Hi guys,

I'm planning to move there, assuming no problem with my work Visa.
Have been digging around the net for more information (visa & PR, fed and state taxes, housing prices and rental, driving license, healthcare - still going through this one slowly, 401k).
Now I'm looking into how to setup my banking accounts, where my primary account will be in US, but I still have recurring needs in Malaysia e.g. property loan, parents, etc..
Saw the HSBC and Citigold premier account services, but am wondering if the benefits are really worth it, because then I'll be tied to these banks instead of having more choices.

Or any other advise/recommendation? Or sites to recommend? Haven't seen any site opened/specific to Malaysians so far..

Yeah, most of the forums I'm reading are about Canadians, British or Australians in (or going to) the states.. Just wistful thinking on there being a small group of Malaysians out there somewhere lah..
And yes H1-B is the intended visa and no dependent. Will take a while though because the window just opened recently, but I'm reasonably confident of my chances.

On the banking side, yes the charges and flexibility is exactly what I'm thinking of. I've been reading opinions that the local small banks are favored over the large big ones and I'm sure there are plenty of good reasons for that. Any particular local banks to recommend in southern california?

About international wire transfer, are the listed charges by the sending and receiving bank everything I need to consider, because I'm reading there might be intermediary banks who'll take a cut too.
Also wondering if I take a local US bank, will I be able to say use my income there to take a property loan back in MY, or is that again just way too wistful thinking on my part? I'm thinking with HSBC/Citi this is a distinct possibility, at least based on my assumption on the banking relationship and credit transfer with the premier account. Any idea?

We'll I just got in on H-1B visa. It is harder now since the quota filled up in just 2 months, much faster than preceding years.

No prob. Just a Bachelor's degree plus about 10 years of working experience.
In case you're wondering, I got hired mostly due to recommendations from previous colleagues, and I've several years of working experiences in a relatively new technology area.

Thanks.

Well yes, it was filled up in like 1 or 2 days several years back, and if that happens, everyone goes into a lottery system and they'll randomly pick who gets into the quota. But since the recession, things has slowed down considerably. At the slowest point, the quota didn't even fill up until the next year quota opens. What I meant was that the pace has started picking up again, so whoever is interested need to get their filings done as early as possible.
And I wouldn't call it a lottery (unless they hit the special condition). It's by default whoever gets in first gets the next available quota slot.

If you found other employers before resigning, your new prospective employers can kick off H-1B transfer process (they need to pay all the fees). If it's successful, you can then resign and transfer over; no need to return to home country. The transfer is also easier to obtain since you don't need to compete for a quota slot again, plus you don't have to notify your current employer to kick off the transfer process.

If however you choose to resign without a new job ready, then you will be out of status and you'll likely need to return home. I've read there are past cases where people who've been laid off finding a job a month or more later and still being able to continue, but it's all in the grey area.