According to our pals at Cirque, that's pretty much the standard rate for foreigners when you don't have a credit history in the US. Ours is A1 in Canada, but we only have 3 months of history here, and they don't take our canadian history into account. 

Same for the house - first down payment for us is 30% instead of the 20% we were expecting. 
 
Anyway, after a painful 6 hours over there trying to consolidate everything and all our accounts in Canada and the US (made all the more complex because of all the different payrolls systems we were on for Canada, Spain, Russia and NY) we ended up buying a brand new jeep. So that probably pushes the new audio interface even further down the line. 

LOL yeah, being legit costs an arm and a leg. Like paying taxes in Canada, in Quebec and in another country, all at the same time. Which is why we're officially no longer canadian residents. :)

Why would anyone want to come to the U.S., I hear it's the worst place in the world to live?

Because my wife works here - and I'd follow her anywhere. ;)

We were in Russia - out in the streets - when they re-elected Putin. We were in Canada when they elected Harper - who's so hardcore that even Texas warns him that he may be pushing the limits. We were in Spain to witness the unemployment issues and people getting poorer and poorer. 

We were in Quebec last spring and saw all our natural resources sold for peanuts to foreign investors, students and citizens beaten and arrested for no reason, new laws being passed that rubbed citizens of their most basic rights and, finally, our new prime minister being the target of an assassination attempt when she was elected last week. If you want peace and quiet, the last place you want to be now is back home.

Let me put it this way: my wife sang for the prime minister of Canada on Canada Day a few years back and still regrets it. She sang the national anthem for the Mets this summer and had tears rolling down her cheeks. 

Trust me, the US ain't that bad. ;) We love this country man, honestly, in spite of all its flaws.

As one of the most revolting flaws, I'd like to welcome you to the country!  There are some cities we'd probably sell you for some shiny beads.  Hey, it's happened before...

(Not so) funny update...

First we were told that we needed a Nevada driver's license to buy a car. But you can't take the test w/ a rented car. We figured it out and we're now just waiting for the papers. Which won't be delivered before 20 days. By which time our transit will of course have expired. :s We've been lucky on that one - we could get the test scheduled w/in days. Most of our friends had to wait a month.

You also have to provide the name, phone number and address of 3 local residents/references. Fortunately for us, we have friends (w/ cars) here. We'd be stuck otherwise.

Then, we finally bought the car, but, because we didn't have a credit history, the bank now asks to see some bills for our current address - of course, we've only been here for a week, so don't have any bills, just a lease. 

So we went to try and change our current pre-paid phone plan for a regular plan, so that we'd have something billed here (pre-paid isn't associated w/ any address). After almost 3 hours waiting there, our request was declined due to... of course - lack of a credit history in the US!

I can't imagine things are for people just starting out here. But it's not just here by the way, it's the same in France, in Canada and probably almost everywhere. We have a very decent income, good contracts and good contacts, friends here and all. I can't imagine how things would be otherwise.

I'm just so grateful that we had planned so far ahead and rented this place months ago. And also that we decided to come here earlier. We have plenty of friends coming here only 2 weeks before the show starts, and they'll only have 2 weeks not only to take care of all of that business but to find a place to live. 

It's been a full-time job for us for over a week now. 

Rant mode off... At the end of the day, a fresh beer on the balcony and a dinner w/ friends, and I'm just glad that we're here. We'll figure it out. :)

On my first real job I was told I could go full-time if I had a car.  The car dealership said I could have a car if I was working full-time...

I resolved that one by having the sales manager of the dealership call up the HR person where I was working and had them each agree.  Of course, just to be safe, I was only able to get the crappiest car on the lot (which, naturally, got traded in on a "real" car about a month later - and with a different dealer!).  *Sheesh!*

Everyone wants you to live and work here, then they make it next-to-impossible to do so if you follow the rules...

Hope everything works out for you guys out there!

Thanks Jules! We may try that.  That's pretty much how those worked in Canada too - they'd practically harass you in the alleys at the grocery to take their store's credit card.

I wonder if Sweetwater or Guitar Center would accept. Buying gear to get credit history would be an awesome inconvenient I could put up w/... ;)

We do have an American bank account and credit card - but the credit is sort of "fake" - we had to put a few thousand $ in an account so we're really borrowing from ourselves each time we use it, until they judge that we are indeed good w/ credit and can manage. Which could take a year - it's only been 3 months.

Rain


Thanks Jules! We may try that.  That's pretty much how those worked in Canada too - they'd practically harass you in the alleys at the grocery to take their store's credit card.

I wonder if Sweetwater or Guitar Center would accept. Buying gear to get credit history would be an awesome inconvenient I could put up w/... ;)

We do have an American bank account and credit card - but the credit is sort of "fake" - we had to put a few thousand $ in an account so we're really borrowing from ourselves each time we use it, until they judge that we are indeed good w/ credit and can manage. Which could take a year - it's only been 3 months.

Guitar Center/Sweetwater! A stroke of genius!  Oooh! I hope it works... Two birds, one stone! :)



Yeah, I figured you already had one of those pay-as-you-go "credit" cards... even the store cards will take some to build on.

Rain. Borrow a car from someone in the Cirque and I think you and your wife should have a talk with someone high up in Cirque management. Even I know it is a huge company and they may not know that this is happening. With a company that big, they can exert some pressure on someone at some bank, whatever bank the Cirque uses in the USA and things will change if someone is made aware and is willing to push a little. The banks have money, they just aren't lending but they will if they think they may lose good business. Sometimes things just have to work that way. You wife is a lead singer, they should listen if she talks, not just for you guys but as an advocate for both you guys and others who will run into this... and really... it is nothing to a bank, it is just something no one has pushed them to do. 
I truly think that you and your wife can start something that will change this if you handle it right. It is wrong and needs to be fixed but it wont be fixed if the people who can fix it don't know. I really believe this. Besides, the worst that can happen is you can be told, "sorry, there is nothing we can do"... as long as you guys play on sympathy and don't project any anger. If you guys just stay like lambs in need of help you won't trigger a defensive reaction in the people who can, and will, help.

You are young but and you will be surprised what you can accomplish simply by trying. I have done things that were impossible, simply by trying. I'll give you two examples. When my kids were in middle school I decided I wanted to send them to The Darlington School about 30 minutes away in Rome, GA. Darlington is a high class boarding school with local "day students" also... however it is more expensive than a lot of colleges. We lived in a two BR, one bath home. The first home we owned, well we paid the payments, laff. IIRC, the payments were 384.00 a month. It was the 90s, I had started my own business in 1989, we were just getting by financially... still we decided to try to do the impossible. You see, most people would never have tried because frankly it was absurd to think we could pay over 20k a year in tuition. We really didn't have extra money but, well I/we applied. The girls were accepted. Then we had to figure out how to get the money... cbow got a job at the school in the office. At that point we found out that the first child could go for 50 bucks a year and the second for half price, which they would deduct from her salary. So, we did the impossible just because we tried. 
Second was starting my business. Most people never try to start a business because they have no vision that it is possible for them... but I saw my dad do it, so I knew it could be done. I bought a used B&G spray gun, a plastic toolbox for my truck, a backpack sprayer, a container of chemical and I hit the streets. I made under 200 bucks the first month but I kept at it and it grew. 
I guess what I am saying is that almost anything can be changed or done just by trying. Don't believe people who say it cannot be done, not even that inner voice that says, "I can't do that"... because you can do it if you try and have confidence. YOU and your lovely wife can change something that will help a LOT of people in the future. Pay it forward... make it happen.
You will also have something inside yourself after you get it done that will never go away and make even more things possible in your future.
Make some notes about what is happening, the important points about how the Cirque people are hitting roadblocks and maybe a few suggestions about how you think it can be fixed. You never know, the person who has the power to make it happen may not take the time nor have an idea of what to do unless you subtly point them in the right direction so that they have just enough direction to think that they thought of it. Getting a god result will also be good for the Cirque management who gets it done. Helping others always helps the one who is helping.

Make it happen Mr. and Mrs. Rain... you can DO THIS. Don't even entertain negative thoughts about it. Assume that it needs to be fixed and assume that if you work on it, it WILL be fixed. Again, you have the opportunity to not only help yourselves  but to help a lot of others who will never even know about the trouble they could have had. Don't forget about rich and famous Cirque fans if management doesn't work out. Simply a word from some people will change everything for everyone. The bank should be treating you better but the right people just haven't been involved.

I hope this doesn't sound weird, I know I am weird sometimes but I REALLY believe in this sort of thing. 

"Ask and you shall receive"... "you have not because you ask not"... Jesus

HTH,

Julien

Rain, I was thinking. About a house. Banks are not lending much for new homes and like you said requiring a huge down payment BUT if you can find a bank owned house that you like you can get financing and a much better deal because they want it off their books. So see what you can find in foreclosure bank owned homes. I think you'll find them much easier to work with and you may get a lot more home for the money. In any case, whatever bank Cirque is using should be willing to work with you. I heard about this on the radio just this week and they were talking about it as a way to get more house without the big down payment... maybe it will work for you. From what I hear there are a lot of foreclosures in Vegas. 

Julien

Rain, I think the issues you face are really a result of global insecurity. Global debt is out of control and countries that can still pull out of the dive are locking the vaults. It's sad and funny, all at once. The biggest crooks are the ones that manage global cash flow, unfortunately they seem to be untouchable. Average people are the easiest to control and banks like to think they're in control. Your new home town was hit extra hard since 2008 so I imagine that credit is very tough to obtain. At least you're in a town where "show folk" are not uncommon and considered an even bigger risk.

Good luck in the USA, but don't ever give up your Canadian passport. It's good to have options.

"They" say money can't buy happiness and that may be true in an overall sense, but MAN can it make a lot of little annoying problems go away... LOL.