CBP issues the I-94 electronically — retrieve it at the CBP I-94 site after EVERY entry. The Admit Until date is what controls your status; it is not the visa stamp's date, and admission errors are fixable now and expensive later.
Landing Month One — United States
The H-1B/L-1 arrival sequence. Most of the first month's pain is ordering: the SSN gates the licence, the licence gates the lease in some states, and three of the steps have clocks you cannot see. Every verified step links the official page it came from.
If there is a gap before employer coverage, moving to the US from a foreign country is a qualifying life event on the federal marketplace: you get 60 days to enrol, and the usual prior-coverage proof requirement is waived for this case.
Federal customer-identification rules let a bank identify a non-US person by passport number and country of issuance (or ITIN, or another government document); an SSN is not legally required. Whether a given branch accepts the alternatives is that bank's own policy — ask before queueing.
SSA recommends waiting about 10 days after arrival so DHS records propagate and your documents verify online; apply in person with passport, I-94 and work-authorization evidence. The card arrives roughly two weeks after SSA has everything it needs.
Postpaid carriers typically run a credit check; prepaid plans typically do not. This is carrier practice, not regulation — no federal source states it, so confirm with the carrier you pick and revisit once your credit file exists.
CFPB's own guidance: a deposit-backed secured card or a credit-builder loan starts the file, and on-time history is the heaviest factor. Separately, a short list of US lenders can read your Indian credit history through a cross-border report — check that list before assuming you start from zero.
A landlord who denies or surcharges you based on a background or credit report must tell you so and name the reporting company, and you can dispute errors — that much is federal law. The practical workarounds (offer letter, larger deposit, guarantor service) vary by metro and are not written down anywhere official.
L-2 spouses are employment-authorized incident to status (I-94 coded L-2S). H-4 spouses need an approved EAD before working. A spouse who will not work gets an ITIN by attaching Form W-7 to the front of your first joint federal return — not before. This area is policy-based and moves: re-check it before relying.
How long you may drive on an Indian licence as a new resident is state law and varies widely — California expects a licence application within 10 days of establishing residency. First licences typically need your SSN or an SSA ineligibility letter, and since 7 May 2025 REAL ID is enforced for domestic flying (your passport also works).
A mid-year arriver is typically a dual-status alien — nonresident for part of the year, resident for the rest, taxed differently in each — with elections (First-Year Choice, full-year joint election) that must be chosen, not defaulted into. IRS Publication 519 is the canonical guide; a preparer who has read it is worth the fee once.
We already computed the public version — it is complete and stays free. Add three facts and the runbook becomes standing: Join DesiSquare and the Square remembers your dates, re-runs this when the rules change, and puts a credentialed human one message away.