Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 where applicable
A US residential address
An SSN or ITIN if you have one; a passport number if not
An opening deposit, which varies by institution

Step-by-step

1
Open a checking account in branch in week one
Bring passport, Wichita address and SSN or ITIN if issued. The federal Customer Identification Program rule explicitly permits a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons, and the CFPB states plainly that you do not need a Social Security number to open a bank or credit union account. A refusal on that ground is branch policy, not law.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Try a credit union if a branch turns you away
Kansas has a dense credit union sector, several attached to the aerospace employers, the hospitals and the university. They are frequently more willing than a national bank's branch to open an account on a passport and an employment offer letter.
In personWho: You
3
Mention a pending ITIN if you have no SSN
Banks may open accounts for people who have applied for but not yet received an ITIN. File IRS Form W-7 and keep the receipt — raising it at the counter can move your banking forward by weeks.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit immediately
Give payroll your routing and account numbers. Direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts, which is the simplest saving on this list.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a refundable deposit, typically around USD 500, and receive a card with a matching limit that reports to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Length of history counts as much as behaviour, so start the clock the week you arrive rather than the year you want a mortgage.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Work the property tax into your buying maths from the start
Kansas assesses residential property at 11.5% of market value under Article 11 of its constitution, and the City of Wichita publishes the combined levy — city, Sedgwick County, USD 259 and Wichita State — at about 111 mills. That is roughly 1.28% of market value a year, so a USD 250,000 house carries around USD 3,200. In a market where the purchase price is low, the annual tax is a larger share of the total cost of ownership than buyers from expensive coastal cities expect.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport, with country of issuance serving as the identifying number if you have no SSN or ITIN
Visa and I-94, where applicable
SSN card or ITIN letter, if issued
Proof of Wichita address
Employer offer letter, accepted by many banks, landlords and utilities as supporting evidence

Things most newcomers don’t know

Wichita is cheap enough that buying is a two-to-four-year plan, not a decade-long one.

This is the concrete reason to start a credit file in week one rather than month twelve. Wichita is among the least expensive large housing markets in the United States, so a newcomer on an aerospace or health-care salary can be mortgage-ready before a comparable earner in Denver or Seattle has finished saving a deposit. Length of credit history is one of the things underwriters weigh most heavily and it is the one thing you cannot accelerate later.

Source: community-reported

No credit history is treated worse than bad credit history.

American underwriting scores a file, and a file that does not exist cannot be scored at all. A well-paid newcomer can be declined for an apartment, a phone contract and a car loan in the same fortnight while holding a spotless twenty-year record at home. Nothing crosses the border — not the mortgage, not the decade with the same bank.

Source: community-reported

Federal rules let a bank take your passport instead of an SSN.

The Customer Identification Program rule accepts a passport number and country of issuance for non-US persons, and the CFPB's own consumer guidance says you do not need a Social Security number to open a bank or credit union account. Branch staff frequently do not know this. Being refused is common and is not a legal outcome — ask for a manager, or try a credit union.

Source: CFPB — bank accounts and services

Kansas's minimum wage is the federal floor, and that is the whole story.

K.S.A. 44-1203 sets USD 7.25 an hour and expressly does not apply to employers and employees covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act — so in practice the federal USD 7.25 governs almost everyone. There is no state escalator and no city minimum wage. It is the sharpest contrast in this US set: the same job in Westchester County, New York has a USD 17.00 floor.

Source: K.S.A. 44-1203

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport often suffices.
Comparing a Wichita house price against a coastal one without putting the ~1.28% annual property tax beside it.
Financing a car in month one with no credit file and accepting a punitive rate.
Assuming an advertised hourly wage is above the legal floor because it sounds low elsewhere — Kansas's floor is USD 7.25.
Paying an avoidable monthly maintenance fee by never setting up direct deposit.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.