Your First 90 Days in the USA: A Week-by-Week Checklist
A practical, week-by-week plan for your first three months that separates what the law requires from what simply makes life easier.
In short: In your first 90 days in the US, work in this order: make sure the USCIS Immigrant Fee is paid so your green card gets printed, watch for your Social Security card, lock down a stable mailing address (and report any move to USCIS within 10 days), open a bank account and get a phone line, then sort out health coverage, school enrollment and a driver's license. Men aged 18 through 25 also need to register with Selective Service.
This checklist is written mainly for people who entered on an immigrant visa and became permanent residents at the border. Most of it also applies if you arrived on a work visa, as a student, or as a refugee or asylee; we flag the differences. If you'd rather have the tasks laid out by date, plug your arrival date into our 90-day planner.
What should you do before you board the plane?
The single most important pre-departure task is paying the USCIS Immigrant Fee. It pays for processing your immigrant visa packet and producing your Permanent Resident Card. USCIS strongly encourages paying it after you pick up your visa and before you travel. You can pay after arrival, but the card will not be produced until the fee is paid.
The amount changes, so we don't quote it here; check the USCIS Immigrant Fee page (as of September 2026). A few groups are exempt, including Iraqi and Afghan special immigrants and children entering through orphan or Hague adoption programs.
Second: the immigrant visa application (DS-260) asks whether you want a Social Security number. If you answered yes and consented to data sharing, SSA issues your card after you're admitted, with no office visit.
Documents from home: translate them once
You'll be asked for birth and marriage certificates and diplomas again and again: by schools, by credential evaluators, by USCIS later on. Get a full English translation of each Arabic document once, with the translator's certification of competence and accuracy, and keep it with the original. If family names are spelled differently across parents' and children's passports, note it now and keep proof that the spellings refer to the same people.
Week 1: address, phone and your entry stamp
Your green card and Social Security card are mailed to the US address you gave the State Department or the officer at your port of entry. A stable address in week one matters more than it sounds.
- Put your name on the mailbox if you're staying with relatives. Cards get returned to sender when the carrier doesn't see your name.
- Get a US phone number. A prepaid plan usually needs no credit history and is the easiest start until you have an SSN.
- Photograph your entry stamp. The stamped immigrant visa is temporary evidence of permanent residence for one year from admission, until your card arrives.
If you move, noncitizens must report the new address to USCIS within 10 days. The recommended way is the change-of-address tool in your USCIS online account, which updates records almost immediately. The paper Form AR-11 is slower, and a USPS forwarding request does not update USCIS.
Weeks 2–4: Social Security number and a bank account
If you requested an SSN on your visa application, SSA says to visit a Social Security office if the card hasn't arrived within 3 weeks of your admission, bringing proof of age, identity and work authorization. If you didn't request it, you'll apply in person once you have a permanent address. Full details are in our Social Security number guide.
Many banks will open an account with your passport, immigration document and a US address; some want an SSN or ITIN. Requirements vary by bank, and we compare them in how to open a bank account in the US.
When does the green card arrive, and what if it doesn't?
The card is mailed after your fee is paid and your file is processed. USCIS says that if you haven't received it within 90 days of paying the fee or entering the US, you should submit its online help request.
Check the card the day it arrives: name spelling, date of birth, country of birth. Arabic names are romanized many ways (Mohamed, Mohammed, Muhammad), and what matters is that the card matches your passport. If a card was never delivered, the usual route is Form I-90; see our green card renewal and replacement guide.
From week 2: health coverage and school enrollment
Health coverage. Moving to the US from another country is one of the life events that can open a Special Enrollment Period on the Health Insurance Marketplace outside open enrollment, and so is gaining an eligible immigration status. The window is limited, so don't wait. Subsidy rules for immigrants have changed recently; read our health insurance guide and Medicaid for immigrants before choosing a plan.
School. The Supreme Court held in Plyler v. Doe (1982) that a student's or parent's immigration status can't be used to bar a child from public school. Districts can ask for proof that you live in the district and proof of age, but a foreign birth certificate is not a reason to turn a child away. Bring school records from home, translated if you can. See how to enroll your kids in school.
Selective Service: men 18 through 25
Almost all male US citizens and male immigrants living in the US who are 18 through 25 must register with the Selective Service System. The official chart lists permanent residents, refugees, parolees and asylees as required. Men here on a valid nonimmigrant visa (students, temporary workers) are not.
Registering is not enlisting. You can do it online at sss.gov once you have an SSN. Skipping it can cost you federal benefits that require registration, and it comes up again when you apply for US citizenship.
Month 3: driver's license and credit history
Driver's licenses are issued by states, and each state sets its own rules, including how long you can drive on a foreign license. States commonly ask for proof of identity, lawful status, your SSN and proof of residence in the state; check your state DMV's list. Ask for a REAL ID-compliant license: enforcement began May 7, 2025, and you'll need a compliant license or another accepted ID, such as a passport, to fly domestically. See our driver's license guide.
Start building credit from zero as well. A secured credit card, paid in full every month, is usually the easiest on-ramp.
What's different if you didn't arrive on an immigrant visa?
If you came on a work or student visa, there's no green card and no Immigrant Fee, and you don't register with Selective Service while you hold a valid nonimmigrant visa. The 10-day address rule still applies to you, as it does to almost every noncitizen.
The biggest practical difference is the SSN. A work-visa holder gets a card restricted to DHS work authorization, while an accompanying spouse without work authorization usually doesn't qualify and uses an ITIN on a joint tax return. Refugees and asylees, on the other hand, must register with Selective Service if they're men aged 18 through 25.
Week-by-week checklist
| Suggested timing | Task | Official rule or deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Before travel | Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee | No green card until it's paid |
| Week 1 | Stable address, phone line, photo of entry stamp | Report any move to USCIS within 10 days |
| Weeks 2–4 | Watch for SSN card; open a bank account | No card within 3 weeks of admission: visit SSA |
| Weeks 2–4 | Health coverage | Special Enrollment Period is time-limited |
| Once you have an SSN | Men 18–25: register with Selective Service | Required for permanent residents |
| Weeks 3–6 | Enroll children in school | Immigration status can't bar enrollment |
| Weeks 6–12 | Driver's license; secured credit card | Set by your state |
| By day 90 | Confirm your green card arrived | Not received in 90 days: request USCIS help |
The timing column is a practical suggestion, not a legal schedule. Only the third column reflects official rules.
Common mistakes in the first months
- Moving without telling USCIS. Notices and cards go to the old address, and deadlines get missed.
- Putting off the Immigrant Fee. Your stamp expires a year after entry; without the card, work and travel get harder.
- Paying a "service office" for free government forms. An SSN and the card are free.
- Long trips abroad in year one without understanding the effect on residence; see traveling on a green card.
- Ignoring official mail. Every USCIS or IRS letter carries a deadline; learn to read them in our official letters guide.
What next, after day 90?
Once the basics are settled, move on to the longer projects: your first tax return next filing season, credential evaluation if you want to work in your field, and the countdown to naturalization eligibility. Keep one folder, paper or digital, with every official letter in date order, and use our document checklist to see what to keep.
If you'll be sending money home early on, read how to send money from the US first. The exchange-rate markup often costs more than the fee you see.
Frequently asked questions
When will my green card arrive after I enter on an immigrant visa?
It's mailed after you pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee. If it hasn't arrived within 90 days of paying the fee or entering the US, submit USCIS's online help request.
Can I work before my green card arrives?
Yes. The stamped immigrant visa in your passport is temporary evidence of permanent residence for one year from admission.
Do I have to tell USCIS if I move out of my relatives' place?
Yes. Noncitizens must report a new address within 10 days of moving. The fastest way is your USCIS online account; a USPS change of address doesn't update USCIS.
Do green card holders have to register with Selective Service?
Men aged 18 through 25 do, as do refugees and asylees. Men on a valid nonimmigrant visa don't. Registering is not enlisting.
Can my kids start school before all their paperwork is sorted?
Generally yes. A public school can't bar a child because of immigration status or a foreign birth certificate, though it can ask for proof of residence in the district and proof of age.
Official sources we reviewed
- USCIS Immigrant Fee ↗
- USCIS: How to Change Your Address ↗
- SSA: Social Security Numbers and Immigrant Visas — What You Need To Do ↗
- Selective Service System: Who Needs to Register (chart) ↗
- HealthCare.gov: Special Enrollment Period ↗
- U.S. Department of Education: Equal Rights to Public Education Regardless of Immigration Status ↗
- TSA: REAL ID ↗