returning student

[1bull 0]

We are friends with a student from Latvia who is here on a scholarship. She recently received a bill from a hospital emergency room for a treatment she received. She has no money,no insuarance and is unable to pay this bill. She will be returning home within a week. Will this debt affect her visa or keep her from returning home? This hospital is obligated under the Dept. HHS guidlines to provide medical service to anyone who is unable to pay.

Any advice would be advised. 1bull

[jaycali 415]

Depends. A low credit score and unpaid private debt has no effect on a visa. However, if the state ends up paying the bill and she's considered a public charge, yes, she may be refused.

[NevermindVz 51]

We are friends with a student from Latvia who is here on a scholarship. She recently received a bill from a hospital emergency room for a treatment she received. She has no money,no insuarance and is unable to pay this bill. She will be returning home within a week. Will this debt affect her visa or keep her from returning home? This hospital is obligated under the Dept. HHS guidlines to provide medical service to anyone who is unable to pay.

Any advice would be advised. 1bull

Is she on a F1 student visa? From what I understand, part of the process to obtain one is to prove you'll be able to pay for health insurance during your studies. What about the scholarship? I think that if you work as a research assistant on campus, or a similar job, you get insurance as a university employee instead of the usual international student one. If she's on a different kind of visa, then I'm not sure.

[Harsh_77 718]

As an international student she is required to have medical insurance and lot of school have it as a mandatory without it they would not let students register for class.

If she is posted as a public charge she could very well be refused an entry.

[1bull 0]

As an international student she is required to have medical insurance and lot of school have it as a mandatory without it they would not let students register for class.

If she is posted as a public charge she could very well be refused an entry.

She is on a basketball scholarship at a Junior(2year) school. She will finish in a couple of weeks to return home. She does NOT have insurance. The bill is for $400.

[Anh map 2,098]

She is on a basketball scholarship at a Junior(2year) school. She will finish in a couple of weeks to return home. She does NOT have insurance. The bill is for $400.

It won't prevent her leaving the US. It likely won't have an impact on her visa. If she has a social security number and it was supplied to the hospital then the debt will follow her here in the US if she returns.

[1bull 0]

It won't prevent her leaving the US. It likely won't have an impact on her visa. If she has a social security number and it was supplied to the hospital then the debt will follow her here in the US if she returns.

She does not have a social security number & her visa expires on June 15 anyway.

[jaycali 415]

She does not have a social security number & her visa expires on June 15 anyway.

I doubt it'll have any effect. Even if she had a social, private debts are not an immigration matter. No one has ever been refused a visa for having a bad credit score. Like I said, only if the state ends up paying the bill, and she is somehow considered a public charge can she possibly be refused a visa.

Edited May 2, 2012 by jaejayC

[Harsh_77 718]

She is on a basketball scholarship at a Junior(2year) school. She will finish in a couple of weeks to return home. She does NOT have insurance. The bill is for $400.

Basketball scholarship is not an issue, same way as she is managing her living expense in US someone either her or her scholarship as per the term of scholarship should had bought a medical insurance for her.

I am surprised how her international advisor at school did not look into it, every international student is required to have medical insurance.

Some times school negotiate a student rate with some company on behalf of student and international student have choice either to buy that or buy their own.

Is scholarship also paying if she want to purchase a pair of new jeans? Most likely no she or her family at back home are footing that bill similarly they should foot the bill for medical insurance and at this point the cost of the treatment too. I don't think it would be fair on US tax payers part to foot that bill coz she is on some scolarship and she did not buy the medical insurance.

[Harsh_77 718]

She does not have a social security number & her visa expires on June 15 anyway.

Not having SSN or visa expiring does not matter.

She must have provided some personal information to hospital like DOB, Address, Name, not sure if she gave passport number.

Which can be enough to track her as a public charge.

She can potentially have trouble in future entry refused, visa refused and personally if it is $400 its not bad my suggestion would be its not worth being a public charge for $400.