PLEASE IGNORE THE DATES GENERATED BY THE BLOG SITE - I HAVE TO PUT THE DATES IN REVERSE ORDER FOR THE BLOG TO READ FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, SO I JUST ENTER RANDOM DATES THAT ARE PREVIOUS TO THE OLDER POSTS. THE ONLY DATES APPLICABLE ARE THOSE MENTIONED BY ME, NOT BY THE BLOGSITE
I have realised that it is VERY difficult to contact me via this blogsite so am taking the risk that I don't get inundated with spam by giving out my email, but I know SO many people want to email me with their questions and queries and I really do want to help each and every one of you as much as I can, so if you want to email me please do via SCURTISCO at AOL dot COM (If I write it the usual way then I know spambots will trove my address and I really will be sorry!). But please, feel free to email me with any queries, concerns, questions, worries and so on you may have.
This Blog the third in my series which follows the story of how I came to be an American Pharmacist. The story is told in full through:
http://fpgee-test.blogspot.com/
http://h1b-lottery.blogspot.com/
http://naplex-test.blogspot.com/
Which I hope should make life a lot easier to understand for anyone trying to follow in my footsteps, since I found the process to be agonizingly painful every step of the way, and could have killed for a resource like this!
Anyway, I shall begin this section in earnest once I have heard the good news that I was successful in the H1B lottery of April 2008, and will report here of whatever comes next in the journey to becoming an R.Ph.
Farmacyst
Monday, 21 April 2008
Wednesday, 20 December 2006
The information gradually seeps out....
OK, this is all rather complicated, but first of all let me cut and paste most of the announcement that came from USCIS on April 14th 2007:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today conducted the computer-generated random selection processes on H-1B petitions...for the 65,000 cap.
The approximately 163,000 petitions received on the first five days of the eligible filing period for FY 2009 (April 1 through April 7, 2008) were labeled with unique numerical identifiers. Petitioners whose properly filed petitions have been selected for full adjudication should receive a receipt notice dated no later than June 2, 2008. USCIS will return unselected petitions with the fee(s) to petitioners or their authorized representatives. As previously announced, duplicate filings will be returned without the fee. The total adjudication process is expected to take approximately eight to ten weeks.
For cases selected through the random selection process and initially filed for premium processing, the 15-day premium processing period begins today (April 14), the day of the random selection process.
USCIS has “wait-listed” some H-1B petitions, meaning they may possibly replace petitions chosen to receive an FY-2009 cap number, but that subsequently are denied, withdrawn, or otherwise found ineligible. USCIS will retain these petitions until a decision is made whether they will replace a previously selected petition. USCIS will send a letter to the wait list petitioners to inform them of their status
USCIS expects that for each of these wait-listed petitions, it will either issue a receipt notice or return the petition with fees within six to eight weeks.
--
OK, so here's my take on the above:
First of all they gather all the files collected during the five day window. They number them 1 to 163,000 and then let a computer randomly select 65,000. These 65,000 are divided between fast-track who will be informed within 15 days of their final status (namely that their paperwork was filed correctly, that they have not been flagged as having any convictions or perversions, and that the US Government have granted them a visa), and those that were non-fast-tracked will be told their final status by 2nd June. But, I believe, all of these 65,000 will have been given (well, their sponsor will have received for them) a "receipt notice", which they can use to track the status of their case on the USCIS website.
A further number of files will be have been retained as reserves to replace any of the 65,000 that aren't finally taken, but may not be told for 6-8 weeks, with the remainder being returned to the sponsor.
So, either you get a case number, you get your file returned, or its retained for 6-8 weeks as a stand-by, but stand-by's will get told they are in the stand-by group.
I got a RECEIPT NOTICE.
My sponsor told me I could follow the progress of the file on the USCIS website.
I BELIEVE I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE 2008 LOTTERY.
Farmacyst
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today conducted the computer-generated random selection processes on H-1B petitions...for the 65,000 cap.
The approximately 163,000 petitions received on the first five days of the eligible filing period for FY 2009 (April 1 through April 7, 2008) were labeled with unique numerical identifiers. Petitioners whose properly filed petitions have been selected for full adjudication should receive a receipt notice dated no later than June 2, 2008. USCIS will return unselected petitions with the fee(s) to petitioners or their authorized representatives. As previously announced, duplicate filings will be returned without the fee. The total adjudication process is expected to take approximately eight to ten weeks.
For cases selected through the random selection process and initially filed for premium processing, the 15-day premium processing period begins today (April 14), the day of the random selection process.
USCIS has “wait-listed” some H-1B petitions, meaning they may possibly replace petitions chosen to receive an FY-2009 cap number, but that subsequently are denied, withdrawn, or otherwise found ineligible. USCIS will retain these petitions until a decision is made whether they will replace a previously selected petition. USCIS will send a letter to the wait list petitioners to inform them of their status
USCIS expects that for each of these wait-listed petitions, it will either issue a receipt notice or return the petition with fees within six to eight weeks.
--
OK, so here's my take on the above:
First of all they gather all the files collected during the five day window. They number them 1 to 163,000 and then let a computer randomly select 65,000. These 65,000 are divided between fast-track who will be informed within 15 days of their final status (namely that their paperwork was filed correctly, that they have not been flagged as having any convictions or perversions, and that the US Government have granted them a visa), and those that were non-fast-tracked will be told their final status by 2nd June. But, I believe, all of these 65,000 will have been given (well, their sponsor will have received for them) a "receipt notice", which they can use to track the status of their case on the USCIS website.
A further number of files will be have been retained as reserves to replace any of the 65,000 that aren't finally taken, but may not be told for 6-8 weeks, with the remainder being returned to the sponsor.
So, either you get a case number, you get your file returned, or its retained for 6-8 weeks as a stand-by, but stand-by's will get told they are in the stand-by group.
I got a RECEIPT NOTICE.
My sponsor told me I could follow the progress of the file on the USCIS website.
I BELIEVE I HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE 2008 LOTTERY.
Farmacyst
Tuesday, 19 December 2006
The long hot summer....
Ok, where to begin with "what happened next" in this story? Well, let me try and remember because its been quite a while.
First of all I could see from the UCSIS website link that I had received the all important receipt number. That is what you want to get in the lottery as it means you have been successfully drawn from the big pile. It doesn't quite 100% mean you have been accepted, but it's about 99.999% good. The only way that you would fail from being fully accepted would be if they discover an error, omission or legal problem with your application. Since the lawyers are paid a goodly sum to get it right, you wouldn't expect an issue, but I guess with 165,000 applications there might be one or two that hit an issue - although perhaps they can still be corrected.
Once the authorities have confirmed the application is acceptable, they send the employer an email saying this, and the employer then sends a load of documents to the applicant which they have to look through VERY carefully. Lots of the forms need to be filled out ONLINE and printed off (they can't be printed off THEN filled out) and an interview at the stated US Consulate needs to be arranged for the passports to be stamped for the whole family.
Now, since my situation is a little different I can raise some other points of note - as always because I have had to work this stuff out the hard way.
I got the OK from the H1B lottery during April 2008. I had a contract for my business in England which had a 3-month exit clause, which meant if I worked the full 3 months (ie May, June and July) I would be able to pop over to America from 1st August to set up my residence over there prior to starting work from 1st October. However, the terms of the visa (work permit) are such that once the passports have been stamped YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE USA UNTIL 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THE WORK PERMIT. That meant that if I got my visa stamped I couldn't go to the States to set up my house until 1st October, when I assumed I was going to be starting work. Hmmmmm. However, I was allowed to go in the US under a normal "holiday" visa, if I hadn't had my interview with the Consulate, but then I would need to get back to England, get the passports stamped and then go back to America again. All seemed a bit too complicated.
So my wife and I had a little chat and we decided that the best plan of action was to see if I could close my current contract with just 2 months notice, and go to California for a long "holiday" from 1st July, then return to England end of August to say our goodbyes there, sit around for a month doing nothing there, and finally making the permanent move from the 21st September, 10 days prior to the start of the work permit, as was allowed.
I put the request in, and after much humming and hawwing from the other party in my contract I was allowed to close my contract a month early. Thus from July 3rd I have been in California getting things organised - which has been (of course) a lot more complicated than expected, and worthy of sharing in the next blog entry, so that you can appreciate the problems that may arise when you, hopefully, make your move to the USA.
Farmacyst
First of all I could see from the UCSIS website link that I had received the all important receipt number. That is what you want to get in the lottery as it means you have been successfully drawn from the big pile. It doesn't quite 100% mean you have been accepted, but it's about 99.999% good. The only way that you would fail from being fully accepted would be if they discover an error, omission or legal problem with your application. Since the lawyers are paid a goodly sum to get it right, you wouldn't expect an issue, but I guess with 165,000 applications there might be one or two that hit an issue - although perhaps they can still be corrected.
Once the authorities have confirmed the application is acceptable, they send the employer an email saying this, and the employer then sends a load of documents to the applicant which they have to look through VERY carefully. Lots of the forms need to be filled out ONLINE and printed off (they can't be printed off THEN filled out) and an interview at the stated US Consulate needs to be arranged for the passports to be stamped for the whole family.
Now, since my situation is a little different I can raise some other points of note - as always because I have had to work this stuff out the hard way.
I got the OK from the H1B lottery during April 2008. I had a contract for my business in England which had a 3-month exit clause, which meant if I worked the full 3 months (ie May, June and July) I would be able to pop over to America from 1st August to set up my residence over there prior to starting work from 1st October. However, the terms of the visa (work permit) are such that once the passports have been stamped YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER THE USA UNTIL 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE START DATE OF THE WORK PERMIT. That meant that if I got my visa stamped I couldn't go to the States to set up my house until 1st October, when I assumed I was going to be starting work. Hmmmmm. However, I was allowed to go in the US under a normal "holiday" visa, if I hadn't had my interview with the Consulate, but then I would need to get back to England, get the passports stamped and then go back to America again. All seemed a bit too complicated.
So my wife and I had a little chat and we decided that the best plan of action was to see if I could close my current contract with just 2 months notice, and go to California for a long "holiday" from 1st July, then return to England end of August to say our goodbyes there, sit around for a month doing nothing there, and finally making the permanent move from the 21st September, 10 days prior to the start of the work permit, as was allowed.
I put the request in, and after much humming and hawwing from the other party in my contract I was allowed to close my contract a month early. Thus from July 3rd I have been in California getting things organised - which has been (of course) a lot more complicated than expected, and worthy of sharing in the next blog entry, so that you can appreciate the problems that may arise when you, hopefully, make your move to the USA.
Farmacyst
Monday, 18 December 2006
How to move to America....
If you want to move your whole house, your wife, and your 3 children to America, and you want to make life easy, there is one simple answer - TAKE A LOT OF MONEY!
I imagine that many of you who follow me to America will be young, single and carefree, and will simply take one suitcase of possessions and a few hundred dollars in your pocket, you'll arrive on October 1st as the visa allows, and you'll stay in a cheap motel until you get your first pay slip. Well, that's probably what you may think will happen, but there are a variety of issues that will make life complicated even for people like you that don't have to organise the whole mess of problems that arise when you are shipping 62 boxes of goods, and need to arrange schooling for 3 kids, need a proper house to live in, or need stuff like cellphones, cable, landlines and insurance policies.
So whatever your personal situation is, and however easy you think it is going to be, read on and find out what problems will be about to make life much more complicated, and more importantly much more expensive, than you might otherwise have imagined.
In England I decided to sell my house in anticipation of moving to America (back when I thought the process was going to be an easy one) back in February 2007. So I had been in a rented house for well over a year by the time I actually found out for sure when I really would be making the move. The original lease was for a year, with a six-month opt-out, but after the first year the tenancy was held on a rolling one-month contract, so I knew leaving that property wasn't going to be an issue. Once I had received written confirmation that my work contract could be closed by June 30th 2008 I handed notice in on my tenancy and prepared to vacate the property. My wife investigated the many methods for shipping goods to the US and we picked one company that could move those items we deemed essential to take, but not essential enough to carry on the plane with us, which in the end proved to be 62 boxes of clothes, photos, paintings, books, and other accumulated crap. The rest of the house, namely the beds, cupboards, cutlery, crockery, sofas, TV's, video's, computers, cars, garden furniture, kids toys, goldfish, and EVERYTHING IN THE WHOLE DAMNED HOUSE either had to be sold, given away or trashed.
We put an advert out in a few places for a garage-sale, and hoped that we would recoup some money against the costs of shipping, and flying the family out to America. In the end I have to say we did exceedingly well, and sold a heck of a lot more stuff than I imagined we would, reaping enough money to cover the shipping costs for the 62 boxes of crap we apparently needed to take with us! The rest was either given to friends or family, to charity, or to the final people to turn up just before we got on the plane, who were the trash removal people, who took away a whole van load of stuff that we hadn't managed to get rid of.
And even though we felt we had left the property in the same manner in which we had found it, the bastards at the letting company still found enough excuses to keep our months security deposit, and even had the cheek to say we owed them more money on top of that!
Anyway, we then got in a pre-arranged very large taxi which took the 5 of us and 10 suitcases to spend one night in a hotel near Heathrow Airport, before getting on a plane to Los Angeles, California.
In LA we had arranged to be met by a similarly large vehicle to take us all to our hotel in San Diego. Unfortunately the idiots at the taxi company hadn't believed me when I had said we would be bringing 10 suitcases, so it was a ridiculous journey on the freeway with luggage between seats, ontop of children, and even inbetween the two front seats, but atleast we made it there alive.
So we check in to our hotel, with our 10 suitcases, and get a good nights sleep, having been awake for the best part of 24 hours since there had been a couple of hours delay back at Heathrow which I had forgotten to mention.
I should add that I had booked this hotel for 7 nights, assuming that I could probably get myself a rented house in that time, but I was wrong, and at $369 a night I didn't want to spend too long in the hotel if I could help it!
The first thing I did was meet up with a couple of realtors to get a look around the area I was expecting to be living in. As it turned out the rental prices for the posh part of town were way above what I wanted to pay, so we looked a bit further out of town, and eventually WAY out of town, until I started seeing properties in my price range that matched what I was looking for in terms of quality and size of house.
Finally, after a week or so of looking at properties I put an offer in on one, we then haggled a little bit to-and-fro, and eventually agreed on monthly figure. However, since I had no Social Security Number (SSN), no credit rating and no previous rental history in the US, there was a big problem being allowed to rent. Luckily, and this is my personal bit of luck, the outgoing resident was the owner, who was very keen to move out, and he allowed us to sign the papers without the usual credit checks, which must be a big problem for most immigrants.
So we finally moved in after 3 weeks in the extortionately priced (but very lovely) hotel, and moved in to our beautiful rented house.
The next day the local gas/electricity company came round to turn off the power supply because I hadn't gotten around to organising the change-over - oops! The man kindly gave me 24 hours grace, and I rushed round to the San Diego Gas and Electricity company to get myself connected. Again, a lack of Social Security Number proved a problem, but they accepted a deposit and two forms of photo-ID (UK drivers license and UK Passport) and I was through another hoop.
Then I wanted to organise cell phones for my wife, myself and my eldest daughter. I went to AT&T and chose phones and all was going well until they wanted my bloody Social Security Number! The manager made a call to their connections department that said they could go ahead as long as I gave a $500 for EACH of the phone lines. Fine, whatever, I'm seeing the way this has to work now - no SSN = BIG DEPOSIT.
The same with Broadband, the same with Cable, the same for everything, except for a few things where even a deposit wasn't enough - either a SSN or nothing (hence we have cable and not DISH, since they won't talk to you without a SSN). Opening a bank account is also a big problem, and transferring money from your local currency in to Dollars may either prove very difficult or very costly. Banks wont allow you to use your US address unless you have an SSN, so they are required to send all statements and credit cards directly to your foreign address to begin with (strangely they can send check books to your local address, but they are a lot less useful than an ATM card). Again, once you get your SSN number they can get you to fill out a form and then they can use your US address.
The next thing my wife and did (and I recommend you do this quickly too) is book the written test with the Department of Motor Vehicles. I shan't bore you with the minutiae of how to book the test, and what it involves, but for California atleast I found the wonderful website excellent:
http://www.hep.man.ac.uk/u/christina/driving.html
Having passed the written test we were immediately issued temporary Californian drivers licenses, which came in very handy on many occasions for proof of address, and also meant I could buy a car if I wanted to (I don't think you cant buy one without it). As it happens I wanted to lease a car to begin with, but without a SSN it wasn't possible, and even with one it's probably difficult as foreigners will have no credit history - so I am sticking with the hire car for the time being and will lease one when I come back in October once I get my flipping SSN! When I do lease a car I am sure I will not get the best loan terms as without a credit history they score you at zero, so forget all the adverts you see on TV here for 0% finance.
I have now taken and passed my driving test! (August 13th 2008) Because my current sojourn in the US is based on a holiday visa which expires in under 60 days, I couldn't be issued with a proper driving license as it would already be about to expire. Apparently the duration of your driving license matches the term of your visa. So when I return in October I have to go back to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and fill out another form and then they will issue me with a year long license. After that I will have to renew it each year - it's free, but it's another aggravation. Of course once you obtain permanent residency then you will get a longer term license.
OK, that's enough for the minute. I've given you a good idea of some of the problems that will arise in respect of getting a house organized over here. I still need to add a lot about the issues arising with obtaining the Social Security Number and more importantly (well equally importantly) the full intern license, but I'll save that for the next entry.
The only other thing I wanted to add was that we also had to organise getting our three children enrolled in schools. Now our circumstances are (again) a bit different because we decided to put our kids in to private education. We visited two excellent schools, one near where we had first expected to reside and one nearer to where we had ended up living, had interviews at both, filled our the forms at both (for a big fee), were accepted by both, and then decided for a variety of reasons to go with the school nearer to where we lived. The process was quite onerous in terms of paperwork and expense, but both schools were extremely helpful and guided us through the process as best they could. I can't speak for how easy it might be to enrol children at a public school - but I imagine there is an equally painful amount of paperwork, and I bet you'll need to show them a Social Security Number!!
Farmacyst
I imagine that many of you who follow me to America will be young, single and carefree, and will simply take one suitcase of possessions and a few hundred dollars in your pocket, you'll arrive on October 1st as the visa allows, and you'll stay in a cheap motel until you get your first pay slip. Well, that's probably what you may think will happen, but there are a variety of issues that will make life complicated even for people like you that don't have to organise the whole mess of problems that arise when you are shipping 62 boxes of goods, and need to arrange schooling for 3 kids, need a proper house to live in, or need stuff like cellphones, cable, landlines and insurance policies.
So whatever your personal situation is, and however easy you think it is going to be, read on and find out what problems will be about to make life much more complicated, and more importantly much more expensive, than you might otherwise have imagined.
In England I decided to sell my house in anticipation of moving to America (back when I thought the process was going to be an easy one) back in February 2007. So I had been in a rented house for well over a year by the time I actually found out for sure when I really would be making the move. The original lease was for a year, with a six-month opt-out, but after the first year the tenancy was held on a rolling one-month contract, so I knew leaving that property wasn't going to be an issue. Once I had received written confirmation that my work contract could be closed by June 30th 2008 I handed notice in on my tenancy and prepared to vacate the property. My wife investigated the many methods for shipping goods to the US and we picked one company that could move those items we deemed essential to take, but not essential enough to carry on the plane with us, which in the end proved to be 62 boxes of clothes, photos, paintings, books, and other accumulated crap. The rest of the house, namely the beds, cupboards, cutlery, crockery, sofas, TV's, video's, computers, cars, garden furniture, kids toys, goldfish, and EVERYTHING IN THE WHOLE DAMNED HOUSE either had to be sold, given away or trashed.
We put an advert out in a few places for a garage-sale, and hoped that we would recoup some money against the costs of shipping, and flying the family out to America. In the end I have to say we did exceedingly well, and sold a heck of a lot more stuff than I imagined we would, reaping enough money to cover the shipping costs for the 62 boxes of crap we apparently needed to take with us! The rest was either given to friends or family, to charity, or to the final people to turn up just before we got on the plane, who were the trash removal people, who took away a whole van load of stuff that we hadn't managed to get rid of.
And even though we felt we had left the property in the same manner in which we had found it, the bastards at the letting company still found enough excuses to keep our months security deposit, and even had the cheek to say we owed them more money on top of that!
Anyway, we then got in a pre-arranged very large taxi which took the 5 of us and 10 suitcases to spend one night in a hotel near Heathrow Airport, before getting on a plane to Los Angeles, California.
In LA we had arranged to be met by a similarly large vehicle to take us all to our hotel in San Diego. Unfortunately the idiots at the taxi company hadn't believed me when I had said we would be bringing 10 suitcases, so it was a ridiculous journey on the freeway with luggage between seats, ontop of children, and even inbetween the two front seats, but atleast we made it there alive.
So we check in to our hotel, with our 10 suitcases, and get a good nights sleep, having been awake for the best part of 24 hours since there had been a couple of hours delay back at Heathrow which I had forgotten to mention.
I should add that I had booked this hotel for 7 nights, assuming that I could probably get myself a rented house in that time, but I was wrong, and at $369 a night I didn't want to spend too long in the hotel if I could help it!
The first thing I did was meet up with a couple of realtors to get a look around the area I was expecting to be living in. As it turned out the rental prices for the posh part of town were way above what I wanted to pay, so we looked a bit further out of town, and eventually WAY out of town, until I started seeing properties in my price range that matched what I was looking for in terms of quality and size of house.
Finally, after a week or so of looking at properties I put an offer in on one, we then haggled a little bit to-and-fro, and eventually agreed on monthly figure. However, since I had no Social Security Number (SSN), no credit rating and no previous rental history in the US, there was a big problem being allowed to rent. Luckily, and this is my personal bit of luck, the outgoing resident was the owner, who was very keen to move out, and he allowed us to sign the papers without the usual credit checks, which must be a big problem for most immigrants.
So we finally moved in after 3 weeks in the extortionately priced (but very lovely) hotel, and moved in to our beautiful rented house.
The next day the local gas/electricity company came round to turn off the power supply because I hadn't gotten around to organising the change-over - oops! The man kindly gave me 24 hours grace, and I rushed round to the San Diego Gas and Electricity company to get myself connected. Again, a lack of Social Security Number proved a problem, but they accepted a deposit and two forms of photo-ID (UK drivers license and UK Passport) and I was through another hoop.
Then I wanted to organise cell phones for my wife, myself and my eldest daughter. I went to AT&T and chose phones and all was going well until they wanted my bloody Social Security Number! The manager made a call to their connections department that said they could go ahead as long as I gave a $500 for EACH of the phone lines. Fine, whatever, I'm seeing the way this has to work now - no SSN = BIG DEPOSIT.
The same with Broadband, the same with Cable, the same for everything, except for a few things where even a deposit wasn't enough - either a SSN or nothing (hence we have cable and not DISH, since they won't talk to you without a SSN). Opening a bank account is also a big problem, and transferring money from your local currency in to Dollars may either prove very difficult or very costly. Banks wont allow you to use your US address unless you have an SSN, so they are required to send all statements and credit cards directly to your foreign address to begin with (strangely they can send check books to your local address, but they are a lot less useful than an ATM card). Again, once you get your SSN number they can get you to fill out a form and then they can use your US address.
The next thing my wife and did (and I recommend you do this quickly too) is book the written test with the Department of Motor Vehicles. I shan't bore you with the minutiae of how to book the test, and what it involves, but for California atleast I found the wonderful website excellent:
http://www.hep.man.ac.uk/u/christina/driving.html
Having passed the written test we were immediately issued temporary Californian drivers licenses, which came in very handy on many occasions for proof of address, and also meant I could buy a car if I wanted to (I don't think you cant buy one without it). As it happens I wanted to lease a car to begin with, but without a SSN it wasn't possible, and even with one it's probably difficult as foreigners will have no credit history - so I am sticking with the hire car for the time being and will lease one when I come back in October once I get my flipping SSN! When I do lease a car I am sure I will not get the best loan terms as without a credit history they score you at zero, so forget all the adverts you see on TV here for 0% finance.
I have now taken and passed my driving test! (August 13th 2008) Because my current sojourn in the US is based on a holiday visa which expires in under 60 days, I couldn't be issued with a proper driving license as it would already be about to expire. Apparently the duration of your driving license matches the term of your visa. So when I return in October I have to go back to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and fill out another form and then they will issue me with a year long license. After that I will have to renew it each year - it's free, but it's another aggravation. Of course once you obtain permanent residency then you will get a longer term license.
OK, that's enough for the minute. I've given you a good idea of some of the problems that will arise in respect of getting a house organized over here. I still need to add a lot about the issues arising with obtaining the Social Security Number and more importantly (well equally importantly) the full intern license, but I'll save that for the next entry.
The only other thing I wanted to add was that we also had to organise getting our three children enrolled in schools. Now our circumstances are (again) a bit different because we decided to put our kids in to private education. We visited two excellent schools, one near where we had first expected to reside and one nearer to where we had ended up living, had interviews at both, filled our the forms at both (for a big fee), were accepted by both, and then decided for a variety of reasons to go with the school nearer to where we lived. The process was quite onerous in terms of paperwork and expense, but both schools were extremely helpful and guided us through the process as best they could. I can't speak for how easy it might be to enrol children at a public school - but I imagine there is an equally painful amount of paperwork, and I bet you'll need to show them a Social Security Number!!
Farmacyst
Sunday, 17 December 2006
Timelines and predictions...
This entry is going to tell you about the problems around getting a Social Security Number, a "FULL" intern license, and the timeline for actually starting work and getting paid. I am writing this on August 4th 2008, prior to these events actually happening to me, but can at this point explain what I think will be the timeline of events given what I currently know. When I actually apply for real I shall probably give you a whole different set of stories but even what I know now is worth telling.
After you are told that your visa/work-permit starts on October 1st, you may think that your employer is expecting you to turn up for work on that date in a shirt and suit, ready for enrollment in to the company and a lecture on health and safety in the workplace and a work schedule for the month ahead. They wont, and you shouldn't expect that to happen either.
When you filled out the forms for the H1B visa application I would imagine most, if not all employers, would have required you to have obtained a valid deficiency letter for the state that you will be working in. The purpose of the deficiency letter is to show your employer that the state board of pharmacy have accepted all your documentation for becoming a graduate intern, but have not yet received the all important Social Security Number (SSN) which cannot be applied for until after 1st October.
In the pile of information that comes from your employer with the visa paperwork are forms that enable you to apply for an internship prior to receiving the SSN, however not all boards will accept this letter (from the US Government), and California's pharmacy board is one of those that wont. They demand to see the actual SSN or they wont issue an intern license. So for me atleast, I have to wait until the 1st of October before I can apply to immigration for my SSN, which I am told should take about 2 weeks to receive. Once I have that, THEN I can apply to the Californian Pharmacy Board for my full intern license. I am told that the normal turnaround time to receive that is 3-6 weeks! So I can expect a minimum delay of 5 weeks, and a maximum of around 8 weeks, from the 1st of October, to actually receiving my intern license - and without my intern license there is no way my future employer is going to let me start working. So, that means if I am lucky I might start work around the first week of November, and if I am unlucky I might not start working until the first week of December. That means, at least in theory, that I might not receive any wages until the last day of December, and even that might not be a full months check.
So you should arrive in the United States on October 1st expecting to not receive any income until the last day of December - 3 full months!
One final note before I sign off until the fall when I actually report on how the process has gone for me, is that different states have different lengths of internship. Many are like California (as far as I am aware at least) 2080 (***see note below***) hours long, which means doing a 40-hour week and taking no holiday is exactly 52 weeks long, before you are able to sit the NAPLEX and State Law Exams. Then you have to wait until they post their results to you, wait until you can apply to the state board for a full licensure, and wait until that has been approved. So it may easily take well over 13 months from starting work before you get fully qualified and start earning a proper income. So if you badly budget your internship, and think you might delve in to your savings to see you through until you qualify, keep in mind that from October 1st of one year, it may easily take you until the February 16 months later before you finally make it.
At this point in time, I would predict that I become a fully registered R.Ph. in January 2010, and it'll be interesting to see how right or wrong my prediction will prove to be.
Next update wont be until October, so enjoy the rest of the summer!
Farmacyst
(****WRONG!!!! As has been pointed out to me by numerous kind readers, the California pharmacy board require proof of 1500 hours before being allowed to sit the Naplex. So that's 1500/40 = 37.5 weeks, plus any days off or holidays, so realistically around, say, 39 or 40 weeks. Then its around 3 weeks to get the first exam (as far as I am aware at this point) and perhaps another 3 weeks for the second exam, and then another 3 weeks to get the results - so if you pass everything first time round (and currently I am hearing a lot of people are FAILING the law exam) then thats 48 weeks from start date. Since I started mid November I now amend my prediction to (if I pass both exams first time) mid October 2009*****)
After you are told that your visa/work-permit starts on October 1st, you may think that your employer is expecting you to turn up for work on that date in a shirt and suit, ready for enrollment in to the company and a lecture on health and safety in the workplace and a work schedule for the month ahead. They wont, and you shouldn't expect that to happen either.
When you filled out the forms for the H1B visa application I would imagine most, if not all employers, would have required you to have obtained a valid deficiency letter for the state that you will be working in. The purpose of the deficiency letter is to show your employer that the state board of pharmacy have accepted all your documentation for becoming a graduate intern, but have not yet received the all important Social Security Number (SSN) which cannot be applied for until after 1st October.
In the pile of information that comes from your employer with the visa paperwork are forms that enable you to apply for an internship prior to receiving the SSN, however not all boards will accept this letter (from the US Government), and California's pharmacy board is one of those that wont. They demand to see the actual SSN or they wont issue an intern license. So for me atleast, I have to wait until the 1st of October before I can apply to immigration for my SSN, which I am told should take about 2 weeks to receive. Once I have that, THEN I can apply to the Californian Pharmacy Board for my full intern license. I am told that the normal turnaround time to receive that is 3-6 weeks! So I can expect a minimum delay of 5 weeks, and a maximum of around 8 weeks, from the 1st of October, to actually receiving my intern license - and without my intern license there is no way my future employer is going to let me start working. So, that means if I am lucky I might start work around the first week of November, and if I am unlucky I might not start working until the first week of December. That means, at least in theory, that I might not receive any wages until the last day of December, and even that might not be a full months check.
So you should arrive in the United States on October 1st expecting to not receive any income until the last day of December - 3 full months!
One final note before I sign off until the fall when I actually report on how the process has gone for me, is that different states have different lengths of internship. Many are like California (as far as I am aware at least) 2080 (***see note below***) hours long, which means doing a 40-hour week and taking no holiday is exactly 52 weeks long, before you are able to sit the NAPLEX and State Law Exams. Then you have to wait until they post their results to you, wait until you can apply to the state board for a full licensure, and wait until that has been approved. So it may easily take well over 13 months from starting work before you get fully qualified and start earning a proper income. So if you badly budget your internship, and think you might delve in to your savings to see you through until you qualify, keep in mind that from October 1st of one year, it may easily take you until the February 16 months later before you finally make it.
At this point in time, I would predict that I become a fully registered R.Ph. in January 2010, and it'll be interesting to see how right or wrong my prediction will prove to be.
Next update wont be until October, so enjoy the rest of the summer!
Farmacyst
(****WRONG!!!! As has been pointed out to me by numerous kind readers, the California pharmacy board require proof of 1500 hours before being allowed to sit the Naplex. So that's 1500/40 = 37.5 weeks, plus any days off or holidays, so realistically around, say, 39 or 40 weeks. Then its around 3 weeks to get the first exam (as far as I am aware at this point) and perhaps another 3 weeks for the second exam, and then another 3 weeks to get the results - so if you pass everything first time round (and currently I am hearing a lot of people are FAILING the law exam) then thats 48 weeks from start date. Since I started mid November I now amend my prediction to (if I pass both exams first time) mid October 2009*****)
Saturday, 16 December 2006
Getting closer by the day now.....to STARTING work!
Please note, any comments I receive that have the posters email in I will delete for their own benefit.
October 15th 2008
I am now sitting at my computer in America and have loads of things to write, even though very little has actually happened. However, I shall start by going back to getting my visa at the US embassy, and in the next blog write what has happened since I have been state-side.
When I got my letter confirming I was selected in the H1B visa lottery it said I needed to go to my US consulate and have my passport stamped with the work visa (all my family had to have their passports stamped, but only adults over 18 needed to be present at the consulate thankfully). There were two basic forms that needed to be filled out ONLINE and PRINTED OFF and taken with you to the consulate. One was for the family, and one for each individual. These are fairly lengthy forms and you need to be careful you don't die from boredom filling them out. However, you must do it, and you really really must take them with you. When my wife and I arrived at the US consulate in London there was a queue (sorry a "line") outside, of people having their paperwork checked before they were allowed in. Eventually it came to our turn and apparently, having been so careful and diligent in filling out and printing off the forms, I had somehow not done it correctly. Apparently the form you need for the family has to be printed off for each individual, but I swear it didn't make that clear. I can't give you a link to the actual forms because they are kept between a locked door on the consulates website, but if you want to look at the scary page before you enter, then I've added that HERE!!
So, we get told by the girl manning the desk BEFORE you get in to the embassy that we need to fill out another batch of forms before we will be allowed in, and that there is a pharmacy around the corner that has internet access available. So we walk to the pharmacy which has 3 computers, all with shmucks like us that have filled out their forms incorrectly. The fee was reasonable, but enough to make the pharmacy owner a millionaire judging by the number of shmucks that then followed in after us. It took about 40 minutes to fill out the forms and print them all off, but which time instead of being early to our appointment we were on time. However, that was totally irrelevant once you get inside the embassy as time becomes a fixed constant in the universe. Oh, and at the embassy you are NOT allowed anything electronic. People were throwing iPods and cell phones and all sorts in the trash cans 9must be a few rich hobo's around that part of London), but we happened to have parked in a car park which keeps your keys or we might have been in the same predicament. And I was told later that the pharmacy will look after your electrical goods for 10 pounds an hour. But basically just don't take ANYTHING electronic - you will have to lose it otherwise.
Then we go through passport control, customs, luggage check and immigration (only joking) and enter the consulate. We then go to another desk where another woman checks all our paperwork is correct, and she then gives us a numbered ticket. After about 20 minutes our number comes up and we go to one of the glass-protected screens (like in a bank) where a man checks all our papers again, fills out a form, stamps some papers, and gives us a new form and another ticket.
Then time stops, and we sit, unable to leave, unable to phone the outside world, unable to do anything except buy drinks and snacks at the kiosk at the back of the room and hope our number comes up sometime before we die.
After 3 and a half hours our number comes up.
We go to another woman, this time at a glass-screened kiosk around the corner, and she again checks the paperwork. She then casually asks a few questions, and then, apparently not liking one of my answers says she just wants to check something. Fifteen bloody minutes later she comes back and says, "it's OK, your visas have been authorised". Phew, because I've sold my house, given my job up, and enrolled the kids in US schools, so I'm sort of glad you've granted the visa's!
They keep our passports and we pay for the pleasure of them sending them back to us, which only takes about a week or so, depending on how much you want to pay to get them back.
One WHOLE day spent at the consulate - don't expect anything less. At least not in London, which was BLOODY BUSY.
OK, so we're good to go, yes. But there's a load more paperwork to get sorted once you arrive in the US.
Farmacyst
October 15th 2008
I am now sitting at my computer in America and have loads of things to write, even though very little has actually happened. However, I shall start by going back to getting my visa at the US embassy, and in the next blog write what has happened since I have been state-side.
When I got my letter confirming I was selected in the H1B visa lottery it said I needed to go to my US consulate and have my passport stamped with the work visa (all my family had to have their passports stamped, but only adults over 18 needed to be present at the consulate thankfully). There were two basic forms that needed to be filled out ONLINE and PRINTED OFF and taken with you to the consulate. One was for the family, and one for each individual. These are fairly lengthy forms and you need to be careful you don't die from boredom filling them out. However, you must do it, and you really really must take them with you. When my wife and I arrived at the US consulate in London there was a queue (sorry a "line") outside, of people having their paperwork checked before they were allowed in. Eventually it came to our turn and apparently, having been so careful and diligent in filling out and printing off the forms, I had somehow not done it correctly. Apparently the form you need for the family has to be printed off for each individual, but I swear it didn't make that clear. I can't give you a link to the actual forms because they are kept between a locked door on the consulates website, but if you want to look at the scary page before you enter, then I've added that HERE!!
So, we get told by the girl manning the desk BEFORE you get in to the embassy that we need to fill out another batch of forms before we will be allowed in, and that there is a pharmacy around the corner that has internet access available. So we walk to the pharmacy which has 3 computers, all with shmucks like us that have filled out their forms incorrectly. The fee was reasonable, but enough to make the pharmacy owner a millionaire judging by the number of shmucks that then followed in after us. It took about 40 minutes to fill out the forms and print them all off, but which time instead of being early to our appointment we were on time. However, that was totally irrelevant once you get inside the embassy as time becomes a fixed constant in the universe. Oh, and at the embassy you are NOT allowed anything electronic. People were throwing iPods and cell phones and all sorts in the trash cans 9must be a few rich hobo's around that part of London), but we happened to have parked in a car park which keeps your keys or we might have been in the same predicament. And I was told later that the pharmacy will look after your electrical goods for 10 pounds an hour. But basically just don't take ANYTHING electronic - you will have to lose it otherwise.
Then we go through passport control, customs, luggage check and immigration (only joking) and enter the consulate. We then go to another desk where another woman checks all our paperwork is correct, and she then gives us a numbered ticket. After about 20 minutes our number comes up and we go to one of the glass-protected screens (like in a bank) where a man checks all our papers again, fills out a form, stamps some papers, and gives us a new form and another ticket.
Then time stops, and we sit, unable to leave, unable to phone the outside world, unable to do anything except buy drinks and snacks at the kiosk at the back of the room and hope our number comes up sometime before we die.
After 3 and a half hours our number comes up.
We go to another woman, this time at a glass-screened kiosk around the corner, and she again checks the paperwork. She then casually asks a few questions, and then, apparently not liking one of my answers says she just wants to check something. Fifteen bloody minutes later she comes back and says, "it's OK, your visas have been authorised". Phew, because I've sold my house, given my job up, and enrolled the kids in US schools, so I'm sort of glad you've granted the visa's!
They keep our passports and we pay for the pleasure of them sending them back to us, which only takes about a week or so, depending on how much you want to pay to get them back.
One WHOLE day spent at the consulate - don't expect anything less. At least not in London, which was BLOODY BUSY.
OK, so we're good to go, yes. But there's a load more paperwork to get sorted once you arrive in the US.
Farmacyst
Friday, 15 December 2006
And finally, I start my internship!
I entered the US of A under my work-permit visa on September 22nd 2008 and on September 23rd I walked in to my nearest Social Security office (contrary to my employers suggestion that I wait until 1st October) and applied for a Social Security Number (SSN) - the all important number I needed to apply to the California Board of Pharmacy for a full intern license, without which I couldn't start work.
It took about a week to get a confirmation letter saying they confirmed that I had applied, and another 2 weeks to actually receive the card containing my number.
I then wrote to the Board of Pharmacy informing them of my SSN and about 2 weeks later they wrote back saying they needed an actual copy of the card! I immediately emailed it to them and got an automated email back which said that the board were concentrating on processing pharmacist registrations, and would not be dealing with intern queries until October 20th. I then posted them a hard copy just to be sure, and just after the 20th I sent them another email with the card as a Jpeg attachment.
By this time my employer had been in touch with me, and had sent word that there would be a 4-day induction training session held at one of their main offices, from October 27, with overnight accommodation and various gas, food and other expenses provided.
By the time of the induction I had still not yet received my intern license, but neither had most of the other H1B interns either. (The others on the course were Americans who hadn't worked for this company before, and were there to learn the companies computer system).
The 4-days was a nice opportunity to meet and chat with other H1B's from around the world, and find out how they had got to this point, with this company, at this time. Everyone had similar stories with minor variations, but the surprise to my mind was that most of the other foreigners (though not all) were quite mature (late 30's to late 40's), married, and had children. I had expected most to be single and about 25, but there you go, you learn something new every day
After my training (which I would get paid for a few weeks later), I went home and once more emailed, and once more wrote to the Board of Pharmacy. Finally, on November 12th I went online (as I had been taught to do at the training) and could find my name listed on the boards search for interns.
I immediately phoned the store I had been allocated to train at, and agreed to start the very next day!
So that's about it for this update, and in the next one I will report on how it feels to actually work in a US dispensary.
Farmacyst.
Now please go down and slightly to the right and click on
It took about a week to get a confirmation letter saying they confirmed that I had applied, and another 2 weeks to actually receive the card containing my number.
I then wrote to the Board of Pharmacy informing them of my SSN and about 2 weeks later they wrote back saying they needed an actual copy of the card! I immediately emailed it to them and got an automated email back which said that the board were concentrating on processing pharmacist registrations, and would not be dealing with intern queries until October 20th. I then posted them a hard copy just to be sure, and just after the 20th I sent them another email with the card as a Jpeg attachment.
By this time my employer had been in touch with me, and had sent word that there would be a 4-day induction training session held at one of their main offices, from October 27, with overnight accommodation and various gas, food and other expenses provided.
By the time of the induction I had still not yet received my intern license, but neither had most of the other H1B interns either. (The others on the course were Americans who hadn't worked for this company before, and were there to learn the companies computer system).
The 4-days was a nice opportunity to meet and chat with other H1B's from around the world, and find out how they had got to this point, with this company, at this time. Everyone had similar stories with minor variations, but the surprise to my mind was that most of the other foreigners (though not all) were quite mature (late 30's to late 40's), married, and had children. I had expected most to be single and about 25, but there you go, you learn something new every day
After my training (which I would get paid for a few weeks later), I went home and once more emailed, and once more wrote to the Board of Pharmacy. Finally, on November 12th I went online (as I had been taught to do at the training) and could find my name listed on the boards search for interns.
I immediately phoned the store I had been allocated to train at, and agreed to start the very next day!
So that's about it for this update, and in the next one I will report on how it feels to actually work in a US dispensary.
Farmacyst.
Now please go down and slightly to the right and click on
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