Is it right to move soon?

[YellowDuneBuggy 60]

Hi, my name is Chris, I live with my American wife in Holland.

USCIS approved our case very quickly and we are ready to start the NVC process.

My wife is a bit concerned about moving now.

We would like to move to her hometown, Austin, TX.

I am a software engineer and for sure I would have no problem to find a job, while she would like to be back being a teacher or working in the NGO field.

Our concern is more about the health insurance until I find a job.

Sure the economy now is not the best after the Corona virus.

Do you think we should move soon or wait to file the documents and move around Spring 2021?

Thanks

[Boiler 45,549]

Presumably you want to move to tie in with the school year?

 

IT covers such a wide range, some people I know are hurting others super busy. Immigration is a qualifying event to buy Insurance through the Exchange.

[onek 306]

On 5/9/2020 at 6:27 PM, YellowDuneBuggy said:

Hi, my name is Chris, I live with my American wife in Holland.

USCIS approved our case very quickly and we are ready to start the NVC process.

My wife is a bit concerned about moving now.

We would like to move to her hometown, Austin, TX.

I am a software engineer and for sure I would have no problem to find a job, while she would like to be back being a teacher or working in the NGO field.

Our concern is more about the health insurance until I find a job.

Sure the economy now is not the best after the Corona virus.

Do you think we should move soon or wait to file the documents and move around Spring 2021?

Thanks

Don’t let coronavirus stop you. The recovery may take years, but it’s a global pandemic so every country is suffering.  You should continue with you case, move as early as you can and start the life here. 

[StephNL 3]

On 5/10/2020 at 12:27 AM, YellowDuneBuggy said:

Hi, my name is Chris, I live with my American wife in Holland.

USCIS approved our case very quickly and we are ready to start the NVC process.

My wife is a bit concerned about moving now.

We would like to move to her hometown, Austin, TX.

I am a software engineer and for sure I would have no problem to find a job, while she would like to be back being a teacher or working in the NGO field.

Our concern is more about the health insurance until I find a job.

Sure the economy now is not the best after the Corona virus.

Do you think we should move soon or wait to file the documents and move around Spring 2021?

Thanks

Hi Chris, also living in Holland and in the same process. I think if you submit your documents to the NVC it will still be several months before they are approved, then a month or two before the interview, and then about a month before the visa is issued. And then the visa is still vaiid for 6 months from the time of issuance. So if you start now, you could still have a Spring 2021 move. 

[millefleur 5,046]

If you're sure you want to come to the US, might as well start now. The process is a long one, even longer now with the virus backlog.

 

Don't worry about the economy too much. There are still jobs. Non-profits are still working and hiring (similar to NGO's). Software jobs are still around. Just have some savings so you can cover the waiting period, but I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

Health insurance: you can buy an unsubsidized plan on the marketplace (Obamacare) or just buy insurance via a private company. Your wife as an unemployed person and a US citizen would qualify for Medicaid until she finds a job, so it would just be for you that you'd need to get the paid insurance. I believe catastrophic and other plans also count, it's a bit complicated but people are still moving here so there's got to be a way around it. Just research it well and make sure you'll be aware of the cost until you can find a job and get insurance via your job.

 

Also, as a software dev, you can start looking for jobs while you are waiting for your CR-1/IR-1 visa. Just tell them you're in the process of getting a green card and it's fine. So, you could start applying for jobs even before you are physically in the US - this is the huge plus about the spousal visa, you will be able to work right away.

[MBKT 21]

On 5/19/2020 at 9:48 PM, StephNL said:

Hi Chris, also living in Holland and in the same process. I think if you submit your documents to the NVC it will still be several months before they are approved, then a month or two before the interview, and then about a month before the visa is issued. And then the visa is still vaiid for 6 months from the time of issuance. So if you start now, you could still have a Spring 2021 move. 

Hi there! Also from NL here, and just got to NVC stage. Just be careful, the medical is valid for 6 months, not the time your visa was issued. Our plan was to move around the same time, I will try to submit all documents in the coming weeks (still have to wait for some documents). But the consulate is still closed due to Covid, so when they reopen I expect there will be a bit of a backlog. If not, I'll try to delay the interview part a bit until end of this year. 

[Lehcim 31]

For what it's worth, my wife and I recently (May) moved from The Netherlands to NC and had no trouble settling in whatsoever. We both started looking for jobs last week and there's so many new jobs every day that we're not even slightly worried about that. I work in IT and my wife in pharmaceuticals. 

 

Good luck with whatever decision you'll make! 

[Pavli 4]

My American partner and I just moved from the Netherlands to NYC (July 4). Finding a job as a teacher may be a bit tricky mid-year (I found one for August but applied back in February) but if your wife is willing to start as a cover teacher or private tutor she should be fine. My partner is in the consulting industry and his company still seems to be hiring.

 

As for health insurance, I personally purchased a temporary expat plan through OOM as my employer's plan only kicks in end of August and I didn't want to be uninsured in the midst of a pandemic. That may also be an option for you.

 

It's  obviously a strange time to move. However, except getting a visa interview scheduled during the pandemic and being bored out of our minds during mandatory quarantine,  we did not experience  any major obstacles that would not have been there at a different time.