Immigrating to the US

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Jerepigo

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Following up on the suggestions made in the "Immigrating to the UK", I think it would be fitting to have one for those who are planning to move to the US since it appears that there are quite a few members here who already live there full time. So the purpose of this thread is for knowledge sharing and to be kind of a support group for those relocating to a city in the US.

I'm planning on moving there soon (I dont know when because the US Consulate has chosen to give me the silent treatment for weeks with zero info about when I can get my VISA). I would like for those who have had experience moving there to chime in and provide some guidance for those in my position so that the move is as painless as possible.

I'm gonna be working in New York where i'll need to be at the office at least twice a week so I'm open to staying in New York or New Jersey as long as the rent is affordable. My budget for rent is $3000 pm but I can probably push it to $3500pm if the need arises.

- How does one go about handling finances during and after the move? I have no assets in SA so I dont have to sell any house or car.
- Do I need to move all my money/savings to an offshore bank?
- How soon can I get an American bank account?
- Don't I need a credit score before I can be able to apply for an apartment to rent?
- What are good places to find temporary accommodation while I try to find a place to rent?
- Are there any SA communities in the NY/NJ areas?
- Is there anything else I haven't accounted for that I need to do or know about?
 
What kind of visa are you moving there on?

I'd like to move my family to the USA probably in 2024. I work remotely, so we'd probably end up in something like Kentucky (the rich parts of it) or Idaho.
 
Ancalagon said:
What kind of visa are you moving there on?

I'd like to move my family to the USA probably in 2024. I work remotely, so we'd probably end up in something like Kentucky (the rich parts of it) or Idaho.
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H1B
 
gregmcc said:
Rent is going to be through the roof in NY.
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It already is, unfortunately. I've watched a few videos on Youtube of people apartment hunting and the average rate for 1 BR flat is around $3500. I am willing to stay far from the main city if it means chopping down my rent to something manageable. I really don't mind the commute as long as it is not more than an hour each way.
 
Jerepigo said:
- How does one go about handling finances during and after the move? I have no assets in SA so I dont have to sell any house or car.
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I just left. Today, I believe you will need to notify SARS that you are becoming a non-resident.
Jerepigo said:
- Do I need to move all my money/savings to an offshore bank?
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You don't need to - you can use your cards in the US.
Jerepigo said:
- How soon can I get an American bank account?
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Pretty much immediately. I got a Wells Fargo account before I even had my SS number. You should also ask for a "Secured Credit Card", so that you can start building up your credit record.
Jerepigo said:
- Don't I need a credit score before I can be able to apply for an apartment to rent?
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It helps, but it's certainly not necessary. I just paid a security deposit of one month's rent.
Jerepigo said:
- What are good places to find temporary accommodation while I try to find a place to rent?
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AirBnb? I've had corporate housing provided for me (1-2 months) whenever I moved cities.
Jerepigo said:
- Are there any SA communities in the NY/NJ areas?
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The "South Africans in New York & New Jersey" FB group has over 3000 members. There's also "South Africans in the USA".
Jerepigo said:
- Is there anything else I haven't accounted for that I need to do or know about?
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Get your SS number as soon as you can. A lot of things may depend on that (even if they theoretically should not - e.g., some banks, medical cover, etc.).
Also make sure that you have medical insurance if there's a gap between when you arrive and when you start working.
 
Jerepigo said:
It already is, unfortunately. I've watched a few videos on Youtube of people apartment hunting and the average rate for 1 BR flat is around $3500. I am willing to stay far from the main city if it means chopping down my rent to something manageable. I really don't mind the commute as long as it is not more than an hour each way.
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Zillow.com is a good tool for looking at property to buy or rent. My take on location vs space, is that if you can stay in the city (are your offices in Manhattan?), you will have the best experience. Rather get a studio in the city than a bigger apartment elsehwere - if you're young, you'll probably just use it for sleeping. :-)

Also, in the US, a "condo/condominium" is a flat that's individually owned, and "apartment" usually refers one that's rented (usually in an "apartment block", which is a renter-only block, entirely owned by a company), and a "flat" is punctured tire. :-) In NY people usually know what a flat is, because it's more cosmopolitan.

Also, for completeness, a "co-op/housing-cooperative" is a block of flats that are owned by the residents, but the residents are shareholders in a company that owns the building, rather than owing their unit explicitly, and it requires approval from the co-op board for one to "buy" a unit (become a shareholder) - so one has to "apply" to cooperative instead. Pretty weird stuff, but has its pros and cons.
 
So what is the best place to book a flight that is cheap? Also would appreciate tips on how to prevent tailbone pain for sitting too long. I already struggle sitting through a 2 hour local flight without my tailbone being on fire.
 
Jerepigo said:
So what is the best place to book a flight that is cheap? Also would appreciate tips on how to prevent tailbone pain for sitting too long. I already struggle sitting through a 2 hour local flight without my tailbone being on fire.
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Most people I know use Kayak.com for this. Usually, the more hops the cheaper the flight. It may take longer, but it also means more breaks if sitting too long is a problem.

For the last 10-15 years I’ve flown only business or first, which is great for the tailbone, but less great on your bank account. There’s a ton of stuff online about gaming the points systems to get free/cheap upgrades and such, but they mostly apply to people already in the US.
 
I think the layover time will give my pelvic region a break from all the stress. Do you know if there is a preferred time of arrival? I dont want to arrive at hours where it will inconvenience me to get to the airBnB as efficient as possible.
 
Also check out leaving from alternate airports, eg flew business class from JNB instead of CPT for over R20,000 cheaper due to a temporary pricing anomaly.
 
Cage Rattler said:
Also check out leaving from alternate airports, eg flew business class from JNB instead of CPT for over R20,000 cheaper due to a temporary pricing anomaly.
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JHB prices seem much more expensive currently, compared to flying from CPT.
 
Jerepigo said:
- How does one go about handling finances during and after the move? I have no assets in SA so I dont have to sell any house or car.
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cguy said:
I just left. Today, I believe you will need to notify SARS that you are becoming a non-resident.
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Although not USA specific, when moving abroad from RSA it's best to book a meeting and pay a company like Sable to deal with SARS for you. It's expensive in Rand terms but by the time you start paying them for their service you would've been earning Euros/Dollars for over a year. But you can do it yourself, yes.

To make it easy for yourself sell everything you can (investments, houses, cars etc) in a tax efficient manner, keep one bank account open and file your tax return. You also want to inform SARS that you are not a tax resident anymore - it is a separate process but I think you can do it in parallel.

Once SARS issues you a letter stating they confirm you are not a tax resident anymore and you have no financial affairs left in SA (except and RA maybe) you can close your SA bank account.

(You need the bank account in case you need to pay SARS or SARS needs to pay you).
 
cguy answered most of your questions.

I would recommend speaking to a tax advisor before leaving SA. You want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row for the SARS process. I used Sable and they were great.

There are some tax practitioners in the US that used to be CAs in South Africa, so they are easier to work with when they need to take both countries into account. It makes it easier filing your US taxes.
 
Hamster said:
Although not USA specific, when moving abroad from RSA it's best to book a meeting and pay a company like Sable to deal with SARS for you. It's expensive in Rand terms but by the time you start paying them for their service you would've been earning Euros/Dollars for over a year. But you can do it yourself, yes.

To make it easy for yourself sell everything you can (investments, houses, cars etc) in a tax efficient manner, keep one bank account open and file your tax return. You also want to inform SARS that you are not a tax resident anymore - it is a separate process but I think you can do it in parallel.

Once SARS issues you a letter stating they confirm you are not a tax resident anymore and you have no financial affairs left in SA (except and RA maybe) you can close your SA bank account.

(You need the bank account in case you need to pay SARS or SARS needs to pay you).
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Thanks, this is very helpful. I dont have assets here so I think my taxes should be fairly simple to consolidate. By "expensive", how much are we talking? I must say, you and the poster above sound like Sable employees pitching your services to a potential client.
 
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