The first two days in New York, in priority order: what has to happen, what should, and what can wait. Tick things off as you go.
For New York
How long you are staying
Must do
A prepaid SIM or eSIM from T-Mobile, AT&T or Verizon, or a cheaper carrier that runs on their networks. Banks, landlords and two-factor logins all want a US number.
OMNY's weekly cap counts rides per card. Pick one contactless card or phone and stick to it, so rides after the twelfth in a Monday-to-Sunday week are free.
Retrieve it from the CBP I-94 website and check the class of admission and the date you must leave by. Errors are much easier to fix in the first weeks.
Unless you requested the number with your visa application, plan to visit a Social Security office about ten days after arrival with your passport, visa and I-94.
Bring your passport, visa, proof of address and an employer letter. Some banks open accounts before you have an SSN and add it later.
Starting a job or arriving in the country opens a short special enrolment window, often 30 days with an employer and 60 on the public marketplace. Miss it and you may wait until the autumn.
Should do
Police, fire and ambulance. Ambulance rides are billed, sometimes heavily, so check how your plan covers them.
Sales tax is added at the till, not shown on the shelf, and table service expects a tip of roughly 18โ20%. Bartenders, cab drivers and delivery riders expect one too.
Express trains skip stops and many stations have separate entrances for each direction. Check the sign above the stairs before you tap.
Before signing a lease, make the trip at 8.30am on a weekday, and check the line's weekend service changes too.
A secured credit card, backed by your own deposit and paid in full each month, is the usual first line on a US credit report.
Most non-citizens must tell USCIS of a new address within ten days of moving, online. Do it when you move from temporary housing into your flat.
Start electricity and gas in your name a week before move-in; same-day connections are not reliable. Parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island get gas from National Grid instead.
Nice to do
Most embassies run a registration or alert service for nationals abroad. It takes two minutes.
Many older buildings have no machines. Most neighbourhoods have a laundromat that will also wash and fold by the pound.
A free city photo ID for residents aged ten and over, whatever their immigration status. It is accepted across city services and comes with free memberships at many museums.
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