What advice would you give someone who is relocating to California after a job offer?

tl;dr: Bring all your paperwork; maybe drive to LA; keep the car; get bank account, driver's license, US phone; ask the people at YYZ for how long immigration takes; rent for 6-12 months; figure out some health insurance before you step across the border.

  • Bring every kind of document that proves who you are and what you've been doing for the past 20 years. Passport, birth certificate, high school diploma, college diploma and transcript (if you have one), etc. Either the company or the visa process may want to see them. You might also want to leave copies of them with someone in Canada, just in case something happens to your copy. Also bring any medical stuff you need - prescriptions for pills, contacts or eyeglasses, etc.
  • If you haven't already gotten a date for moving, maybe let the company pay for shipping boxes and stuff, and just drive to LA. See the USA in your Chevrolet Honda. Google says it should only take you about 4 days. :D Drive to Chicago, IL, USA, find the "Historic Route 66" signs, and follow them west. When you see the ocean in front of you, stop... you're in Santa Monica, California. :)
  • Keep the Honda. If you change the oil in it, it will go to 200,000 miles (320,000 km) easily, and it will last longer in LA than it will in Toronto - no salt on the roads. When you get to California you will eventually have to get California license plates for it - this will involve getting a safety and emissions inspection and paying some fees. The California "Department of Motor Vehicles", part of the state government, will tell you all about this. If it runs OK and the "Check Engine" light isn't on, it will probably pass the emissions test. Find an independent mechanic, not a Honda dealership, in LA for any other problems with it - ask co-workers or look online. (In my experience within the US, as long as your Ontario license plate isn't expired, you can put off getting the California plates for a few months if you need to, even if the law says you have to do it within 30 days or whatever.)
  • The Department of Motor Vehicles can also tell you about the driver's license. You may or may not have to take a road test. Bank account is also a good idea, but if the first bank you pick is weird about opening an account for a "foreigner", pick another one. If you have trouble getting an account at multiple banks, you can always ask your company for a real check (cheque) instead of direct deposit. You may want to look into getting a phone from a US carrier, or (if your phone is unlocked or can be unlocked) getting a SIM on a US carrier for it.
  • The one time I traveled to Toronto from the US, there were US customs and immigration agents stationed at the Toronto airport. Basically, as soon as I talked to them and got on the plane, I was in the US as far as they were concerned. There is probably an office at YYZ that you can either call or just walk up and ask (well before your trip).
  • Rent first, for at least 6 months, preferably a year. You don't know what neighborhood you want to live in yet; you don't know where the traffic and the bad parts of town are yet; you also don't know about the job and the company yet. Renting is easier to undo. :)

Find out from your company when your health insurance (if any) starts. If they don't offer any, or if it only starts after your first day on the job, look into buying some kind of short-term policy. If you have to spend one night in the hospital in the US, without insurance, it wouldn't be weird to get a bill for US$5,000 or more. The company may be able to refer you to an insurance agent (in LA) for this.

/r/cscareerquestions Thread