Is the US sponsor required to pay medical bills for ex husband?

[Depressed1 0]

Hey I'm a US citizen and I have been married for about 2 years, my ex entered the US on a K-1 visa and then we got married and he got his conditional green card.. things did not work out and I filed for a divorced.. now he might be a PR (I-751 waiver approved!) or maybe he is still on his conditional GC, I know he was due to ROC a few months ago but not sure what he did about it as we don't really talk anymore.. I heard that he is been to the hospital a few times and has some bills (around $3000) to pay.. my question is what if he doesn't pay them, will they come after me to collect the money ? if so how would they know that I was his sponsor ? and what can i do about it? thanks

[Cheezees 1,514]

If you are no longer married, no. If he were to receive government benefits before obtaining citizenship (or before 10 quarters, whichever is first), then you CAN be sued to recoup the value of those benefits. Don't worry, if he doesn't pay his cable bill, you are not liable.

[Depressed1 0]

Thanks for your reply! what if he applied to receive help from the gov, medicaid or something!! that means they will come after me? He shouldn't be able to receive it while he is a conditional green card holder right ? if he does I believe that will affect his ROC correct ?

[Cheezees 1,514]

He shouldn't technically, but if he applies and gets them, then you are liable to repay. That is the basis of sponsorship. Being divorced unfortunately does not relieve you of this. GC holders can apply to remove conditions even if divorced. He could already have his 10-yr green card but your sponsorship agreement still holds (as it should).

[Depressed1 0]

What I'm trying to say if he applies and get them while his ROC is pending, will that affect/prevent him from getting his 10 year GC ?

[Villanelle 4,122]

This is a very complicated situation and there is no direct answer. Every state operates differently. I have no idea what state you are in/what the requirements are. So heres some general information. In most states an LPR is barred from receiving gov aid until they have been an LPR for 5 years. Please note it says most not all. If an LPR does receive aid then by law (the contract you signed ie the 864 aff of support) allows the gov to recoup from you the sponsor any benefits paid out.

So many steps need to occur. First they have to be eligible and receive the aid, then the gov has to put the pieces together and collect from you. We do not know if he is receiving aid or not. Probably not. So that stops it right there. A hospital bill/medical bill owed is not the same as actually receiving aid to pay for it. As mentioned his debts are his debts alone since you are divorced.

But lets say your state does allow him to get aid and they provided it to him. In history the US gov has only come after sponsors less then 5 times. Not 5 people but 5 times in history where they researched who was the sponsors and sought out repayment. They have found the process to be a waste of time as it cost more money to collect then they were actually taking in. So while the law allows them to collect in actual terms of is it going to happen- probably not.

Either way there is nothing you can do about it. You cant stop them from collecting if they decide to go that route again in the future and you certainly can not stop him from taking gov aid if he is eligible to.

Typically we tell people not to worry about it until they have been and LPR for 5 years. (You can do research on your state to see if LPRs are eligible for benefits before then.) Even after they become eligible-- again typically its not something to worry a great deal about because as history shows they never do collect. It just comes down to being aware of the law and that there is nothing you can do about it.

[Villanelle 4,122]

What I'm trying to say if he applies and get them while his ROC is pending, will that affect/prevent him from getting his 10 year GC ?

This question really has nothing to do with it. I get your thinking. That you are looking for ways or a reason why he wouldnt take benefits, but it shouldnt affect it.

Again you have to first determine if your state allows benefits for LPRs with less the 5 years. If they dont then you dont need to worry about this until he passes that threshold. If they do- then please see the above post. There is nothing you can do about it- however they probably wont come after you even though they technically can.

[Cheezees 1,514]

What I'm trying to say if he applies and get them while his ROC is pending, will that affect/prevent him from getting his 10 year GC ?

Why does that matter? This has nothing to do with you anymore.

[Arslan12 20]

Hey I'm a US citizen and I have been married for about 2 years, my ex entered the US on a K-1 visa and then we got married and he got his conditional green card.. things did not work out and I filed for a divorced.. now he might be a PR (I-751 waiver approved!) or maybe he is still on his conditional GC, I know he was due to ROC a few months ago but not sure what he did about it as we don't really talk anymore.. I heard that he is been to the hospital a few times and has some bills (around $3000) to pay.. my question is what if he doesn't pay them, will they come after me to collect the money ? if so how would they know that I was his sponsor ? and what can i do about it? thanks

Hey I would say you have nothing worry about. He went to the doctor, him or his insurance is responsible of paying his bills. Not you ! And he is not eligible to apply for Food Stamps, medicaid or any other govt benefit program that is available for US citizens only. Being a US citizen is one of the basic requirements to apply for these benefits. The only way around is to lie on forms and that is a felony. He can't do that. I am a permanent resident too. I can't just go apply for food stamps by lieing that i am a citizen.

No govt agency is going to sue you for money to support his medical bills and other expenses. The only way for him to get you to support him is if he goes to the court with affidavit of support documents and sues you for financial support, since you are his financial sponsor. Then the court can order you to pay him support. So my point is that, You will know if this is what he is trying to do, You will receive letters from the court asking you to appear.

Good Luck !

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Hey I would say you have nothing worry about. He went to the doctor, him or his insurance is responsible of paying his bills. Not you ! And he is not eligible to apply for Food Stamps, medicaid or any other govt benefit program that is available for US citizens only. Being a US citizen is one of the basic requirements to apply for these benefits. The only way around is to lie on forms and that is a felony. He can't do that. I am a permanent resident too. I can't just go apply for food stamps by lieing that i am a citizen.

No govt agency is going to sue you for money to support his medical bills and other expenses. The only way for him to get you to support him is if he goes to the court with affidavit of support documents and sues you for financial support, since you are his financial sponsor. Then the court can order you to pay him support. So my point is that, You will know if this is what he is trying to do, You will receive letters from the court asking you to appear.

Good Luck !

Lprs qualify for food stamps and Medicaid after a certain amount of time. They aren't programs strictly for citizens.

[Arslan12 20]

Lprs qualify for food stamps and Medicaid after a certain amount of time. They aren't programs strictly for citizens.

oh ok I didn't know. But it's good to know in case I loose my job.

[newacct 688]

First of all, a sponsor is not liable for any of the immigrant's bills or debts. He could have a million dollars in unpaid hospital bills, and it wouldn't affect the sponsor.

If the immigrant gets need-based government benefits (the immigrant has to be poor to qualify), the sponsor could be liable for reimbursement to the government. Having hospital bills doesn't mean the immigrant gets such benefits. First, his income would have to be low enough to qualify, and qualifications vary by state so he may not qualify if he's not been a permanent resident for 5 years in some states. Second, he would have to choose to apply for such benefits; and he doesn't have to. Plus, all a sponsor has to do to prevent this from happening is to provide enough supplemental income to the immigrant if necessary (which is what the sponsor promised to do on the Affidavit of Support) so that he does not qualify for need-based government benefits in the first place.

Furthermore, there is no state that I know of that currently pursues reimbursement for these things. A few places tried many years ago, and stopped after finding out that it was too costly and not worth it.