| Visiting or moving to a new country can be scary. You have to deal with the shock of a completely new culture, with their own customs and way of operating that might be foreign to where you lived previously. It can be very daunting. When you come to the United States, it can be even weirder, as we have very strict custom agents that tend to make things more difficult. Whether you are coming to the US to visit, to work, to go to school or to live, it helps a great deal if you are prepared. Thankfully, there are a bunch of US government websites that are made to help you get ready for a visit to the US. They are filled with all kinds of helpful information to get you ready for your arrival. Because traveling around the world can be such a stressful situation, at least having the information you need before you come can help give you one less thing to worry about, and make your life a bit easier. CBP.gov Border Wait Time The first thing you will face upo n entering the US will be Customs. Sometimes, the wait to get into the country can be very long, and it can make you arrival slightly less than enjoyable. Sadly, there is nothing you can do about these wait times, but at least with this website you can be prepared with a rough idea of how long you are going to have to wait. There are two main sections on this website. There is the wait time for major US Airports and the wait time for major border areas between the north and the south. Depending on how you are making your way into the United States, this is a great way to get an idea of what to expect once you arrive at the border. Fms.Treas.gov Exchange Rates Obviously, if you are making a trip to the United States, than you are going to need some local money. Using this handy chart on this US government website, you will be able to find out how your money will convert to US dollars. Knowing how your money will convert to US dollars will help a great deal with budgeting for your time in the US, and it is necessary to look into this before you plan a trip. If you come to the US thinking the exchange rate is in your benefit, and you find out it is not, it could completely mess up what you plan to do on your trip. Time.gov This is just a quick little service offered on a US government website. It simply provides the time for any time zone in the US. This is useful for a person coming here who wants to know what the time will be for the location they are visiting. It is also useful for your family back home because they can check the time where you are, and see if it is too early, or too late for them to call you. NCES.ED.gov College, University and School Locator If you are interesting in the United States as an option for studying abroad, you will need to check out this website. You can search using a plethora of options such as the State, City, and name of the school. You can also choose if you want the school to be public or private. This will allow you to find a school that perfectly suits your needs. This handy tool will also find schools for younger, non-college age children. If you are a parent, this is invaluable, as it can help you decide where you are going to move if you plan on coming to the United States on a permanent or semi permanent basis. As an added bonus, you can even search for public libraries in an area, to find out if one is near where you plan to live. Clicking on a school will open a screen that provides you with all kinds of available information. You can find out how many books are in the library, what their current enrollment is, the gender breakdown, the race breakdown and most importantly, the cost. If there is anything to know about a school, this US government website is a great place to start. Travel.State.gov Visa Information Page If you are coming to the US to work, you will need a visa, and this page is a great place to start. It provides you with all the information you will need to get your visa and be able to work legally in the US. In addition to useful information, they also provide you with links to the forms you will need in order to apply for your visa. USCIS.gov Guide for New Immigrants This US government website features links to a guide for anyone immigrating to the United States. If you plan on coming to US to live, this is a guide you need. It will break down everything you need to know, and it is available in fourteen different languages. It is a great place to go once you get to the US and need to know what the next steps are. Conclusion With these websites, you will be ready to come to the United States, whether it is just for a trip, or to stay. These US government websites are built to help you, and they do a great job of providing the information you need to make your stay in the US as pleasant as possible. |
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