I cant get a credit card, get an apartment very easily, etc. Its really making stuff hard. How do dual-citizens who are fresh into the USA normally handle this? How do I build a good credit history as fast as possible to stop this from being a problem?
204545
Credit history is not a "fast thing."  That's why it's called "history."  \n\nI would start by getting 2 credit cards.  Charging your daily "miscellaneous needs" to them.  Pay them off on time or ahead of time.\n\nAfter 2 years, acquire more credit cards visa/mc/discover but close the others after you have in favor of the new ones.  (make sure you have better interest rates, or don't do this step) This shows you can GET new credit, and also that you DON'T NEED the old credit.\n\nGood luck and Welcome to America
310060
Citi sucks anyway. But you only get an instant response pretty much if you are approved or you have amazing credit. I know it stupid, I remember when i was trying to get my first card and i saw instant response, but i didint get one, then i got a letter saying i couldnt have one, why not just say that.....its retarded.
540409
Hi friend,\nhow are you doing. Well for those kind of informations you have to spend money alitle bit. As you u i'm a non us resident and i wanted to open a us bank account. I went to a good website that give all the informations and also the form i suppose to send to the bank. I pay only $4 usd, i think it's not a lot of money. In case you want to do the same thing i give you the link:\nhttps://www.mycashjunction.com/product_details.php?pid=331\nwrite me to let me know how you get in
92579
try a department store card, or try something like rentway, with a department store credit card you can purchase something small every month and pay the full balance everymonth. by the time 3 months or so passes, once your credit is ran for a "credit Card" you should have an excellent paying history.  my younger sister was having a hard time too, she opened up a JC Penny card account and bought small things every month and paid the balance in full everymonth. 5 months later she got a mastercard.
205954
Credit cards are easy to get.  TOO easy if you ask me.  You can apply online, call the company, or apply through your bank.  BE CAREFUL though because they will give you a card and a maximum limit and it is so easy to just start spending.  I have a friend who racked up credit cards when she was 17 and 18 and she barely, barely paid them off (she is 27).  They are not your friends.  Make a habit of only spending what you make and having one to only use in emergencies like unexpected car repair.  Good luck and God bless.
576771
This is really a neat question. I will try to answer it comprehensively.\n\nThere is a large difference between debit and credit card. A debit card subtracts directly from your checking account, while the credit card company pays the bill for you. In the US, there are numerous laws protecting credit cards, not debit cards, from fraud. If a thief managed to acquire your debit card, he could take out all of the money from your account and you will have lost everything. This does not happen with a credit card. Mastercard or Visa will contact the seller and force them to give the money back. As a result, consumers are encouraged to use their credit cards over their debit cards for safety reasons.\n\n"Building a credit history" is a myth that most Americans subscribe to. The real reason is that we prefer to first acquire goods and then pay them off. This is different from many other cultures including Latin Americans. When I sold cars for a living, it was not uncommon to find a Latin American family paying cash for cars costing up to $40,000. Very few American's do that, so we justify our purchasing decisions by claiming to need to build up our credit history, when really we are just too impatient to save up money.\n\nHaving said that, there is a complicated formula (FICO) that is used to calculate a person's credit rating. Using credit responsibly will have a positive impact on that rating, but more important is their history of paying bills (including utilities), amount of money owed, amount of credit available, income, and years of employment. Although all of these factors influence our FICO score, you never hear someone say, "I am paying my car loan early to improve my credit history."\n\nA person with a high FICO score will be able to qualify for lower interest rates than one with a lower score. Income is the primary determinant for how much a lender will give you.
266987
Having a history of good, revolving credit (finger hut, Mervyns, Sears, JC Penney) will help you.  Just use it.  If you buy one thing, once, that won't really help.  I got a card at Mervyns and bought maybe one item every three months.  It helped me.  I had a great credit history but "lack of revolving accounts".
185735
Why dont you try getting a Visa Debit Card from your bank.\nIt's like a Visa card but you only spend what you have in your checking account. \n\nYou need to really build your credit back up so maybe get a secure credit card and work your way up to unsecured.\n\nBelow is a website that can give tips on how to fix your credit.  Good Luck
181593
They have picture IDs, some of them and they can get SS cards no problem even if they are from another country. The government does not care when issuing a SS card what country the person is from.\nGo in with your foreign birth certificate and a drivers license and you get a SS card.\nThen you can open a bank account, get a car loan, get a job and live like a US citizen.\nIf they didn't give them SS cards, the problem would be solved!
240886
you are indeed correct, its a catch 22 basically, you want to build ur credit but inturn it affects your credit to apply. lame, i know. but thats the way the cookie crumbles.
545999
Try not to spend on the cards anymore. That's the most important factor.\n\nCan you sell stuff? Ebay or whatever, you'd be surprised what people buy. Any income, pay it off your cards.\n\nEconomise on your expenses. It's possible to eat pretty cheaply y'know. \n\nIf you're making all your payments, then your credit rating is probably OK. See if you can transfer any balances to lower interest cards. Make SURE you close the old cards off - call them to cancel the accounts. \n\nMake minimum payments on all but one card. (The one with the lowest balance). Overpay that one. Even a few bucks will make a difference. Another thing that makes a difference, even if it's only a dollar or two a month is to pay early. Make sure that the card payments go out as soon as you're paid. Then you know how much you have left and they'll charge you less interest. \n\nBut won't it feel good to have even one card paid? When it is, hit the next card. It will take a few years.
427268
I can save you the money by giving my answers to his questions:\n\n    * A dirty little trick that credit card companies use to lower your credit score to keep their competitors away from you; learn if you're a victim of this, including how to fix it.\n\nThis trick is cards like CapitalOne don't report your credit limit, only your high balance.  This can make your utilization appear higher.  To see if you are a victim of this look at your credit report and verify that the reported credit limits match your actual credit limits.  Fix it by either getting rid of those cards or disputing the information with the credit bureau.\n\n    * Which errors on a credit report are a waste of time to fix and which are a high priority (helping you to raise your score by 5, 10, 15, 20 points at a time).\n\nBad advice, if you see an error go ahead and get it fixed.  The low priority items are inquiries greater than 6 months ago and pretty much any incorrect but positive item.  Negative items are obvious, late pays, etc.\n\n    * How to build credit (if you have none) and rebuild credit if you've gone through a divorce, bankruptcy, or other major delinquency.\n\nSmall secured bank loan, secured credit card, small car loan.  Make sure they report.  \n\n    * Why you should NOT become a cash-only citizen; at the same time, learn how to keep credit active without putting yourself into debt.\n\nCredit is handy, no reason no to keep some credit cards around, no need to do more than place an occassional charge on them to keep them active.  No need to ever pay interest.\n\n    * How paying collections can HURT your credit score.\n\nIt re-ages your account.\n\n    * How to prepare for a loan by improving your credit score.\n\nReduce utilization (either increase limits or pay down cards), age off inquiries (more than 6 months and they don't matter).  Dispute off negative items.\n\n    * How to maintain a high credit score for the rest of your life!\n\nPay your bills.
595066
Try Chase. Or capital one. They both gave me credit cards when I had no credit. Then just use them and pay more than the minimum payment (or pay all of it) and it will help establish your credit. You may also think about asking your financial institution. They may have ways to help you as well.
663404
First try the Green Card Lottery. My wife got her Green Card that way. \n\nBasically you fill out a form online and the gov. chooses 50,000 entries who are given an opportunity to get a Green Card. It has been around for many years.\n\nWhen my wife did it she won it after 3 years of trying. \n\nIf you are married then you can both enter on your own. If one of you wins then both of you (because you are married) are given the chance to get the Green Card.\n\nIt is free to enter the lottery but if you win it costs about $600 to get all the paperwork and stuff together but it sure beats the thousands you might pay a lawyer to do it for you.\n\nIn all I know 7 people who have gotten their Green Cards that way.\n\nIf you choose to try it then DO NOT go through an agency to do it. It if 100% FREE to enter the green Card Lottery so why would you pay someone else to do it for you. It takes abour 10 minutes to fill out the form online.\n\nHere is the link to the details on the US Govt. site. \n\nhttp://www.uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/divlott.htm\n\nOnce again - DO NOT pay someone or some company to do it for you.
296756
If you are rebuilding your credit, you will want to avoid having too many credit cards.  Especially if using too many credit cards damaged your credit in the first place.  Apply for one with no annual fee, a low interest, and a low credit limit.  If your credit score is low, you may have trouble getting a credit card.  Always pay your rent or mortgage on time.  Eliminate Florida trips until you have enough in savings to pay for the trip.  You will want to have a credit card to buy airline tickets, reserve hotels, and cars, but pay off the balance when the bill comes.  Some people get a gas card first when they are recovering from a bad financial situation.  Gas is something you buy anyway so they put the gas on the card, set aside the money and pay off the bill completely when it comes.  Gas cards tend to have high interest rates, but if you pay in full, you incur no interest.  Aim for one card to start with and see how that goes before applying for another one.
674528
I agree somewhat with the other answers and have been in the same situation. Credit card laws vary by state but they are 'unsecured loans' which mean you didn't have to put up anything to get the loan. Most credit card issued by an out of state bank can't do nothing but screw up your credit, which you need to do without. If you can't afford it, save up and pay cash and get a better deal. If your credit card is issued in the state you live in, they may can take you to court. Credit ratings are used against you from day one. If you pay off a loan or credit card early, that goes against you too. The banks set the ratings and don't get the extra interest if you pay early. It's one of the biggest scams in America. If you're bunghole deep in dept and scrape to keep making the minimum payments - you've got great credit....Change your phone number so they'll quit calling and "Give them the Bone" !!
392619
USCIS is a new agency having been "sliced out" of the breakup of the old Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).  With a new agency, new rules, new people (many retired not liking the breakup), and new missions it is having difficulties keeping up with the HUGE number of people filing claims.\n\nThe "6 months to get results" is out the window.  I know people that have waited two years!\n\nNow be honest with yourself, is there something in your past that could be slowing it down?  For example an unreported criminal history?  Failure to register for the draft (if you required to do so)?  Has someone else (with or without your knowledge) used your identification (sometimes Green card holders will let friends or relatives "borrow" their card to come into the USA)?  Did your check "bounce due to insufficient funds" or some other reason?\n\nHave you been "bugging them" about your card (each time you call or write or complain your file comes out of the queue and goes into another queue.  Then it is place back in the pile at the back of the queue)?\n\nYou should have a receipt letter and your old green card so you should already be "legal."  So what is the problem?