Getting your U.S. immigrant visa is exciting, but receiving the visa is not the end of the process.

For many Burmese families, immigrating to the United States means closing one chapter of life in Burma before beginning another in America. You may need to sell belongings, decide what to do with your house or land, leave property with relatives, collect important documents, arrange finances, buy airline tickets, pack your luggage, say goodbye to family, and prepare for U.S. immigration inspection when you arrive.

Doing everything in the right order can make the move much easier.

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Step 1: Wait Until You Actually Receive Your Visa

Do not make major irreversible decisions simply because your visa interview went well.

Wait until the immigrant visa has actually been issued and your passport has been returned to you.

Before selling your house, vehicle or other major property, resigning from your job, or purchasing non-refundable airline tickets, make sure the visa is physically in your possession.

Once you receive it, carefully check:

• your name
• date of birth
• passport information
• visa category
• visa expiration date

If something is incorrect, contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate that issued the visa.

Most importantly, check the visa expiration date.

You must enter the United States before your immigrant visa expires.

If several family members are immigrating, check every person’s visa separately. Do not assume everyone has exactly the same expiration date.

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Step 2: Decide Who Is Traveling and When

Before buying airline tickets, decide which family members will travel together.

For family-based immigrant visas, the principal applicant generally needs to enter the United States before or at the same time as derivative family members.

For example, if the husband is the principal applicant and the wife and children received visas through his case, the derivative family members generally should not enter before him.

Families do not necessarily have to travel together permanently afterward, but the initial entry requirements need to be followed.

Choose a travel date that leaves enough time before the visa expires.

Do not wait until the last few days if you can avoid it.

Flight cancellations, illness, weather, passport issues and unexpected travel problems can happen.

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Step 3: Know Where You Are Going in the United States

Before booking a flight, know where you will stay when you arrive.

Have the following information written down:

• your first U.S. address
• name of the person you are staying with
• their telephone number
• your sponsor or family contact
• airport where someone will meet you
• transportation plan from the airport

Do not keep this information only on your phone.

Write it on paper too.

If your phone dies, loses service or cannot connect to Wi-Fi, you should still know where you are going.

Your U.S. address is particularly important for new immigrants because USCIS may use it to mail your physical Green Card.

If your mailing address changes before entry, tell CBP when you arrive.

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Step 4: Decide What to Do With Your Life in Burma

For many Burmese families, immigrating is not simply a matter of packing two suitcases.

If the whole family is leaving permanently, you may have an entire household to deal with.

Many families sell ordinary belongings that are expensive or unnecessary to move internationally.

This may include:

• furniture
• refrigerator
• television
• washing machine
• household appliances
• motorcycles
• cars
• ordinary cookware
• inexpensive electronics

It often makes more sense to replace these items in the United States than to pay to ship them across the world.

What If Family Members Are Staying Behind?

If parents, children, siblings or other relatives remain in Burma, families may give them household items instead of selling everything.

Other belongings may be left in their care.

This can include:

• a house
• apartment
• land
• farmland
• family property
• vehicles
• important documents
• furniture
• jewelry or valuables
• business property

In many Burmese families, trusted relatives look after property while the owners are living abroad.

However, be very clear about what that means.

There is a big difference between:

“Please take care of this for me.”

and

“I am giving this to you.”

Make sure everyone understands whether the property is being:

• stored
• managed
• rented
• temporarily used
• gifted
• sold

For valuable property, consider obtaining appropriate legal documents before leaving Burma.

If someone will manage your property, decide what they are actually allowed to do.

For example:

• Can they collect rent?
• Can they make repairs?
• Can they allow relatives to live there?
• Can they sign documents?
• Can they sell it?
• Can they access a bank account?
• Can they deal with government offices?

Simply asking a relative to “watch the house” may not give that person legal authority to handle important matters.

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Make a Record of Property You Leave Behind

Before leaving Burma, create a simple inventory.

For a house or land, record:

• address
• ownership documents
• deed or title information
• photographs

For vehicles, record:

• make and model
• registration
• ownership documents

For jewelry or gold, keep:

• photographs
• descriptions
• approximate weight if known
• receipts if available

For important documents, record:

• what originals exist
• who is holding them
• where they are stored

Keep digital copies somewhere you can access from the United States.

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Step 5: Organize Your Important Documents

Before worrying about clothes, organize your paperwork.

Create a folder for each family member.

Depending on your situation, bring:

• passport
• immigrant visa
• birth certificate
• marriage certificate
• divorce records
• adoption documents
• custody documents
• police certificates
• national identity documents
• school records
• report cards
• university transcripts
• diplomas
• professional licenses
• employment records
• vaccination records
• medical records
• prescriptions
• property records
• bank records
• driver’s license
• immigration documents

Keep originals when appropriate and make digital copies.

Do not depend on having only one paper copy.

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Children’s Records

If children are moving to the United States, bring as many school records as possible.

This may include:

• report cards
• transcripts
• enrollment records
• standardized test results
• vaccination records
• special education records
• evaluations
• IEPs if applicable

Do not throw these away because you think American schools will simply start over.

The school may use them to determine grade placement, services and academic history.

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Vaccination Requirements Depend on the State

Do not assume every U.S. state has the same school requirements.

Vaccination and school-entry rules can vary by state and sometimes by school district.

A family moving to California may have different requirements from a family moving to Texas, New York, North Carolina or another state.

Bring complete vaccination records from Burma whenever possible.

After you arrive, check the requirements for the specific state and school district where the child will attend.

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Step 6: Prepare Medically

Before leaving Burma:

• refill important prescriptions
• obtain vaccination records
• obtain medical records
• obtain a medication list
• bring eyeglass prescriptions
• consider bringing an extra pair of glasses
• obtain dental records if useful

If someone has an ongoing medical condition, bring a short written medical summary if possible.

Include:

• diagnosis
• medication
• dosage
• allergies
• previous treatment
• doctor’s information

Medication brand names may differ between Burma and the United States, so having the generic medication name can be helpful.

Keep essential medication in your carry-on luggage.

Do not put medicine that you absolutely need into checked baggage.

Checked luggage can be delayed or lost.

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Step 7: Prepare Your Money and Financial Matters

Before leaving Burma, decide what will happen to:

• bank accounts
• savings
• loans
• debts
• business accounts
• property expenses
• rental income
• money owed to you
• money you owe others

Do not automatically close every account.

If you still own property or have financial responsibilities in Burma, you may need a way to manage them from overseas.

At the same time, do not leave financial accounts accessible to people who do not need access.

Make sure you also have money that you can actually use after arriving in America.

New immigrants may immediately need money for:

• transportation
• food
• phone service
• medications
• clothing
• deposits
• rent
• household items

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Step 8: Pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee if Required

Most immigrant visa holders are required to pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee.

It is generally recommended to pay it after receiving the immigrant visa and before traveling to the United States.

USCIS uses the fee to process and produce the physical Green Card.

If you are required to pay the fee but do not pay it, your permanent resident status does not disappear, but USCIS will generally not produce your physical Green Card until the required fee is paid.

Some immigrants are exempt, so follow the instructions provided with your visa.

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Step 9: Choose Your Flight Carefully

Do not automatically buy the cheapest airline ticket.

For someone immigrating for the first time, the easiest itinerary can sometimes be worth paying a little more for.

Most travelers leaving Yangon for the United States will need at least one international connection.

When comparing tickets, look at the entire journey, not just the price.

Check:

• number of stops
• total travel time
• connection airports
• layover length
• baggage allowance
• carry-on allowance
• overnight layovers
• whether baggage is checked through
• terminal changes
• airport changes
• transit visa requirements
• cancellation rules
• change fees
• seat-selection fees

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Use Your Passport Name Exactly

When buying airline tickets, enter the passenger’s name exactly according to the passport and the airline’s instructions.

Do not casually substitute:

• nicknames
• English names
• American names
• shortened Burmese names
• different spellings

Burmese names do not always fit neatly into Western “first name / last name” systems.

If you are unsure how the airline wants the name entered, ask the airline before paying.

Fixing a ticket afterward can be difficult or expensive.

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Avoid Separate Tickets When Possible

For a first-time immigrant, one complete itinerary is generally easier to manage.

For example:

Yangon → Singapore → Los Angeles

under one reservation is usually simpler than purchasing:

Yangon → Singapore

and then separately purchasing:

Singapore → Los Angeles.

With separate tickets, if the first flight is delayed, the second airline may not be responsible for getting you onto another flight.

You may also have to:

• collect luggage
• enter the transit country
• recheck your bags
• go through security again

depending on the itinerary.

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Give Yourself Enough Connection Time

Do not choose an extremely short layover just to save money.

A first-time international traveler may need extra time to:

• locate the next gate
• transfer terminals
• go through security
• ask for directions
• deal with language barriers
• assist children
• assist elderly relatives
• handle delays

This becomes even more important when your first connection is inside the United States because you may need to complete immigration and customs before continuing.

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Check Transit Requirements Before Buying

Having a U.S. visa does not automatically mean you can enter every country where your plane connects.

Transit requirements depend on:

• nationality
• passport
• airport
• airline
• whether you remain airside
• whether you need to collect luggage
• whether you change airports
• how long the connection lasts

Never assume:

“I am only changing planes, so I don’t need a visa.”

Check the transit rules before purchasing the ticket.

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Consider Traveling With Other Burmese People

If you are immigrating for the first time, especially if you are young or have never traveled internationally, ask whether another trusted Burmese traveler is leaving around the same time.

Burmese families sometimes coordinate flights so first-time travelers do not have to make such a long journey completely alone.

When we came to the United States, we were only 16 and 20-year-old girls. Our family connected us with experienced Burmese travelers so we could travel on the same flight and would not be completely alone.

That made the journey much less frightening.

You can ask:

• relatives
• family friends
• Burmese community organizations
• churches
• monasteries
• friends already living in America
• other families going through immigration

whether anyone is traveling around the same time.

If possible, compare the entire itinerary, not simply the departure date.

You want to know whether you have the same:

• airline
• flight number
• connection
• final U.S. arrival flight

Traveling with trusted people can help with:

• finding gates
• understanding airport procedures
• navigating connections
• watching luggage
• assisting elderly travelers
• helping younger travelers
• understanding announcements
• dealing with flight changes
• simply feeling less alone

But do not depend completely on someone else.

Every traveler should still know:

• where they are going
• their U.S. address
• who is meeting them
• their flight numbers
• where their passport is
• where their immigration documents are

If the group becomes separated, each traveler should still be able to continue the journey.

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Step 10: Check Your Baggage Allowance

Baggage rules vary by airline and fare class.

Before paying, check:

• number of checked bags
• maximum weight per bag
• maximum dimensions
• carry-on allowance
• personal-item allowance
• overweight fees
• additional-bag fees

For a family permanently immigrating, baggage fees can significantly change the real price of the ticket.

A slightly more expensive ticket with better baggage allowance may actually cost less overall.

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Step 11: Decide What Is Worth Bringing

You cannot bring your entire home.

Prioritize items that are difficult or impossible to replace.

Bring to America

Consider bringing:

• important documents
• medication
• valuables
• jewelry
• sentimental items
• photographs
• small cultural items
• small religious items
• electronics
• essential clothing

Consider Selling or Giving Away

Ordinary large household items may not be worth shipping, including:

• mattresses
• beds
• furniture
• refrigerator
• washing machine
• television
• inexpensive appliances
• ordinary cookware

Compare the shipping cost with the cost of replacing the item after arrival.

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A Simple Rule: Replacement Value vs. Personal Value

Ask yourself:

Can I easily buy this again in America?

A rice cooker can be replaced.

A family photograph cannot.

Ordinary dishes can be replaced.

Your original education records may be extremely difficult to replace.

A blanket can be replaced.

Your grandmother’s jewelry may not be.

When luggage space is limited, prioritize things with personal or legal value, not just replacement cost.

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Step 12: Packing List

Keep These in Your Carry-On

Do not place critical documents or irreplaceable items in checked luggage.

Keep with you:

✓ Passport

✓ Immigrant visa

✓ Immigration documents

✓ Sealed immigration packet if one was provided

✓ Airline itinerary

✓ U.S. address

✓ Sponsor or family contact information

✓ Essential medication

✓ Important medical information

✓ Children’s vaccination records

✓ Copies of birth and marriage certificates

✓ Phone

✓ Phone charger

✓ Approved portable battery/power bank

✓ Wallet

✓ Cash/cards

✓ Eyeglasses

✓ One change of clothing

✓ Basic toiletries

✓ Children’s essentials

If the Embassy gives you a sealed immigration packet specifically for immigration officials, do not open it.

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Important Documents to Bring

Depending on your family, pack:

✓ Birth certificates

✓ Marriage certificates

✓ Divorce documents

✓ Adoption documents

✓ Custody records

✓ School records

✓ Diplomas

✓ Transcripts

✓ Employment records

✓ Professional certifications

✓ Medical records

✓ Vaccination records

✓ Prescription information

✓ Driver’s license

✓ Property documents

✓ Financial records

✓ Important immigration correspondence

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Clothing: Pack for Your State, Not “America”

The United States has dramatically different climates.

Someone moving to Southern California does not need the same clothing as someone moving to Minnesota.

Someone arriving in Texas in July does not need the same clothing as someone arriving in New York in January.

Check:

your state + your city + your arrival month

before packing.

Bring enough basic clothing for the first couple of weeks.

You can buy additional clothing after arrival.

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Burmese Clothing and Cultural Items

Consider bringing:

• longyi
• traditional clothing
• clothing for Burmese celebrations
• formal cultural clothing
• religious items
• family keepsakes

These items may be harder to replace depending on where you live in the United States.

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Gold and Jewelry

Many Burmese families own gold jewelry and may prefer to bring it rather than leave it behind.

Keep valuable or sentimental jewelry secure.

Do not put irreplaceable jewelry in checked luggage if it can reasonably remain with you.

If you are bringing large quantities of gold, gemstones, jewelry or merchandise intended for resale, check U.S. customs rules before traveling.

Personal possessions and commercial imports may be treated differently.

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Electronics

Consider bringing:

• phone
• laptop
• tablet
• chargers
• external drive

Before bringing appliances, remember that the United States generally uses 120-volt electricity and Type A/B electrical plugs.

Some appliances from Burma may not work properly in America without compatible voltage.

Large appliances are usually not worth transporting.

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Food: Be Careful

Burmese families understandably want to bring favorite foods.

But U.S. agriculture rules can be strict.

Travelers must declare agricultural products.

Be particularly careful with:

• meat
• sausages
• dried meat
• pork products
• fresh fruit
• fresh vegetables
• plants
• seeds
• soil
• homemade agricultural products

Other Burmese foods such as dried fish, dried shrimp, laphet, spices and packaged products may be subject to rules depending on the ingredients and preparation.

The simplest rule is:

If you bring food, declare it.

Declaring food does not automatically mean it will be taken away.

An officer can inspect it and determine whether it is allowed.

Hiding restricted food can create much bigger problems than declaring it.

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Step 13: Prepare Your Phone Before Leaving

Before traveling:

• unlock the phone if necessary
• back up photographs
• back up contacts
• save U.S. telephone numbers
• save the complete itinerary
• save your U.S. address
• download the airline app
• download offline maps
• install a translation app if useful

Also write critical information on paper.

Do not depend completely on internet access.

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Step 14: Prepare for Your First Few Days in America

Talk with the person receiving you before you leave Burma.

Know:

• Who is picking us up?
• Where are we sleeping?
• Do we have transportation?
• Do young children need car seats?
• Do we have food for the first few days?
• Can we access money?
• Will our phones work?
• What household items are already available?

You may not need to pack blankets, cookware, towels or other bulky items if the relatives you are staying with already have them.

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Remember: State Laws and Programs Are Different

Do not assume everything you hear about living in the United States applies everywhere.

Many important rules are state-specific.

Car Seats

Child passenger-safety requirements vary by state.

If young children are arriving, ask the person picking you up to check the law in that state before coming to the airport.

Driver’s Licenses

There is no single national U.S. driver’s license.

Each state has its own licensing agency and requirements.

Schools

School enrollment, vaccination requirements and other procedures can vary by state and school district.

Health Insurance

Medicaid programs and eligibility rules also differ by state.

For example, California’s Medicaid program is called Medi-Cal, while other states operate their own programs.

Always check the rules for the state where you will actually live.

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Step 15: Final Week Before Leaving Burma

Use this final checklist:

✓ Confirm everyone has their passport

✓ Check every visa expiration date

✓ Confirm airline tickets

✓ Confirm passenger names match passports

✓ Check transit requirements

✓ Check baggage allowance

✓ Pay USCIS Immigrant Fee if required

✓ Confirm U.S. address

✓ Confirm airport pickup

✓ Arrange access to money

✓ Refill medication

✓ Scan important documents

✓ Back up phones and photos

✓ Put immigration documents in carry-on luggage

✓ Finish selling or distributing belongings

✓ Document property remaining in Burma

✓ Give trusted relatives clear instructions

✓ Settle rent or housing matters

✓ Deal with utilities when appropriate

✓ Arrange care for property

✓ Arrange care for pets not traveling

✓ Confirm who is responsible for remaining financial matters

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The Night Before Your Flight

Put all passports and immigration documents in one designated travel bag.

For a family, assign one responsible adult to manage the main travel-document folder.

Charge:

• phones
• tablets
• power banks

Check the flight status.

Weigh luggage if possible.

Remove prohibited items from carry-on bags.

Set aside comfortable travel clothing.

Confirm transportation to the airport.

Get some rest if you can.

It is going to be a long journey.

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Arriving at Your First U.S. Airport

Your first airport inside the United States is normally where you complete U.S. immigration inspection.

For example:

Yangon → Singapore → Los Angeles

Los Angeles is your U.S. port of entry.

But:

Yangon → Seoul → San Francisco → Los Angeles

San Francisco is normally your U.S. port of entry because it is the first U.S. airport you reach.

This is where you go through U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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Step 16: CBP Immigration Inspection

At passport control, a CBP officer will review your documents.

The officer may ask:

• Why are you coming to the United States?
• Where will you live?
• Who are you staying with?
• What is your U.S. address?
• Who is your sponsor?
• What is your relationship to your sponsor?

Answer truthfully.

If you do not understand the question, do not guess.

You can say:

“I’m sorry. My English is limited. Can you please speak slowly?”

or:

“I don’t understand the question.”

It is better to ask for clarification than to accidentally give an incorrect answer.

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Secondary Inspection

Some travelers are sent to another area for additional review.

This is called secondary inspection.

Do not automatically panic.

It can happen for many reasons, including:

• additional document review
• immigration processing
• questions requiring more time
• verification
• random screening

New immigrants may spend additional time there while CBP completes the immigration process.

This is one reason not to book an extremely short connecting flight after your first U.S. arrival.

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When You Become a Permanent Resident

For someone entering with an immigrant visa, admission by CBP is an important moment.

Once CBP admits you as an immigrant, you become a lawful permanent resident of the United States.

Your physical Green Card may not arrive immediately.

Your passport and properly endorsed immigrant visa can provide temporary evidence of permanent resident status while the Green Card is being produced.

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Step 17: Collect Your Luggage and Go Through Customs

After immigration, you will generally collect your checked luggage.

Even if you have another domestic flight, you may need to retrieve your bags at your first U.S. airport and take them through customs before rechecking them.

Follow the signs and airport instructions.

The process may look like:

Plane lands

↓

CBP immigration

↓

Possible secondary inspection

↓

Baggage claim

↓

Customs/agriculture

↓

Recheck luggage

↓

Security

↓

Domestic connection

This is why connection time matters.

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Declare Food and Agricultural Products

When entering the United States, declare agricultural items.

This includes things such as:

• meat
• fruit
• vegetables
• plants
• seeds
• soil
• animal products
• plant products

If you have Burmese food in your luggage, tell the officer.

Do not hide it.

If something is not allowed, the officer may tell you to surrender it.

That is much better than getting into trouble because you intentionally failed to declare it.

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Bringing Money Into the United States

There is a common misunderstanding that you cannot bring more than $10,000 into the United States.

That is not generally true.

You can carry more than $10,000.

However, if you transport more than the applicable reporting threshold in currency or certain monetary instruments, it must be reported to U.S. authorities.

For example:

$8,000

does not by itself trigger the more-than-$10,000 reporting requirement.

$15,000

may be legally transported, but the required declaration must be made.

Do not intentionally split money among family members in order to evade a reporting requirement.

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After You Enter the United States

Once you have completed immigration and customs, the difficult travel portion is finally over.

For new immigrants, the next stage begins.

You may need to:

• wait for your physical Green Card
• receive your Social Security card
• open a bank account
• obtain state identification
• apply for a driver’s license
• arrange health insurance
• enroll children in school
• begin job searching
• obtain phone service
• establish your new household

The exact process depends partly on the state where you live.

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Your Social Security Card

If you requested a Social Security number as part of the immigrant visa process, your card may be mailed to the U.S. address you provided.

If it does not arrive, you may need to follow up with the Social Security Administration.

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Your Green Card

Make sure USCIS has the correct U.S. mailing address.

Your physical Green Card will be mailed after the required processing and immigrant fee requirements have been completed.

Do not panic if the card does not appear immediately after you land.

Keep your passport and immigration documents in a safe place.

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One Final Piece of Advice

You do not have to bring your entire old life with you in order to begin your new one.

Leaving Burma can be emotional.

You may be leaving parents, grandparents, children, siblings, friends, your house, your neighborhood and everything familiar.

Deciding what to sell, what to give away, what to leave with family and what to put into your suitcase can be one of the hardest parts of immigrating.

Prioritize the things that cannot easily be replaced:

your documents

your medicine

your valuables

your photographs

your memories

your important family possessions

Furniture can be replaced.

A rice cooker can be replaced.

Your grandmother’s photograph cannot.

Your original birth certificate may be difficult to replace.

A family heirloom may be impossible to replace.

Moving to America does not mean abandoning everything connected to Burma.

It means carefully deciding what comes with you, what stays with the people you trust, and what you are ready to leave behind as you begin the next part of your life.

This page provides general educational information and is not individualized immigration, legal, customs, tax or financial advice. Airline policies, transit requirements, immigration rules, state laws, school requirements and government programs can change. Always check current requirements for your airline, U.S. immigration category and destination state before traveling.