Note: this article is for AOS clients.
For Consular clients, check out this article for what to expect.
When you receive your work authorization (GC or EAD, whichever comes first), you will enter the Client Services Department at BDV, and you will be assigned to a Client Services Specialist. Your Specialist will advise you in your resettlement; however, you will be responsible for obtaining and securing all items (housing, car, etc.) and resolving all outstanding issues that affect your work.
Items included in this process are:
Social Security card
Housing
Transportation
Driver's license
Childcare
Bank account
Any other issues you need to discuss that affect your work (health, etc.)
Your Specialist will also work together with your Coordinator to request your worksite so that you can find housing near your job.
You should resolve all items above before you start work.
When you are completely settled and ready to work, your Specialist will assign your case to your Coordinator. Your Coordinator will handle your case in terms of starting work and onboarding with your sponsor.
Items included in this process are:
Preparing for orientation
Receiving a date for orientation
Application to the job
Background check for the job
Drug test for the job
You can expect this entire process to take less time if you are fully settled in your sponsor location upon receipt of work authorization, and more time if you need to complete many items for resettlement before starting work. However, we do not advise you to settle early if you have a sponsor with variable worksites. In that case, you should wait until you have a Worksite from your Specialist.
Our goal is to help you start work within 60 days or less from work authorization. It's very important that you do not contact the sponsor during this time, as BDV will arrange all sponsor communications for you.
Your messages are very important to us. At the same time, this is not an auto-chat service like you may experience from other vendors. We are not able to respond in real-time.
Please note that we may currently be experiencing a high volume of clients and approvals. Our goal is to respond to you within 2 business days (so if you contact us on a Friday, we will reply by end of day Tuesday, etc.). If you do not hear back from us within 2 business days, feel free to contact the Client Services main chat and someone will assist you asap.