

Ask HN: Australian considering moving to SF with a few questions. - zensavona

Hi, If anyone has done this (or something similar) before, I'd love to hear  about your experience and any advice you may have (keep in mind that right now this is just an idea).<p>Next year I'm thinking of either going to somewhere in Europe (Amsterdam or Sweden) or SF, I have an Australian passport and a Maltese one (hence Europe).<p>1. If I were to find work in the US while I am there, how hard/what is the process to get a working visa if I am there on a holiday visa?<p>2. If I were to keep my current position and work remotely (keeping my Australian salary) and stay on a holiday visa, is this legal?<p>3. Any general tips or advice about what area/s are best to meet some chilled out, smart, like minded people?<p>4. How much should I expect to pay for a room or a studio in a decent area (I have no idea what a decent area is, so any advice would be very much appreciated)<p>My reasoning for wanting to go over is more for a change of scenery and culture than the "I need to be in SF to do a startup" mentality that many people seem to have (at least from what I've read), California just seems like a really cool place to live, with lots of really smart people and good attitudes.<p>For the record, I'm 19 and like Go, Ruby, Javascript, C++ and Haskell.<p>Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it!
======
philiphodgen
At age 19 you probably don't have a superannuation but if you do expect a
metric ton of income tax problems in the USA if you file tax returns here as a
resident.

\- it's a retirement plan for you in Australia but the United States doesn't
see it as such. It's an ordinary taxable investment account for the U.S. tax
system.

\- if the superannuation has mutual funds as assets, these are Passive Foreign
Investment Companies for the U.S. tax system. Form 8621. Hilarity ensues, etc.

\- you may or may not have to file Form 3520/Form 3520-A in the U.S. because
the U.S. system may/may not think your superannuation is a "foreign trust" as
defined in the U.S. tax system.

Translated: this means preparing and filing a U.S. income tax return as a
resident is a complex and expensive proposition.

Suggested: the U.S./Australian tax system will be broken until someone brings
in the Serious People in Dark Suits (aka the diplomats); the U.S. tax
authorities (Treasury Department boffins) seem unwilling or unable to see that
this is a problem.

Practical suggestions: (1) don't become a U.S. resident for income tax
purposes (see IRS Publication 519 for the rules); (2) if you plan to be in the
USA for a while and work, terminate your superannuations; (3) alternatively,
if you plan to be in the USA for a while and work, learn the hard stuff for
U.S. income tax return filings or pay someone a lot of money for the first
year and then copy what they did for the second and subsequent years.

------
eshvk
> 3\. Any general tips or advice about what area/s are best to meet some
> chilled out, smart, like minded people?

It depends on what exactly you want to do: 1) Meet tech folks, learn about
interesting technologies? Go to meetup.com, find a bunch of talks held at
companies, go there, meet other folks, go to their company events, rinse,
repeat. 2) Meet interesting folks who may not be tech: Do a bunch of bar
crawls, go to interesting music festivals etc.

> 4\. How much should I expect to pay for a room or a studio in a decent area
> (I have no idea what a decent area is, so any advice would be very much
> appreciated)

I would advise staying away from the Tenderloin or some sketchy parts of the
Mission. Sketchy is a personal tolerance level discovered only by physically
visiting these places and figuring out your comfort zone. Noe Valley, The
Haight, Pacific Heights and parts of the Mission (Close to Dolores Park) are
great places to live. Prices here are expensive: You are likely to pay
anything between $1500 - $2500 for a studio.

~~~
mirsadm
I agree with you on the relative tolerance/perceptions of dodgy areas. I
stayed at a hostel in the Tenderloin area in SF and found it to be pretty
reasonable. Was a bit shady but compared to some of the areas where I grew up
it was not too bad.

------
fourmii
Good on your for travelling. I'm an aussie living in Boston, I originally came
over on a H1B visa, but those are virtually impossible to get as there's a
small number for the entire world. You should look at the E3 work visa. It's
an employer sponsored visa, but it's only for Australians and is considerably
easier to apply for: <http://canberra.usembassy.gov/e3visa.html> As far as
working while you're in the US on holidays, you're not allowed to work for any
US companies. But you should check the USCIS.gov website about this. Be
careful, because the US is pretty strict about working. Can't give you any
advice for SF, but I'd be happy to show you around Boston if you're ever in
the neighborhood! Good luck with everything!!

------
palderson
Here's a fantastic post on how to obtain an E3 visa:
[http://www.geoffmcqueen.com/2011/09/28/e-3-visa-for-
australi...](http://www.geoffmcqueen.com/2011/09/28/e-3-visa-for-australians-
how-to/). It's a founder-orientated post but certainly covers a few key
points.

I moved to SF 3 months ago from Sydney and have found the place very cheap to
live. SF is viewed as very expensive by most Americans, however, it's got
nothing on Sydney or Melbourne. I.e. my currently monthly rent is $845 p.m.
for a room in Dogpatch.

------
MartinSmee
Great questions, you asked them for me.

Are you in a startup or looking for paid work before you move if not? We need
someone to do some C++ for us before we move over to SF next year (from
Brisbane)

~~~
zensavona
Thanks for the potential offer, I really am quite happy with my current work
in Brisbane though - I hope you find a great C++ guy!

~~~
MartinSmee
Hah, so you are in Brisbane - how about that. Our co-founder/developer is
really good, but somehow managed to graduate with out any network. If you know
anyone looking for good pay in a fun work environment, maybe let me know! Good
luck with the move :) marty@co-oprating.com

~~~
zensavona
Will do Marty, I actually have someone in mind. I'll pass your email along to
him.

Good luck with your move also!

------
zensavona
Thanks for all the info, guys. I'm looking into the E3 visa.

