate to Canada or Australia or US, and therefore I have spoken to the GM in my subsidiary and asked him to find me a place to relocate to in order to get a citizenship even in long term.

I can say I am an expert in my company and because of my request they found me only the position with the above package, so I am not supposed to stay on the same situation with them for 5-10 years without a change, in addition to that, and as I know what is the work nature in this company, I know that I will be logging some OT which should be good, also I am developing my own applications on iPhone and I am selling well which will be an extra income!

Again, my main concern to be frank is the citizenship, which as I understood from your posts guys that it fully depends on what/how my employer will make it, and this is exactly what I am going to discuss with them before accepting/rejecting this offer in addition to trying to push the salary a little up, hope that will work!

Thanks again for all the details you posted above, really appreciated.

Cheers


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Jrge said:


> By the way, will I be eligible to apply for the US nationality? (how many years I have to stay before applying if so?) , this is an important factor to meas well to accept the offer frankly.
> 
> *This depends on your employer. If they are willing to endure such an uphill battle, and you willing to wait years, upon years in a “survival mode”; then first in 5 to 7 years you will become a permanent resident (AKA: green card holder), and 5 years later you can apply for citizenship or 3 years if you joint the armed forces and serve in active duty, like me!*
> 
> ...


Your statement regarding US citizenship via joining the US Armed Forces is not correct. The US soldier can apply immediately for citizenship. The three year period applies to Green Card holding spouses of US citizens.


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

twostep said:


> Your statement regarding US citizenship via joining the US Armed Forces is not correct. The US soldier can apply immediately for citizenship. The three year period applies to Green Card holding spouses of US citizens.


You are right! Checked with the boss of the house, and indeed you are 100% right. Can't believe 7 years have gone by!


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