# New to it all



## Clare FF (Oct 27, 2014)

Hi, I am new to this so apologies if what I'm asking has been covered before/should be asked in a different way. I am a UKC due to move to Cincinnati in Jan 2015 on a religious worker's visa. I have visited the area repeatedly over the last 7 years or so, but the idea of actually living and working there is very new to me.

My visa application is currently being processed through an expedited route by my prospective employers in the US. I believe at some point I will have to make an appointment to visit the US consulate in London for an interview ~does anyone know what to expect for this? I don't really have any idea what is involved and it would be good to prepare now if possible.

Secondly, I'd like to open a U.S. bank account now and start building up some kind of credit history -does anyone know if this is possible?

I would also love to hear any general advice whatsoever: hints, tips, avoid this, try that... sort of stuff from those who've done this before.
Thanks in advance, Clare


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

The consulate visit is actually pretty simple. There used to be a little video on the Consulate website that went through what to expect. Main thing is to have all your necessary documents in order and ready to hand over to the person you're dealing with. Any questions, just answer truthfully, but don't answer any questions you weren't asked. (Same as dealing with any government officials.)

While you may be able to open a bank account remotely, you really will need to have a US Social Security number and be on site before you can start building a credit history. These days, the banks have the Know-Your-Customer regs to satisfy, and despite it not being "necessary" to have a SSN in order to open a bank account, it does appear to be necessary for the credit agencies to track and report on your credit in the US. 
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

You can open an account with one of the super regional banks with branches in the UK. You will not start building credit by having an account.


----------



## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

That's right, you get a credit history by getting credit - spending money. You would have to get a credit card and use it, and it's extremely unlikely that you can get a US credit card until you arrive. Even then it will be difficult, and you would expect to have a very low spend limit.


----------



## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

R-1 visa is the visa with the highest amount of fraud 
expect you and the employer to be fully investigated 
if not a mainstream religious organization

to get a credit rating takes around a year after you arrive


----------



## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

You _might_ be able to get a U.S. credit card immediately after you arrive if you're a well established, reputable customer with one of the banks that does substantial business in both the U.K. and the U.S., e.g. HSBC.

I wouldn't worry about it, though. As Bellthorpe mentions it's pretty easy to get a low limit/secured credit card, and that's all you need to rent a car (for example) which is one of the very few things you cannot do easily without a credit card. (Not impossible, though.) But you can also rent a car with a foreign credit card then pay for that car when you return it with a U.S. debit card (or even cash), so lack of a U.S. credit card _really_ isn't a problem.

Yes, having a good credit history is important for getting loans. But you aren't going to be taking out a mortgage until _well_ after you arrive (I hope), and perhaps not even then.

The U.S. doesn't really have much of an overdraft culture in the U.K. sense where the banks make it difficult to get an ordinary bank account without overdraft rights. (It's gotten easier in the U.K. to get simple, non-overdraft bank accounts, but the banks try to hide such products a bit since they like the overdraft fees.) For example, these days you can step into any Walmart store in the U.S. and get an American Express Bluebird account. It's a very simple non-overdraft debit account with low fees, and it's actually pretty good. Every Walmart store is thus your bank branch with that account, and there are lots of fee-free ATMs in the Bluebird "MoneyPass" network. You can receive wages into that account via direct deposit quite easily, too. Between ATM cash withdrawals and your American Express Bluebird debit card it's just as easy to spend from that account. Good stuff, really.


----------



## Clare FF (Oct 27, 2014)

These replies are great, really helpful. Thank you all for responding so quickly.
In terms of building credit, it's pretty clear from what you've said I can't do that until I arrive, but it sounds like that won't create much of a problem so all's good there.
I didn't realise the R-1 visa has been so open to abuse; hopefully I'll be OK as it is a very much a mainstream religious organisation (a Catholic diocese).
Thanks again, I really appreciate the time people took to reply.


----------



## Clare FF (Oct 27, 2014)

Bevdeforges said:


> The consulate visit is actually pretty simple. There used to be a little video on the Consulate website that went through what to expect. Main thing is to have all your necessary documents in order and ready to hand over to the person you're dealing with. Any questions, just answer truthfully, but don't answer any questions you weren't asked. (Same as dealing with any government officials.)
> 
> Cheers,
> Bev


This is great advice Bev, thanks a lot. Do you know where I might get a list of the documents they are likely to want to see? I thought there'd be one on their website, but unless I'm being really thick (wouldn't be the first time  ), I haven't been able to find it...

Thanks again, Clare


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

The London Consulate has a page with all the various YouTube videos on immigration. There's one on "what not to forget" when going for your appointment. Looks interesting: Visa Videos | Embassy of the United States
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Check with your employer. The Diocese may have a so called credit union which will be able to take care of your banking needs.


----------



## Clare FF (Oct 27, 2014)

Sorry, I didn't realise I'd received 2 further replies. I've now received the visa approval documentation and it has a list of what to bring to the interview.
Thanks to Bevdeforges and Twostep (credit unions can be great but I'm not going to bother opening an account ahead of my arrival -I was only going to do so if it might kickstart building credit history).
Next step = the US Consulate in London...
Thanks again, Clare


----------

