UK VJers Progress Update Thread

[2ndMessiah 184]

One in Iceland and another in Seattle. But the Seattle flight to Portland is like 30 minutes. So it's not too bad. Definitely could be worse.

I would have loved to have seen Iceland's airport...... A chance to see a bit of the world (even if it is only through an airport window). Enjoy the flights, then enjoy getting there.

Good luck...

[Pheebs1201 269]

A little update from me.... I put a deposit on a wedding dress today for our "real" big day next year very excited

[rob999 51]

A little update from me.... I put a deposit on a wedding dress today for our "real" big day next year very excited

Congrats! Wished I could be joining all of you guys that are booking flights!

Still in TSC backlog, my company is laying people off and I'm now in a consultation period for redundancy, no idea if I have a job in 30 days or not. Just hope my noa2 comes soon (probably June), the amount of uncertainty is the worse out of all this.

[-Shana- 152]

Congrats! Wished I could be joining all of you guys that are booking flights!

Still in TSC backlog, my company is laying people off and I'm now in a consultation period for redundancy, no idea if I have a job in 30 days or not. Just hope my noa2 comes soon (probably June), the amount of uncertainty is the worse out of all this.

Do you know what month they're up to? I seem to recall a lot of August approvals. I'm so sorry about your job situation, got all my fingers and toes crossed you get that NOA2 soon.

[rob999 51]

Some end sept ones are going through but they seem to be skipping over a lot more these days, still loads of early sept and mid sept to process.

[xbritto 25]

Hi everyone, just have a couple for you guys in regards to Josh moving to the US, once he does.

How does it work with health insurance? Will Josh need to get a travel insurance to cover him for the first bit of time? Or can we easily get him on insurance here?

Has any of you bought a house together after K-1 and/or are planning on buying a house together? Was it easy with one of you having being from the US?

How soon after Josh moves here can I add him to my bank account or have him open his own?

What are the really MUST do things that he should do within the first couple weeks of him moving here?

Thanks!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

What are the really MUST do things that he should do within the first couple weeks of him moving here?

Go to the Social Security Office and apply for a SSN. There is a topic on how to do that in the VJ Guides on the right side of the page. Some of the rest of your questions are dependent on having a SSN.

How does it work with health insurance? Will Josh need to get a travel insurance to cover him for the first bit of time? Or can we easily get him on insurance here?

How are you insured? If through an employer, add him to yours as your spouse. Will have to marry first. That should be covered as a "life event" where you don't have to wait until open enrollment. Call HR and ask questions. You have a limited amount of time after the marriage to enroll him. They will likely require his SSN. Or if you are insured some other way like Healthcare.gov then ring them up and ask questions. There are too many situations to guess what yours is for me to know an answer.

Has any of you bought a house together after K-1 and/or are planning on buying a house together? Was it easy with one of you having being from the US?

That again depends on you situation...income and credit score. Do you need his extra income to afford payments? Can you swing it on your own? We bought a new house, but I chose not to include him since he was an immigrant, had no credit score or job. It would have likely cost us a higher interest rate. I got written mortgage pre-approval in about 15 minutes on my own. We found a super deal we wanted and had to move quickly to make an offer, so that was our easiest way. You may have to jump through a few more hoops.

How soon after Josh moves here can I add him to my bank account or have him open his own?

As soon as your bank will let you. Go in, sit down and talk to them. Rules vary. Most want a SSN. Some say he needs a greencard. The forums are full of stories from easy to difficult. If you don't like what your bank says, go to another. Most have better luck in person than trying to open something via their website. We had zero problem, even before he had his SSN. When we moved to a new town and went to get a new bank account they gave us a hassle because he couldn't remember his SSN. We said, "can't we finish then go home and call you in five minutes with the number?" Nope...they couldn't even save what was already typed into their computer. We would have to go home, get the number, and start over from scratch. We didn't go back. Went to the next bank down the street.

You can spend some of your waiting time doing the groundwork at banks and with insurance on these questions so when he gets here you have already worked it out. The period between K1 and EAD or greencard can be rough. Many places treat you like a big nothing because a K1 is unique. You have no more than a 90 day entry document so aren't treated like a real immigrant who has proof of legal presence for the long haul. K1s often don't quite fit anybody's rules.

[Pheebs1201 269]

Congrats! Wished I could be joining all of you guys that are booking flights!

Still in TSC backlog, my company is laying people off and I'm now in a consultation period for redundancy, no idea if I have a job in 30 days or not. Just hope my noa2 comes soon (probably June), the amount of uncertainty is the worse out of all this.

Sorry to hear this, hope things go okay on the job front and you hear back from TSC soon.

[yuna628 9,697]

Hi everyone, just have a couple for you guys in regards to Josh moving to the US, once he does.

How does it work with health insurance? Will Josh need to get a travel insurance to cover him for the first bit of time? Or can we easily get him on insurance here?

Has any of you bought a house together after K-1 and/or are planning on buying a house together? Was it easy with one of you having being from the US?

How soon after Josh moves here can I add him to my bank account or have him open his own?

What are the really MUST do things that he should do within the first couple weeks of him moving here?

Thanks!

Per federal law under the ACA, all residents in the US are required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty. Travel medical insurance is not an accepted form of health insurance. If you have health insurance at your workplace, you could try to add him to that as your spouse. If not you can head on over to the marketplace and purchase insurance for him. There's going to be some sticker shock either way.

Here is the law regarding immigration and the federal marketplace. https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/immigration-status/ Read through the various sections there and that will give you a handle on what the law says.

Now since your state offers their own exchange, typically you'll want to try and obtain health insurance through that. https://getcoveredillinois.gov/

Here is a pdf from the state marketplace explaining coverage. https://getcoveredillinois.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GCI_ImmigrantFamilies.pdf

Ideally you'll want to adjust his status as soon as possible and apply with the required documentation. On occasion you'll find some dumb phone operator (if that is how you apply, rather than online) that won't have a clue, as well as HR departments through workplaces. Make sure you read up on everything and be aware that they may not be as 'clued' in to what the federal law states about immigration. Open enrolment may be over, but your guy will have qualifying life events which make him more than eligible for 'special enrolment'.

If you have your own privately purchased plan, you can also most likely add him to that. Some insurances may have rules regarding how soon the marriage has to have happened before adding them. You'd have to refer to that specific insurer. Bottom line is, don't let anyone bully you that because he's an immigrant he can't have coverage. He's got options.

Edited April 18, 2015 by yuna628

[xbritto 25]

Go to the Social Security Office and apply for a SSN. There is a topic on how to do that in the VJ Guides on the right side of the page. Some of the rest of your questions are dependent on having a SSN.

How are you insured? If through an employer, add him to yours as your spouse. Will have to marry first. That should be covered as a "life event" where you don't have to wait until open enrollment. Call HR and ask questions. You have a limited amount of time after the marriage to enroll him. They will likely require his SSN. Or if you are insured some other way like Healthcare.gov then ring them up and ask questions. There are too many situations to guess what yours is for me to know an answer.

That again depends on you situation...income and credit score. Do you need his extra income to afford payments? Can you swing it on your own? We bought a new house, but I chose not to include him since he was an immigrant, had no credit score or job. It would have likely cost us a higher interest rate. I got written mortgage pre-approval in about 15 minutes on my own. We found a super deal we wanted and had to move quickly to make an offer, so that was our easiest way. You may have to jump through a few more hoops.

As soon as your bank will let you. Go in, sit down and talk to them. Rules vary. Most want a SSN. Some say he needs a greencard. The forums are full of stories from easy to difficult. If you don't like what your bank says, go to another. Most have better luck in person than trying to open something via their website. We had zero problem, even before he had his SSN. When we moved to a new town and went to get a new bank account they gave us a hassle because he couldn't remember his SSN. We said, "can't we finish then go home and call you in five minutes with the number?" Nope...they couldn't even save what was already typed into their computer. We would have to go home, get the number, and start over from scratch. We didn't go back. Went to the next bank down the street.

You can spend some of your waiting time doing the groundwork at banks and with insurance on these questions so when he gets here you have already worked it out. The period between K1 and EAD or greencard can be rough. Many places treat you like a big nothing because a K1 is unique. You have no more than a 90 day entry document so aren't treated like a real immigrant who has proof of legal presence for the long haul. K1s often don't quite fit anybody's rules.

Ok, so Josh already has a SSN. He worked two summers on J-1 visas. And has a SSN through that. Is that sufficient or will he need a new one?

I'm currently insured under my family, as my mom worked for the state and is covered for life now. So until 26 or so I'm covered under her. But I do work full-time, so I can get insurance through my employer.

I will go to my bank though and go over the mortgages and getting approved etc, and see if it is something I can swing on my own.

I appreciate all your responses, thank you.

[Pheebs1201 269]

Ok, so Josh already has a SSN. He worked two summers on J-1 visas. And has a SSN through that. Is that sufficient or will he need a new one?

I'm currently insured under my family, as my mom worked for the state and is covered for life now. So until 26 or so I'm covered under her. But I do work full-time, so I can get insurance through my employer.

I will go to my bank though and go over the mortgages and getting approved etc, and see if it is something I can swing on my own.

I appreciate all your responses, thank you.

Current SSN is sufficient, just went through this myself

[xbritto 25]

Current SSN is sufficient, just went through this myself

Ok! Thank you!

[-PiLoT- 11]

wooohooo

http://itsalmo.st/#timetofly

[chrismorrison 96]

wooohooo

http://itsalmo.st/#timetofly

Yay! Did you find a good deal on a plane ticket??

[-PiLoT- 11]

Yeah 1017$