Post by Nonno on Nov 30, 2012 8:07:42 GMT
Well, I made it over! 
The information I found here was extremely helpful in making my move a smooth one. The flight from the states on KLM was one of the best overseas flights I have ever experienced. I'm only disappointed that I did not have a longer layover in Amsterdam to do some sightseeing.
I arrived before midnight Thursday, November 15th and was whisked through customs in only an hour and a half. It seemed longer! :lol: Orientation began for me on Sunday and was informative though it could have been better. For example, though a bus schedule was provided, the times on it are based on starting and stopping points, not the stops in between. It would be extremely helpful if each stop had the times the buses come by. Without such signs, you end up standing at bus stops for long periods of time waiting for the buses to come by until you learn the times. And they are different on weekends.
Do read the other posts about what to bring. If you're traveling cash-in-lieu as I did, spend the extra $$ and pack an extra suitcase with appliances and anything else you will want. Also, get copies of all your documentation from Houston/London/your country of entry. We arrived and discovered that none of our paper work made it over from Houston/London.
Why is this important? Even though we made it over here in time to get paid this month, most of us received paper checks which will need to be mailed back to our countries of origin. If this happens to you, your check will need to be mailed back to your country of origin, if that's where your bank is, deposited through your bank's international department, verified, and cleared before it hits your account. In my US bank's case, it has taken up to six months to clear people's accounts.
If this happens to you, wait for your Iqama - mine came in in less than two weeks - and open a local account. Yes, you'll have to pay conversion rates but it's better than waiting months for your check to clear your home bank. Your other option is to update your bank information with payroll and ask them to cancel your paper check and reissue your check through direct deposit. Payroll says they can do this and issue your check the next cycle, which usually begins with the start of the next week. I'll believe it when I see my money on December 4th when payroll says it will be in my account. :? Had I known that my Iqama would be in the day before payday, I would have opted for opening a local account and depositing my money there. However, when we arrived and attended orientation we were told Iqama's were taking two and one-half to three weeks to come in, so I opted to have payroll cancel the paper check and reissue it as direct deposit. Oh well, live and learn, right?
Some of those I attended orientation with were able to update their bank information in time to receive direct deposit, the rest of us were in department meetings and such and could not get to payroll in time. In my case, I got there two days before payday but the check had already been processed. Had we had copies of our documentation with us, we could have provided the copies to the personnel rep for him to pass on to payroll when he came in to present his part of the orientation.
I have more experiences but I think these are the most important to share. Oh, if you have a 4G enabled cell phone, get it unlocked before you leave the states/Canada/London, and bring it with you - especially if you can use it as a wi-fi hotspot. You'll find the signal from your 4G phone is better than the internet at the library. Yes, it can get pricey if you're in school like I am and have to watch multiple videos, but in the long run, it's worth the savings in time. STC is currently offering pre-paid 5GB service monthly for only 99 SAR. That's less than $30/month and includes unlimited local minutes and text messages. You'll have to get pre-paid until your Iqama comes in. Make nice with your neighbors and one of them may let you use their home internet until yours gets connected. I've been here two weeks yesterday and I'm still waiting.
I hope this helps!
The information I found here was extremely helpful in making my move a smooth one. The flight from the states on KLM was one of the best overseas flights I have ever experienced. I'm only disappointed that I did not have a longer layover in Amsterdam to do some sightseeing.I arrived before midnight Thursday, November 15th and was whisked through customs in only an hour and a half. It seemed longer! :lol: Orientation began for me on Sunday and was informative though it could have been better. For example, though a bus schedule was provided, the times on it are based on starting and stopping points, not the stops in between. It would be extremely helpful if each stop had the times the buses come by. Without such signs, you end up standing at bus stops for long periods of time waiting for the buses to come by until you learn the times. And they are different on weekends.
Do read the other posts about what to bring. If you're traveling cash-in-lieu as I did, spend the extra $$ and pack an extra suitcase with appliances and anything else you will want. Also, get copies of all your documentation from Houston/London/your country of entry. We arrived and discovered that none of our paper work made it over from Houston/London.
Why is this important? Even though we made it over here in time to get paid this month, most of us received paper checks which will need to be mailed back to our countries of origin. If this happens to you, your check will need to be mailed back to your country of origin, if that's where your bank is, deposited through your bank's international department, verified, and cleared before it hits your account. In my US bank's case, it has taken up to six months to clear people's accounts.
If this happens to you, wait for your Iqama - mine came in in less than two weeks - and open a local account. Yes, you'll have to pay conversion rates but it's better than waiting months for your check to clear your home bank. Your other option is to update your bank information with payroll and ask them to cancel your paper check and reissue your check through direct deposit. Payroll says they can do this and issue your check the next cycle, which usually begins with the start of the next week. I'll believe it when I see my money on December 4th when payroll says it will be in my account. :? Had I known that my Iqama would be in the day before payday, I would have opted for opening a local account and depositing my money there. However, when we arrived and attended orientation we were told Iqama's were taking two and one-half to three weeks to come in, so I opted to have payroll cancel the paper check and reissue it as direct deposit. Oh well, live and learn, right?
Some of those I attended orientation with were able to update their bank information in time to receive direct deposit, the rest of us were in department meetings and such and could not get to payroll in time. In my case, I got there two days before payday but the check had already been processed. Had we had copies of our documentation with us, we could have provided the copies to the personnel rep for him to pass on to payroll when he came in to present his part of the orientation.
I have more experiences but I think these are the most important to share. Oh, if you have a 4G enabled cell phone, get it unlocked before you leave the states/Canada/London, and bring it with you - especially if you can use it as a wi-fi hotspot. You'll find the signal from your 4G phone is better than the internet at the library. Yes, it can get pricey if you're in school like I am and have to watch multiple videos, but in the long run, it's worth the savings in time. STC is currently offering pre-paid 5GB service monthly for only 99 SAR. That's less than $30/month and includes unlimited local minutes and text messages. You'll have to get pre-paid until your Iqama comes in. Make nice with your neighbors and one of them may let you use their home internet until yours gets connected. I've been here two weeks yesterday and I'm still waiting.
I hope this helps!
I have met a few people in the library of late. One was a couple... was that you and your spouse?