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One thing that we hadn’t encountered in SA but saw a lot here, is the use of software as a first filter on job applications. Today on LinkedIn I saw this article that gives some tips around this, and thought it might be useful for those of you entering the job market here - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/how-to-defeat-resume-sorting-robots-4680164/

[at]Kallas, they don’t list financial documents because everyone is so different - what they need from a 24-year-old IT graduate will be very different to what they need from a 65-year old retiree, for example. You will need to show you won’t be a public charge in the US ie you can support yourself. As Heidi says a I134 is one option, they almost never used to ask about this in SA but seems they do more now (I am guessing part of the reason is that the rand has fallen so much that converting SA assets is much less favorable than it used to be). But any sensible approach will work - an i134 or job offer would be solid, or bring proof of your assets in SA that you will be able to liquidate and take (House, shares etc). If you have a degree and/or work experience in a field that should be easy to get work in, that will help of course even if you don’t have a job offer yet (most people don’t get one before they move). In addition to what Oscar says about income, if you have significant assets to liquidate- I would suggest try do that before you become a green card holder. If you do it afterwards, you may also be liable for capital gains tax in the US (probably not on your house as the effective primary residence exemption is much higher in the US, but possibly on financial assets. However if you start renting out your house after you are gone, you will afaik lose the primary residence CGT exemption both in SA and US so be aware of the tax implications of that. It may be worth getting a quick tax consultation on these issues before you leave.) Note that unless your SA income is particularly high, the double tax agreement (if you have paid tax in SA) and foreign income exemption (I think it’s around $100k a year, maybe a little higher now) should usually mean you don’t have to actually pay tax on it in the US even though you have to declare it to the IRS. Be sure to investigate all the nuances of the current situation about whether or not you need to financially emigrate, given that for now you plan to keep assets/have income in SA. good luck!

There are years when they draw more people than they need to fill the quota of 50000 visas a year - when that happens, not everyone who has been selected gets an interview. Those are the years that high case numbers are risky. It happens every so often, it seems quite difficult for them to predict it accurately. There have also been years when they don’t fill the quota as not enough people process.

Congratulations, Oscar - and enjoy the change. I'm so glad I've moved around a bit in the States - I know of quite a few South Africans who moved to the States - and to a random city/state because that is where they got their first job etc, and just stayed there. Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, and now Colorado have all been very different, and it is quite liberating to reinvent your life in a new place - it is for me, anyhow. New York is a great springboard to get anywhere in the world - including hopping on the direct flight to SA - especially now that United will be starting direct to Cape Town too.

I got a nice promotion at work so we had to move to be in the Head Office in NYC. This also works out well with the kids going to College in the fall. We have a nice condo on the 15th floor .With pool and garden on 30th floor. Been here for three weeks, and becoming a real city slicker commuting on the bus and metro. The car is in the basement gathering dust.

I got my passport with visa in it 😁, it is a reality now. I also see the next visa bulletin is out, all regions are current with no exceptions. But that is irrelevant as we were all current two months ago. Kallas and Franette, have you guys looked at flights? I found a $900 = R13.5k return flight to JFK on Qatar airways. Returns are much cheaper per flight than one way. Thinking of making the return flight flexible option (like $100 more) so i can shift the date later on. No biltong 😬

Good luck with all the planning and packing, Just remember to Disclose rental income on your IRS Tax return. From the date of arrival in the US. Once you become a green card holder or US citizen all income received from anywhere in the world is taxable.

During my interview, the first (South African) interviewer asked if i had I-134, i said no i am taking financial care of mysef, then i said i have these finances to support mysef. The second interviewer (US girl) asked nothing about finances. Just asked what degree, and what field i will be working in.

Thanks Kallas, ja so happy! Next step is to receive my passport via courier, it should be here in this week. I have been looking at flights, short term < month are at a premium, flights in September are better priced, around ~$1600 for a return to Honolulu. Interesting, if you fly via Abu Dhabi, there is a CPB immigration there, where you hand in your immigration docs, then Abu Dhabi to US is like a local flight with no customs. Ok, so much of the financial tips I learnt from SAUSA, and Britsimons blog. The principal is; you have to prove that you will not become a financial burden on the US. The safest way to do that is with a form I-134. It is a form completed by a US citizen or permanent resident, that say that they will be responsible for your finances if you claim financial assistance from the US. I did not, nor any South African I have heard of, did not have someone willing to complete a I-134. So in the absence of this I-134, you have to prove you will not be a financial burden to the state. This seems to be the norm at Johannesburg. I did this by summarizing my financials. My first page was a summary, and pages attached proving the finances. It included bank account savings amount and three months statements, investments, property valuation. I asked my auditors to make a persoonlike balansstaat, that’s it. The idea is to prove that you and your family will be financially ok in the US. A job lined up, degrees like yours mec eng(?) is desireable, so include that for sure, existing savings, liquid assets, saying you will sell your house for Rx. All that helps to show you have means to support you and your family in the US.

Yes, they take and keep the original police clearance.

😁 Ok, so they want original documents at the interview, and one set of normal copies of the originals. I had certified copies, but it was not needed. They kept the copies. The doctor wants four SA passport sized photos, and at the interview two photos US sized (50x50mm). But this info is in the instructions. Cool, I’m glad your documents are in order. So hopefully you will receive your 2NL from 15 to 30 June, or then 15 to 31 July, or 15 to 31 Aug.

Hey! Yes, just finished my interview. Here is a run through for your info. My interview was at 08:30 this morning, just two hours ago, I arrived 07:45, and was sixth in line. It is orderly and nothing like a Mozambican border. I had coffee at the Discovery building across the road from the consulate, waiting for 07:45. The first security checks your name on a list, and that you have the correct photos. Through the heaviest door, to other secutity who hold your phone, watch. Next thing is to write name, case number, email on a slip, and they check your passport, and give you a number. Wait for about 30 minutes, called for first interview, where the person behind a glass window asks for passport, birth, police clearance, schooling, financials, and takes fingerprints. I asked to change my US address, changed no problem. Also asked for I-134(?), I replied I will be taking financial care of myself, and gave my financials (first page summary, with bank statements, investments, shares, business, property valuation), she was happy with that. Sent to cashier to pay $330 in $, I had cash, apparently they accept cash Rands unsure of the rate used, and cards. This is in an office building, there is a vending machine and washrooms. Take a seat and wait for 15 minutes. Called to the window, take an oath that all you say is true. Then the interviewer conducts a casual interview, verifying what you submitted, asks where you will be going, working. Very pleasant and friendly. And then she says “I am goingn to approve your application.” Blessed, jipee!

Same, in fact the school district is more strict on what they will accept than what the DMV will accept for real ID!! My oldest is starting college in fall so we have just been through this..in excruciating detail lol. It’s both the school and the absolute score that count (SAT/ACT for example will be ranked according to national percentiles). My daughter’s school is a high performing one so they actually don't rank, but the school profile gives an average gpa, highest gpa, number of APs offered etc. This is both to compare you against your peers but also to highlight for those schools where kids just don’t have the same opportunities (for example: a kid takes 3 AP classes. That means something totally different if kid comes from a school that only offers 3 AP classes, or from one that offers 20. So a kid who does well at a poor school is not doomed by his school or the fact that his grades look bad vs people at better resourced schools.) it’s also worth pointing out that colleges get so many top scoring kids applying that it’s not just the academics that count, but what kids do extramurally, how they perform at those activities, volunteer hours, leadership, part time jobs, etc etc, as well as your application essays. (For example, my daughter got into a college that one of her classmates who has a GPA about 0.3 better than her got rejected from. ) The upside of the affluent area schools is that the schools are well known and the counselors, despite having hundreds of kids each to look after at the school, also generally know what they’re doing. A good number of kids from my daughter’s class got into Ivies/Stanford/MIT this year, and a good deal more into top 30 colleges. But with admit rates around 5-6% for the top universities and so many good applicants, it’s always a bit of a lottery anyway. A Harvard admissions dean has said that they could make up an equally qualified freshman class from the reject pile. The other side of the coin is that there are actually many good universities in the US - the “LACs” - that are not as famous as the ivies but are often considered close to being peers, and there are also many good big universities out there as well. USnews, which has the most widely used college ranking, also has a separate ranking for LACs, as well as regional colleges. For example, in the Bay Area there is Santa Clara university, that I had never heard of before, but you have to have a very good gpa to get in and it’s highly regarded locally. There are these types of regional colleges all round the US.

That number of DV visas for South Africa up to the end of April is actually quite high compared to prior years, but should still not cause any concern. From 01 Oct - end April = 7 of 12 months = 179 visas For DV2017, a total of 215 visas were issued in 12 of 12 months (i.e. by end September) For DV2016, a total of 182 visas were issued in 12 of 12 months (i.e. by end September) For DV2015, the total was 197, for DV2014, the total was 211 (despite the fact that over 1 000 South Africans were actually drawn that year). (These numbers are the total for those with South Africa as country of chargeability, so includes not only those visas issued in Johannesburg, but visas issued to South Africans at other posts, such as London, as well as those already in the USA on some other type of visa - i.e. non-immigrant, who did a change of status) Also, these are the total DV visas, both the primary and derivatives. So, if over a 1 000 people were drawn, and only 211 visas issued (includes visas issued to spouses and children of those drawn), it shows how few actually pursue it.