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SETTLING INTO THE U.S. — CHECKLIST

Your first time in the U.S. —
you shouldn't have to look up what's next.

Phone, bank account, SSN, driver's license, credit history, renting, insurance, and the rest of daily life. We put the things you run into after arriving in order, as a list you can work through one item at a time.

Tell us who you are, which state you're in, and what's most urgent right now. In under thirty seconds you'll have your own My USA Plan。

Start my U.S. checklist — free → See all 91 items

First 30 items free · No payment needed to start

Official links · Documents to bring · What to watch for · Your progress · Kept up to date

The hardest part of arriving isn't the English.

It's not knowing what to do next.

Do I get an SSN first, or open a bank account first?
Can I rent without any credit history?
When can I start applying for a driver's license?
Phone number, bank account, credit card — which comes first?
Which documents should I prepare before I leave?

You can find every one of these answers on Google. But starting a life in the U.S. shouldn't mean opening 30 tabs and piecing it together yourself. My USA Plan has already put them in order.

You do not have to dig through a pile of links yourself.
Take care of what is right in front of you first.

Every item starts with what to bring, how long it may take, where to go, and the parts that commonly trip people up.

Apply for a Social Security Number (SSN)

What to bring

  • Passport and visa originals
  • I-94 (look it up and print it free at i94.cbp.dhs.gov)
  • Proof that you're allowed to work (I-20, EAD, or I-797)

How long it takes About 15 to 30 minutes on site. The card is mailed and arrives in 2 to 4 weeks.

🔗 Official link: Social Security Administration (SSA) Apply for an SSN

Common pitfalls

  • If you arrived less than 10 days ago your entry record may not show up yet. Wait 10 days.
  • Make sure you can receive mail at the address you give. The card is mailed, not handed over at the counter.
Open a bank account (checking + savings)
Research health insurance plans 🔒Full version
Which health plan? What do you need for taxes? Those are in the 61 items of the full version

Three steps to find your footing again

1

Tell us a little about your situation

Choose the option that is closest to your situation. We will keep unrelated tasks out of your way for now.

2

One thing at a time

See what to prepare, how long it may take, and where the official link is, then work through it at your pace.

3

Your progress is saved

Create a free account and you can pick up where you left off, even on another phone or computer.

We have looked over each step with you in mind

There's plenty of information online, but when it's time to actually get something done, the key facts are hard to find. Here's what to look at, all in one place:

What to prepare first

One missing document usually means another trip.

How long it takes

Know what to expect, and the timing gets easier to plan.

Official site

Takes you straight to the site where things actually get done.

Where people get stuck

The traps others fell into — flagged before you get there.

Check it off when it's done

Next time you're back, no need to remember where you left off.

Content keeps getting updated

Buy once — future updates cost nothing.

You could look all of it up yourself.

It's just a longer road.

Dozens of open tabs

Government sites are spread across agencies.

Already in arrival order

From week one to settled, one path through.

No sense of what comes first

Posts on Reddit or social apps may already be out of date.

Links straight to official sources

The documents to bring are listed up front.

No way to know what you've missed

Every new thing means starting the research over.

You can see where you are

You don't research the same thing twice.

$9.90 doesn't buy the information. It buys not having to organize it yourself.

Why we made My USA Plan

The first time we lived in the U.S., we ran into the same thing. It wasn't that information was hard to find. It was scattered across government sites, articles, forums, and other people's experiences.

How to get a phone, how to open a bank account, when to apply for an SSN, how credit starts, where the driver's license fits. Finish one thing and you're looking up the next from scratch.

So we put it back together as a path you can follow. You don't need every answer at once. You need the next step.

Take care of today's task first.
When you are ready, move on to the next part.

Which health plan? What do you need for taxes? How do you enroll your kids? Repairs in a rental, traffic tickets, financing vs. leasing a car, judging whether a neighborhood is safe. The first 30 don't cover any of it.

USA Start

$0

Get through these first few weeks.

The 30 most urgent things in your first month

  • Identity, banking, phone, transport, the basics
  • No email needed. Start right now
  • Want it synced across devices? A free account does it
Start with the free checklist
Recommended

USA Complete

$9.90

Walk the whole path to settled.

All 91 items, ad-free, one purchase for life

  • Status, money, phone, transport, daily life, education, work — all 91 items
  • Every item has its official link, no hunting
  • One payment, yours for life, not a subscription, no monthly charges, and no future fees
  • Your progress stays put. Rules change, we update. No re-downloading
See all 91 items

Secure payment by Stripe | one-time | not a subscription | yours for life | kept up to date

FAQ

Does the free version really need no email?

Yes, open it and start. Want to continue on another device? A free account is all it takes.

Is payment secure?

Handled by Stripe. We never see or touch your card number.

Is it a subscription?

No. $9.90 once, no monthly charges, yours for life.

What does "yours for life" mean?

Once you unlock, your account stays unlocked. Content updates and link fixes show up in your account automatically. You never pay again.

Is this a PDF?

No. It's an interactive checklist you use online, where you can read each item and track what you've finished.

Can I just find this on Google?

A lot of it, yes. The value of My USA Plan isn't secret information. It's putting scattered information in the order you actually need it, with the documents to bring, the official links, and the places people get stuck.

Can this replace a lawyer, an accountant, or a professional advisor?

No. It's a tool for organizing practical information and steps. It doesn't provide legal, immigration, medical, or tax advice.

Does the content get updated?

Yes. This is a web tool, not a one-time download. When a link or a rule changes, we update it. You don't re-download anything.

You don't have to figure out life in the U.S. today.
Just know the next step.

Start with the first thing, and build your life here one item at a time.

Start My USA Plan free → See all 91 items

First 30 free · All 91 for $9.90

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