If there is a totally new character starting in your group or if a character dies and a player makes a new one, do you let them start out fresh with no extra XP in character generation or let them have a little extra to keep up? If so, how much? If not, do you let them have other advantages, like gear and cybernetics, maybe an npc companion or other mechanical- or game related advantages or bonuses?

You know what I might do? The whole point of playing is having fun. Nobody's going to like lagging WAY behind - so I would give them just a bit below the group average. However, I would start them as a starting character. Every session when the group gets (to pull a number out of the air) 10 XP, I'd give that guy 30 until he reached the Target Average.

That way, he'll still get to learn the character and how it works, there's a sense of growth and accomplishment and you get some built in story progression until he catches up.

I'd give him the equivalent of 10 obligation without the actual obligation.

So he could choose to have either 2500 more credits, 10 more xp OR 1000 more credits plus 5 xp.