Scandinavians

[Unidentified 2,930]

i think i saw someone saying if we want a DL we need the SSN. And it will also expire along side with the EAD. And then again when the green cards expire zzzzz what a weird system! They dont make it easy to try and obtain a normal life! But hopefully we can help each other out! Im gonna file for SSN 2 weeks after i arrived. People say i cant before cause it takes Boarder control 2 weeks to put us in the system when we enter. Im pretty sure tho, before i ever recieve the SSN in my maiden name, we are already married and have to change it into my married name! But that time, that pain. Or well. You know that saying hehe! Yeah Seattle is also a hilly as San Fran so biking is well, hard hehe! I will make sure to post allll the experiences with DMV and SSN office once im there! A lil month more of work and then youre off to become a married lady too! ? you just get to have some days to enjoy the summer before youre off to hotter conditions ?? awesome! Is anyone a shark at facebook? I check mine daily but im a clown at it with groups etc! Thought it was fun to put faces on everyone and share inthere too!

Give me a moment and I'll see how the group thing works!

Okay, I am about to create the group but apparently I can't officially start it until I have people to invite to the group so the ones who want to be in it can PM me and I'll send you the link to my facebook so you guys can add me and I'll add you to the group

How public and easy to find do we want our group to be? We can either make it public (don't recommend this one) where people can find the group, see who's in it and see what we post. We can make it closed so that people can see who's in it, they can find it but not see what we post. Or Secret which means people can't find it by searching for it, they can't see who is in it and they can't see our posts. I am sure that this can be changed later also.

Edited June 13, 2015 by Maria&Seve

[Toddandcamilla 34]

I never thought about a wedding in denmark but you actually made me think about it now hehe. We wanted to invite all family and friends to San Francisco and have a huge wedding there next summer. A danish wedding would be cool tho!! But i doubt my new american family want to travel to denmark all together next year and be at a danish speaking wedding. Its easier the other way around! ? was it hard for you to get a DL when you were there??

[Metope 0]

Oh yeah, I figure just getting an SSN is a good idea regardless of what you're planning, don't you need it to open a bank account too? And yeah waiting two weeks seems to be the norm since they need to get the updated i-94. I'm keeping my name, so I won't have any problems there at least! Although, one annoying thing is that they keep spelling my name in a way i don't like. My name starts with an Ø, and the official international translation of an Ø is OE, but I don't want the extra E! It looks weird, so I hope it won't be spelled like that wherever I go in the states. If so I'll have to change it to just O, but I have no idea how to go about doing that. Oh well, it's not that important so I'll leave it for when everything else is done with.

Haha Maria, that's my problem with driving, I am in no way assertive or tough! I'm just so scared of doing something wrong, but I guess I just need practice. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, and Eric (my fiance) is a really good driver so I'm sure he can teach me a thing or two as well!

[Toddandcamilla 34]

Oh yeah, I figure just getting an SSN is a good idea regardless of what you're planning, don't you need it to open a bank account too? And yeah waiting two weeks seems to be the norm since they need to get the updated i-94. I'm keeping my name, so I won't have any problems there at least! Although, one annoying thing is that they keep spelling my name in a way i don't like. My name starts with an Ø, and the official international translation of an Ø is OE, but I don't want the extra E! It looks weird, so I hope it won't be spelled like that wherever I go in the states. If so I'll have to change it to just O, but I have no idea how to go about doing that. Oh well, it's not that important so I'll leave it for when everything else is done with.

Haha Maria, that's my problem with driving, I am in no way assertive or tough! I'm just so scared of doing something wrong, but I guess I just need practice. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, and Eric (my fiance) is a really good driver so I'm sure he can teach me a thing or two as well!

some banks require it i know that. We are getting a joint bank account so im just being added to todds and a card to use from his account. So it shouldnt be a problem. And if its in thr same bank as your future hubby it should be easier too. I think maybe having their last name helps too ? not sure tho! Some states say no SSN is needed but i know California requires it for most things zzzzzz

[Unidentified 2,930]

I never thought about a wedding in denmark but you actually made me think about it now hehe. We wanted to invite all family and friends to San Francisco and have a huge wedding there next summer. A danish wedding would be cool tho!! But i doubt my new american family want to travel to denmark all together next year and be at a danish speaking wedding. Its easier the other way around! ? was it hard for you to get a DL when you were there??

I think me and Seve will end of with 3 weddings before we're done... First we have the one with just the two of us. For September 5th only one of my brothers is attending from my family. My parents can't come because of health issues and my other brother can't come because of wild children... So we will most likely do something for them next year.

Oh yeah, I figure just getting an SSN is a good idea regardless of what you're planning, don't you need it to open a bank account too? And yeah waiting two weeks seems to be the norm since they need to get the updated i-94. I'm keeping my name, so I won't have any problems there at least! Although, one annoying thing is that they keep spelling my name in a way i don't like. My name starts with an Ø, and the official international translation of an Ø is OE, but I don't want the extra E! It looks weird, so I hope it won't be spelled like that wherever I go in the states. If so I'll have to change it to just O, but I have no idea how to go about doing that. Oh well, it's not that important so I'll leave it for when everything else is done with.

Haha Maria, that's my problem with driving, I am in no way assertive or tough! I'm just so scared of doing something wrong, but I guess I just need practice. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, and Eric (my fiance) is a really good driver so I'm sure he can teach me a thing or two as well!

Yes, most banks require SSN but not all of them.

Name change over there seems to be complicated... You have to put your new name on the marriage license, and also let SSN know you've changed your name by giving them a copy of the marriage certificate but then you also have to do an official name change somewhere else... I'll try to find the link where I saw the info and let you know!

About the DMV: I don't know how it works if you don't already have a licence. I had an international driver's license for a while and then I went to the DMV: you have to bring ID and proof of residence (take something that came in the mail that has your name and address on it like phone bill or bank statement) and SSN. Double check on the DMV website because I know that each state have different rules etc and it's been about 4 years ago since I got the license.

But the DMV is SLOW. All the crazy negative stories about the DMV are true. Be prepared to be there all day no matter what you came there to do, even if it's something simple as renewing a license. You go there, walk up to a desk and explain what you're there for. You'll get a number and a form to fill out and then you wait, wait, and wait some more. Then you finally get to talk to someone who hates his or her job.

You do both a written (actually it's computerized and you just click answers) and then you take a driving test which means you'll go around the block with someone who also hates their job. It's pretty simple. Make sure to read up on the rules (there's a pdf file on the DMV webpage you can read and I also think they have a pamphlet version of it you can get. The one in Virginia was maybe 5 pages long. In comparison in Sweden you get a book that is at least 200-300 pages long...

[Metope 0]

Yeah I figure just getting an SSN is a good idea since you'll never know when you need it, and if you wait too late you won't be able to get one until your status is changed, so better safe than sorry. I don't know about getting a joint account, I want a separate one, but until I can get a job there's no point in having one anyway. I have student loans in Norway and a Norwegian account with money saved up, so for the time being that's enough. I have a great deal with my bank where I can use my Visa and MasterCard abroad without any extra fees, and I actually kept it like that for the four years I lived in the UK without any problems, so I'll just do the same in Seattle until I get a job. Should be fine! But yeah, I'm definitely getting an SSN as soon as possible just to get it out of the way.

About changing your name, if I want to change my name from the stupid made up OE-name to my regular O-name, could I just put that on the marriage license you think? Or can you only legally change your name on a marriage license to your husband's name? I don't want his name, and I don't want the name the U.S. seems to have given to me, i want my own name haha

[Toddandcamilla 34]

Btw have you guys figured out what to do with your retirement money that you have back home? Im getting mine by sending in a copy of the visa in my passport. Else the government gets them! Not letting that happen! Good you said that with the name change! Probably need to sign it into some other system too then just immigration and SSN. Most say first get SSN in maiden name and when married then a new one in married name. That should appearently make some things easier. If its true or not i dont know yet. I will find out in round two of this immigration jungle! ?

[Unidentified 2,930]

Yeah I figure just getting an SSN is a good idea since you'll never know when you need it, and if you wait too late you won't be able to get one until your status is changed, so better safe than sorry. I don't know about getting a joint account, I want a separate one, but until I can get a job there's no point in having one anyway. I have student loans in Norway and a Norwegian account with money saved up, so for the time being that's enough. I have a great deal with my bank where I can use my Visa and MasterCard abroad without any extra fees, and I actually kept it like that for the four years I lived in the UK without any problems, so I'll just do the same in Seattle until I get a job. Should be fine! But yeah, I'm definitely getting an SSN as soon as possible just to get it out of the way.

About changing your name, if I want to change my name from the stupid made up OE-name to my regular O-name, could I just put that on the marriage license you think? Or can you only legally change your name on a marriage license to your husband's name? I don't want his name, and I don't want the name the U.S. seems to have given to me, i want my own name haha

You can legally change it to whatever you want But remember that changing it on the marriage license is just step one

Btw have you guys figured out what to do with your retirement money that you have back home? Im getting mine by sending in a copy of the visa in my passport. Else the government gets them! Not letting that happen! Good you said that with the name change! Probably need to sign it into some other system too then just immigration and SSN. Most say first get SSN in maiden name and when married then a new one in married name. That should appearently make some things easier. If its true or not i dont know yet. I will find out in round two of this immigration jungle! ?

I haven't figure out the exact details around it but apparently I need to send in a paper to Sweden every year to prove that I'm alive so they will send the money to me...

[Metope 0]

I don't have any retirement money, the only financial stuff I'll bring with me is my massive student debt... I've been a poor student since forever until this year when I got a crappy low paying job, which is why I had to stay so long here in order to save up money. I still have to pay my debt even when I'm not earning anything in the U.S. so money will be very tight for a while. Even when I get a job I apparently have to pay taxes to Norway for a couple years? Moving abroad right now is the worst possible thing I can do to myself financially, but I don't even care. It's definitely worth it.

[Unidentified 2,930]

I have created a facebook group! I think you can just search for it and request to be members if it doesn't work PM me your link or name on facebook and I'll send you a friend request. Group is called Scadinavians in America. I'll try to make the group look pretty by the time you get there

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

As to the oe thing, I'd just tell them ø means o in English. They might even just do it that way without asking because if we don't tell people å means aa, it gets written as just one a. Half the people with similar last names to us up here have one a and half have 2 because of that issue I presume.

Actually, it is one of the reasons we didn't name our kid Torbjørn like I had wanted - spelled right in English it looks weird and if we spelled with just an o, I think it would stay that way for the Danish name and passport.

[Metope 0]

I thought about just telling them, but it turns out even my passport says OE (not where my name is, it says Ø there, but on the bottom line of the identification page it says OE so that's probably why they've done it). I've consistently written O on every form regarding the visa application, but even my visa say OE now. My I-94 information form is filed under OE too, which means my SSN will say OE since that's what they base it on. I think my only option is to officially change my name to just O to get rid of that pesky E.

I hope it won't create any problems for me that I've spelled my name differently than they do, but I can't imagine it will. After all there are thousands of visa applicants who don't even use the same alphabet or writing system as us, I can't even imagine the trouble they have with their names!

[MikeandEl 4]

i think i saw someone saying if we want a DL we need the SSN. And it will also expire along side with the EAD. And then again when the green cards expire zzzzz what a weird system! They dont make it easy to try and obtain a normal life! But hopefully we can help each other out! Im gonna file for SSN 2 weeks after i arrived. People say i cant before cause it takes Boarder control 2 weeks to put us in the system when we enter. Im pretty sure tho, before i ever recieve the SSN in my maiden name, we are already married and have to change it into my married name! But that time, that pain. Or well. You know that saying hehe! Yeah Seattle is also a hilly as San Fran so biking is well, hard hehe! I will make sure to post allll the experiences with DMV and SSN office once im there! A lil month more of work and then youre off to become a married lady too! ? you just get to have some days to enjoy the summer before youre off to hotter conditions ?? awesome! Is anyone a shark at facebook? I check mine daily but im a clown at it with groups etc! Thought it was fun to put faces on everyone and share inthere too!

I entered the US on a Saturday, got my SSN from the office on that following Monday. It doesn't take two weeks at all, I don't know why people keep giving that info. I'd assume the computer systems update overnight. I got my SSN in my maiden name, then got married and then went back to the Social Office and changed my name. I don't remember the exact process but I don't remember it being difficult at all! Good luck!

[Mr. Borkström 63]

I don't know if it's ok for me post in this thread anymore cause I'm in the process of getting my two-year green card converted to a "full" non-conditional permanent green card. We got a request for more evidence so my wife and I are getting more papers together. We're getting a will, among other things. I can't wait to be done with USCIS.

My wife and I went on our honeymoon to Waikiki last November. That was the best week of my life. We are definitely going back to Hawaii some day.

I'm going home to visit family and friends in Sweden this summer. Booked plane tickets tonight. Wish my wife could go too but it's so damn expensive!

Edit: Hi N-o-l-a!

Edited June 14, 2015 by Mr. Borkström

[Mr. Borkström 63]

I have created a facebook group! I think you can just search for it and request to be members if it doesn't work PM me your link or name on facebook and I'll send you a friend request. Group is called Scadinavians in America. I'll try to make the group look pretty by the time you get there

I'd love to join the group.