So Annoying! Some procedures are not immigrant friendly!

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

I'm so frustrated with some of the requirements of these local service offices...

In order to apply at the DMW for a DL and car registration you need certain docs.... I must register my car within a certain amount of days, and to prove residency, I must provide 2 pieces of business mail to my address. Ok, hello, I don't have anything! I need ID to establish ID???? How dumb! I can't register my car until I get proper mail sent to me....bills etc.... it's so frustrating...so now I gave to wait

I guess when I get my SSN in the mail that will be one piece of ID, but what else????? they make things so difficult! PA actually says you must register your vehicle within 20 days....ah hello? what type of official mail can I generate by then?!

We will be residing in DE for a while, so I will have to register there. I find out today that I have to pay a tax type fee.... it's 4% in DE or 6% state tax in PA!!!!! Due to the value of my car, this will be in the thousands!!!!! So not happy! Why the heck do they have the right to charge state tax on a car they didn't sell me, being that the car is older than 6 months!

Maybe it's just me.... i'm just so annoyed that everywhere I turn, some entity or another wants more $$$$$.

Between my movers and importing car etc... it will run my $10k..... topped off by the fact that we can't work for a while. I have seriously drained my savings and my fiance is being relied on for so much $$$$.... we were prepared for it, but not to this extent...

Sorry, just wanted to rant....

yes.... i'm done now lol!

[SapphireDreams 71]

Do you get a cell phone bill?

I got Bell Mobility to send me bills in Canada, so that's the only piece of mail I have so far.

Tomorrow I'm going to see if I can get a library card with it, LOL.

[JillA 2]

Sorry to hear you are having so many troubles Poprocks.... as you know I am in PA and had no such issues, so wierd! I guess it depends on the dumdum behind the counter. Anyway, I didn't have to pay vehicle tax. I registered my car free of charge, pretty much. And I got my DL no problem, in PA. Not sure about DE. Are you trying to get a DL in PA or DE?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Sorry to hear about that - yes they do charge a percentage for registration - even here in Georgia, we have to pay a percentage of the car's value every year when we get new tags (license plates). I think it is ridiculous.

If you have been added to any bank accounts or credit card accounts yet - I was added to Joe's AmEX account even before I left Canada and the bank account in the first week here - you can use the bank statements or the credit card statements as proof of residency. Perhaps a statement from one of the credit cards you have obtained on your own?

Good luck.

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

Jill, I have to pay 6% state tax in PA because i'm importing the car...that's what they said when I called but their website says if the car is older than 6 months before I enter PA, I don't have to pay?

The problem is that my POE import papers are dated 5 months after I purchased the car.

My Canadian mail is being forwarded to my fiances current condo address, i'm worried to try and change it, it may screws things up?

And the credit cards I applied for are going to my Canadian address, being forwarded to the condo.... until I get my SSN, I can't transfer my credit cards.

I will try and get my new bank account to the address I want to register. I mean, I know it's possible, it just all takes so much time!

The cell phone my fiance got me, is in his name, and they added me as C/O....i'm waiting on first bill, so we'll see how it's mailed.

I am going to be in DE for a couple of months, and they charge a 3.75% registration fee, and PA appearently charges 6% tax....I think I should just opt to register where it's cheaper and then in 2 months I can trans my car to PA....I assume at that point if it's a State to State trans and the car will def be older than 6 months...PA will not charge State tax at that time?

Our living situation is so 'limbo' like in the next fews months it really makes things hard....

i'm happy that many things have turned out in my favour (the credit cards, and SSN)...I just get so frustrated by all the red tape!

I wonder after getting my SSN if I can transfer my US credit cards without incident, or I should wait to build some credit on them first? I mean, they already approved me, so my moving to the US would just require a change of address and logging my SSN, no?

Ahhhhh, what a learning experience this has been! lol!

[JillA 2]

So annoying!! I guess because my car was 3 years old, that's why I didn't have to pay tax... I think to get my DL, I showed a copy of my Telus cell bill which I had changed the addy before I moved.... Also my Canadian Mastercard which I was still using.... anyway I'm sorry for all your problems

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

I guess I shouldn't complain too much... When you really think about it, my immigration process thus far has been pretty ok, some others have it way harder.

It's just frustrating with all the running around etc...

I really hope my AOS goes smooth...knowing my luck, due to my address change or something, things will get lost and i'll get a deportation notice...HAHA! I hope not lol!

I managed to get added on to our home insurance policy today it's weird how you have to have insurance on a car to register it...how is the insurance co able to insr a Canadian vehicle? weird

You should see what I had to go through to get my son enrolled in school! Everyone needs so much proof of residency!

[Krikit 1,164]

Yeah, establishing yourself in the US is a huge pita. Welcome to America!