More Than Ten Things New Assignees Should Know About U.S. Immigration

If you're on a non-immigrant visa into the US sponsored (or about to begin your assignment) here's some things that you should know.  With all the factors in your move and checklists you are no doubt receiving, please stop your multi-tasking for a moment and add a few things to know to your list of "To Dos."  Learn about your status in the U.S. for heaven's sake.

1. Don't go into auto-pilot and expect your human resources department to handle all immigration concerns for you.  It will be you (and potentially any accompanying family members who run the risk of being dragged into secondary inspection.
2. Do not start your assignment until you have your work visa in place.  In the U.S., you need the ever-loving social security number to function - and you won't get that until you enter with your work visa.
3. Do not rely on your host department for visa advise.  The assigned legal counsel and/or expatriate manager should be on your contact list on your phone, and use it.

A few more things to watch for:

• When you enter the U.S. for the first time and receive the I-94 card, remember to write your name exactly as it appears on your visa stamp.
• Ensure the date is entered MM-DD-YYYY, not the European format.
• When you go through customs, ensure the date of maximum stay entered there (handwritten BTW) is not today's date, but set for in the future. Do not overstay that date.

Things that expatriate's do that I love:

1. Come to HR or the Expatriate Manager with your questions.
2. Complain about bad service from any service providers who are paid by the company to assist you.
3. Give compliments to people who provide excellent service loudly.
4. Take an active role in advocating for your needs.
5. Talk to people you know who have worked internationally and keep that network active.
6. Make your family's needs in the first month your first priority.
7. Participate in any cultural training that is offered to you.

There's more to add to this list, but these are things that I have pointed out to hundreds of assignees, so much so that I have created template e-mails to advise people and to ensure that I cover it in my one-on-one sessions.

Tomorrow, my blog will cover the many benefits of cross-cultural training.

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“Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.”

- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra quotes (Spanish writer, author of the masterwork 'El quijote', 1547-1616)