Visa process and other preparations for a successful internship

Dear future interns,

As it’s not too long ago that I had to do all the paper stuff for my visa, I think I can give you some advice from my experience.

The visa application
First, make sure that you have a valid passport for your whole internship. I don’t know it exactly, but I think you need that new biometric one, now.

The best and easiest way to apply for the visa is to use the service of the German American Chamber of Commerce California (GACCCA), they can also tell you which passport you need. The AutoCom interns always use the branch in Leipzig. The website is: http://www.j1-visum.de/. If you are not a student anymore I don’t know which visa you need, but I think the GACCCA will help you in this case and tell you what to do. If you subscribe there, you will get all the forms you have to fill out. And they also tell you what else you have to do and give you some tips for the consulate. I think it is no waste of money doing this. Because there were such a lot of things I never thought I need them. And you have a pretty good insurance, which you need for the visa application as well. I think it would be the wrong way to save money at this point, if you really want to get your visa. Because they know how to get it and support you whenever needed. They also make sure that you have all forms which you need for the consulate and also that they are filled out in the right way. So using the Chamber of Commerce is the best thing to do. When I applied for my visa I also had to study for my exams and I was really glad that they have supported me. And if you won’t get your visa you will get the money back, so don’t worry about that.

I don’t know how to do the visa application when you are a resident of another country. But I think there are also Chamber of Commerce in your country which work together with the American (as long as you are European I think it is always the same).

My last advice for the application is that you should start with it as soon as possible so that there is no hurry. And take a book with you when you have to go to the consulate, because it takes about 3 hours there.


What else do you have to do…
Housing
You need to look for a room here in Detroit. There are two possibilities for you:
1. Oakland University (www.oakland.edu): Oakland University offers different
housing options (double room, single room, apartments…) just have a look on the website. It is a bit hard to find, just click on “future students” then “All about OU”, “Campus Housing&Dining” and “Hostel Program”.
2. Look for roommates (www.roommates.com): Make sure that the rooms are furnished.When I looked for roommates the problem was that I didn’t know which area of Motown is good and which not. Especially the way you have to drive to work every morning. So here are some areas which are really good. Rochester (48306), Troy (48085), Auburn Hills (48326), Royal Oak (48067) and I heard about Ferndale and Novi, but I’ve never been there. If you need a good map, visit http://www.mapquest.com/. But please don’t go to Pontiac! I’ve been there to get my social security number, and it didn’t seem to me to be a really safe place.

Car
To look for a car you can visit http://detroit.craigslist.org/car/. Although you will find cars for 500$ or less, if possible bring a little bit more so that you can spend about 1000$. As far as you want to drive your car longer than 3 months. J

Well I think that’s enough for the first time. If you have any questions or comments don’t hesitate to write a comment or contact us (Xu Lei lxu@usautocom.com or Bianca Bischoff bbischoff@usautocom.com).

Regards,

Bianca