Got My Green Card! What Should I Do Before I Leave My Country and After Arriving in United States? A Manual for New Immigrants to Settle in U.S.

Since the end of January 2018 until now, I have been starting to build my life in U.S. This is like a new chapter of my life, after I left Indonesia, the country I love and hate. This writing shall reflect the things I learned and contemplated from this particular period of my life.

I am writing this because when I got my green card, I am quite clueless as to what should I do for the next steps, so that when I finally settled in the United States (U.S.), I will be able to hit the ground and run. Unfortunately, as I searched online, there were so little of advice that I found to be helpful. Thus, I am writing this, specifically to all of you, as a new immigrant, who will be coming to U.S. in the near future, or perhaps have been settling in U.S. for a short while. I have done a lot of online research before doing what I did, so you could just follow some of my path, to save your time in starting your new life here.

As a background, after waiting for almost 7 years in my home country, Indonesia, since I submitted my mother's petition for me, an over 21 years old unmarried child of a U.S. citizen in 2011, I finally got an invitation for an interview in the U.S. Consular in my home country, Indonesia, and got my immigrant visa (a U.S. visa sticker in the Passport, with the writing "UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR," in the mid of September 2017. I arrived at the end of January 2018, and stay in the East Bay near San Francisco and Bay Area in California. So yes, my writing here is specifically written for those who got their permanent residence approval in their home country/outside the U.S. territory.

If I could turn back the time and have to go through the process, I will do the things below, specifically and strictly in the same sequence as I wrote below. The steps are divided in two categories, that is before you leave your home country, and after you arrived in U.S.

A. Things to do before leaving your home country

1. First, this particular advice is specifically for those who has not submit their DS-260 Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application form, before the interview. As you fill in the form, you will find this specific question, "Do you want the Social Security Administration to issue a Social Security number and a card?" I should have answered "NO." Why? Because, as I answered YES in the past, after I arrived in U.S. I must wait about 3 weeks for it to be processed and sent to me. If I answered NO, the next day after I arrived in U.S, I could just take my Passport AND original Certificate of Birth to the nearest local Social Security Administration (SSA) office to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) on the spot, and have them processed my application in about 1 week only! This step is very crucial, because in U.S., you could not do anything without SSN, therefore you must be able to get it as soon as possible. When you get your Social Security Card in the mail, don't tear the card from the stub with your name and address! You will need this as a whole for the purpose of applying for your Driver License/Identity Card in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
2. Second, pay your plastic Green Card immediately! As you received you Passport from the U.S. Consular, along with the sealed immigrant visa package that you must not open, check for any loose pages with a title "How do I Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee?" Read it thoroughly as you will find the information on how to pay for your plastic green card. Pay it as soon as possible. If you paid it before you leave your home country, good! If you have arrived in U.S., then pay now! Why? Because your plastic green card will only be processed and sent to you, only after you have paid for it. Your green card is very important, because without it, you will not be able to start looking for a job, not even a survival job. Don't even think about professional job for now, it is impossible! In my case, I received my plastic green card in the mail after 5 weeks since I came to U.S. Also remember, this Immigrant Fee is different from the payment you did to process your DS-260 application.
3. Third, if it is possible, sell your home before you leave your home country. This must be done only after you have received your Passport and the sealed immigrant visa package that you must not open. Yet, consider first whether you will be able to sell it within 5 months after you received the immigrant visa package, because on the 6th month you must have already been in the U.S. If you are not sure that it will be sold within 5 months, then it is best for you to lease/rent it for 1 or 2 years, so that when you leave your home country, you won't be bother by the thought of your home maintenance and able to focus yourself in starting your new life in U.S. 
4. Fourth, do you have a health insurance? If you don't have one, please get one for you in your home country. Health cost in U.S. is so expensive. Yes, you could apply for one here, but it will be expensive too, and there will be time when you cannot apply, because you still don't have Social Security Number, plastic Green Card, and Driver License/Identity Card. Otherwise, you will be exposed to a risk of having an accident/illness that causes you to have to pay a lot for medical bills.
5. Fifth, specifically for your personal property, you have three options. For the first option, you could sell it to your friends, and arrange with them to pick the item they've bought up at the date close to your departure. For the second option, if your personal belongings are not that much, you could have them sent by a logistic company (such as: UPS and FedEx, short time, expensive though), or by the cheaper postal service (by airmail is cheaper than logistics with slower shipping time, but more expensive than sea-mail, which is the cheapest and slowest shipping option). Pack them really-really wisely, especially for fragile items, as they will arrive in U.S. in a very battered condition. If you have a lot of personal property to be shipped, you could check sea cargo company for container shipping. Also check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website, to find the form for moving. The form will be needed so that your personal property will not be levied tax/customs charges in U.S., as if they were purchased and imported from abroad. (Current relevant web page address could be found HERE)
6. Sixth, plan to cancel all of your subscriptions, such as cable TV, internet, magazine, telephone, electricity, etc., that you will not need anymore, so that the cancellation shall be effective by the time you leave your home country. 
7. Seventh, cancel your credit cards. I'd rather think it is best for you to still have 1 or 2 credit cards to take to the U.S., because when you are in U.S., you will have to wait for Social Security Card, plastic Green Card, and Driver License/Identity Card before you could apply for a Credit Card here. That is when you need the credit card you obtained in your home country. The credit card will be needed most of the time for online payment/shopping, although here, in U.S., you could obtain a prepaid credit card (it came with a monthly fee though, like US$ 7 perhaps). 
8. Eighth, cancel your home country cell-phone numbers that you will not need anymore when you leave to U.S. I also think that it is best to still keep one, your primary cell phone number, until you are fully settled in U.S. You still have to make sure that your cell-phone number could be used in U.S to call, text message, and receive call. If it could be used in U.S., bring it with you. If it cannot be used in U.S., consider to trust it in one of your family/friend's hand. Why? Because there might be a time when you will need it to receive a text message/call, to verify your login activity into a certain of your online account in the internet (like Yahoo Mail account, or Gmail, Ebay, Paypal, anything, who knows). Check to your local cell-phone provider that you currently use.
9. Ninth, close the bank accounts you will not need anymore, but keep at least one bank account open for you to use when you are in U.S. Subscribe to, and activate its online banking feature, so that when you are in U.S., you still could make some online payments, or transfer to friends/family in your home country through that bank account. Don't forget to leave enough money in it as anticipation to cover online payments and transfers in a year or two!
10. Tenth, exchange most of your money into US$. You will need it here a lot. Just leave enough in your last bank account for future anticipated payments and transfers. Remember though, when you arrived in U.S., if you bring more than US$ 10,000 you must declare.

B. Things to do after arriving in United States

You have arrived in the U.S.? Good! Keep going! There are still many things to be done! Follow through with the steps below:

1. First, visit the Social Security Administration office near you immediately! The purpose of this visit is to check whether you have been assigned a Social Security Number (SSN) or not, if at the time you filled in the DS-260 Online Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration Application form, before the consular interview, you answered "YES" to the question, "Do you want the Social Security Administration to issue a Social Security number and a card?" If you answered "NO" to that question in that form, then this visit is for the purpose of applying for a new SSN. Remember to bring your Passport AND original Certificate of Birth on the spot. Again I stressed, this step is very crucial, because in U.S., you could not do anything without SSN, therefore you must be able to get it as soon as possible. Don't forget, when you get your Social Security Card in the mail, don't tear the card from the stub with your name and address! You will need this as a whole for the purpose of applying for your Driver License/Identity Card in the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). I got my SSN on the third week as of my arrival in U.S.
2. Second, make sure that you have already paid your plastic Green Card! As you received you Passport from the U.S. Consular, along with the sealed immigrant visa package that you must not open, check for any loose pages with a title "How do I Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee?" Read it thoroughly as you will find the information on how to pay for your plastic green card. Pay it as soon as possible. If you paid it before you leave your home country, good! If you have arrived in U.S., then pay now! Why? Because your plastic green card will only be processed and sent to you, only after you have paid for it. Your green card is very important, because without it, you will not be able to start looking for a job, not even a survival job. Don't even think about professional job for now, it is impossible! In my case, I received my plastic green card in the mail after 5 weeks since I came to U.S. Also remember, this Immigrant Fee is different from the payment you did to process your DS-260 application. 
3. Third, schedule an appointment at your local DMV to apply for a new Driver License/Identity Card. Although you have not received your Social Security Card and/or plastic Green Card, you could still schedule it online. Schedule it on about the 6th week after you arrival. If the approximation is correct, then you could go to the DMV a few days after you have got your Social Security Card and plastic Green Card, and you don't have to queue to long in the DMV. If it turns out that you have not got both your Social Security Card and plastic Green Card on the DMV appointment date, then just wait for both cards. When you have got both cards, you could go to the DMV without making an appointment, although that means you have to come early in the morning for the long queue. Remember to bring with you you plastic Green Card, and your Social Security Card (with its stub that shows your name and address). You really need the stubs that shows your address, as it is the only official document you have to proof your current address! Also, don't forget to learn/read the DMV booklet before coming to DMV for Driver License. The written test question everything about your driving knowledge and etiquette as informed in the booklet! You must also start to drive immediately and routinely, if it is possible, to familiarize yourself with the traffic and driving experience here, so that when the driving test date came, you'll be ready and pass the test just once. It is because the driving test itself is quite hard, and even sometimes the reviewer has a negative attitude that might give you more mental pressure.
4. Fourth, get a local cell phone number. For a more reliable connection, you better get the regular cell-phone service with its monthly billing, but if it is not possible yet, you could get a prepaid number. Prepare to spend about US$40 per month. It is because some prepaid service, in one way or another, make it hard for other people to call you, so you might lose an opportunity without knowing it (such as, not being able to receive a call from someone who would like you to come for a job interview. That sucks.)
5. Fifth, as you have got a Social Security Card and plastic Green Card, you could start looking for a job. Most of the time, it would be a survival job with minimum wage. This particular step shall need further elaboration to be discussed separately.
6. Sixth, once you have got your Driver License/Identity Card, you must get a Bank Account  Bank Account is needed to keep your money safe. While there are a lot of Bank to be considered, I found that Chase is a quite convenient bank with so many ATMs spread out through the country, at least here in Bay Area. I opened my Bank Account in Citibank due to two reasons: first, that Citibank is also operated in Indonesia, so that whenever I could sell my home in Indonesia, I could use its global transfer feature to move the money here, and second, I could have a Citi Secured Credit Card. Gosh I was wrong on this part. Check out the next step.
7. Seventh, apply for a Secured Credit Card. You have to do this as soon as possible, and as soon as feasible. Why? Because you will have to build Credit Score. Credit score is very much needed for pretty much anything, like applying for credit card, mortgage, house/apartment rental, etc. I have no idea. The Credit Score shows how reliable are you in paying your due obligation. But you have to have Credit Score to apply for a credit card! Yes, that's why as a new immigrant in U.S., you cannot apply for a normal credit card. You could only have a Secured Credit Card as your first credit card. "Secured" means that you have to deposit a certain amount of money as a collateral against your use of the credit card. Usually, the credit limit being allowed is equal to the amount of deposit. For your first Secured Credit Card, apply for Discover credit card online, through www.discover.com. I got called for a verification within 3 days after I submitted the online application, and got my plastic card within the next 2 weeks afterwards. There were other secured credit cards like Capital One, Bank of America (BoA), Citi Secured Credit Card, but don't waste going through what I did. Why? My application for Citi Secured Credit Card were declined, not once, but twice  for unreasonable reason and requests,* wasting a week or two of my time waiting for it, only to be rejected! I deposited US$200 to secure the Discover credit card. Consequently, it came with a credit limit of US$200. Now, as caveat, just make sure to use not more than 30-33% of the US$200 in a month, that is around US$60. Otherwise it will have a negative effect on the credit score (We cannot pay $500 in advance and then use $500 to purchase something though. Although, logically, it looks like we used 0 of the credit limit, by the industry practice it is considered as we have used 100% of the credit limit, and that is bad) . Within 6-12 months we should be able to graduate from the secured credit card into the normal unsecured credit card.
8. Eighth, this should be the last piece to do in order to fully settle yourself in the U.S., shortly, that is to get a professional job/career with respect to your professional skills, experience, and educational background, by starting to make a great personal resume in accordance with the U.S. business standard and polishing your skills to get a job. Look for a friend who could help you or coach you. I myself have been helped a lot by Upwardly Global (www.upwardlyglobal.org). This is a non-profit organization across U.S. with a goal to helped immigrants and refugees to succeed in U.S., by providing coaching, etc., enabling them to compete in U.S. job market and getting professional jobs. Thank you Upwardly Global.

I think that should have cover the essentials you need to do to start your new life and survive here, in U.S. I really hope this might help someone out there. If it is beneficial, please extend this article to anyone who you think might need it.

Best regards,
S.H.

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* Unreasonable reason: "We could not verify the address or Social Security Number that you provided." It will be secured by the way with my own money, and the card will be set to have a limit of equal to the security deposit. Unreasonable requests: "... please provide us with the documents requested below: a copy of one of the following that clearly shows your complete Social Security number:

• Your Social Security card (yes, this is reasonable, but please provide a mean to upload it online! instead of sending through mail, Discover could do it, why don't you?)
• A pay statement issued within the last 30 days (I should wait for another month?)
• A bank or broker statement (I should wait for another month?)

Also, send us a copy of your most recent home phone bill showing the phone number and the name and address to which the phone is listed. If the phone is not in your name, please also include a copy of one of the following that clearly shows your name and home address:

• A bank statement (I should wait for another month?)
• A credit card statement (I should wait for another month?)
• A paid utility bill other than your telephone bill (I should wait for another month? I just came here recently by the way. If I have a telephone/utility bill, I might not need your secured card anymore)

Additionally, please provide your date of birth __/__/____." (really? I provided to you in my application, why should I do it now again?)