moving to a different city for faster AOS

[rich rich 10]

https://www.boundless.com/blog/uscis-data-green-card-processing-times-field-office-florida/

[TheJs 34]

On 8/24/2022 at 9:09 PM, rich rich said:

Hi power puff, thanks for the info. Just to make sure I understand, you were able to get Obamacare while waiting for AOS?

I know this a bit of an older post so idk if you found your answer, but I was able to create a healthcare.gov marketplace account for my husband and I (I’m the US citizen) once he had a SSN. After that, I was able to purchase us joint health insurance that was actually cheap and pretty amazing coverage because of the tax credits due to marriage and him not having income.  I am also self employed FWIW so this was our only option but it’s worked great. He had healthcare coverage before we ever even applied for AOS!

 

Also, all you need to get an SSN for her is to take her unexpired I-94 and marriage license after she crosses with her K1 visa. My husband actually got his before marriage even, but you probably would want to go after if she’s changing her last name.

Edited September 7, 2022 by TheJs

[rich rich 10]

9 hours ago, TheJs said:

I know this a bit of an older post so idk if you found your answer, but I was able to create a healthcare.gov marketplace account for my husband and I (I’m the US citizen) once he had a SSN. After that, I was able to purchase us joint health insurance that was actually cheap and pretty amazing coverage because of the tax credits due to marriage and him not having income.  I am also self employed FWIW so this was our only option but it’s worked great. He had healthcare coverage before we ever even applied for AOS!

 

Also, all you need to get an SSN for her is to take her unexpired I-94 and marriage license after she crosses with her K1 visa. My husband actually got his before marriage even, but you probably would want to go after if she’s changing her last name.

Thanks for this.  I've been contacting different companies and reading through a few websites.  They seem to point to getting the SSN as a kind of loophole?  So getting the insurance never became an issue down the road (public charge, relying on gov't assistance or whatever they call it now)?

 

Healthcare.gov does state that the following statuses qualify:

Applicants for any of these statuses qualify to use the Marketplace:

-Adjustment to LPR Status

https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/immigration-status/

 

They require the following documentation to prove status.  But it's not clear combination of documents they are looking for.  For example, any visitor will have an I-94 but that doesn't qualify you for insurance.

https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/documentation/

 

Adjustment to LPR status sounds exactly like AOS.  I'll have to call healthcare.gov again.  Every agent I talk to says something different.  So far, all the healthcare.gov insurance brokers say my fiance would NOT qualify for insurance, but maybe they are not used to dealing with immigrants?

[Chancy 6,241]

11 hours ago, rich rich said:

Adjustment to LPR status sounds exactly like AOS.  I'll have to call healthcare.gov again.  Every agent I talk to says something different.  So far, all the healthcare.gov insurance brokers say my fiance would NOT qualify for insurance, but maybe they are not used to dealing with immigrants?

 

Adjustment to LPR status = AOS.  Did you clarify with the agents that you're asking for the future?  A fiance outside of the US would not qualify.  But a K1 visa holder in the US, married, and applying for AOS definitely qualifies for an insurance plan from healthcare.gov.  Check this thread for more reports from other VJ members who successfully got coverage from healthcare.gov as K1 visa holders -- https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/789001-health-insurance-question/?do=findComment&comment=10727739

 

[rich rich 10]

46 minutes ago, Chancy said:

 

Adjustment to LPR status = AOS.  Did you clarify with the agents that you're asking for the future?  A fiance outside of the US would not qualify.  But a K1 visa holder in the US, married, and applying for AOS definitely qualifies for an insurance plan from healthcare.gov.  Check this thread for more reports from other VJ members who successfully got coverage from healthcare.gov as K1 visa holders -- https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/789001-health-insurance-question/?do=findComment&comment=10727739

 

Thanks for the link. I read the entire thread. I'm Very optimistic. 

 

Yes I did. But many of the agents sound very confused. Maybe they're not used to dealing with foreigners. They don't really know what a k1 fiance visa is. I had to explain what a fiance was. 

 

Some agents say fiance would qualify (after I point them towards the "adjustment to lpr" page), others say fiance qualifies but no subsidy because zero income (which makes no sense. You don't need income to qualify for subsidy). 

 

Edited September 8, 2022 by rich rich

[TheJs 34]

17 hours ago, rich rich said:

Thanks for this.  I've been contacting different companies and reading through a few websites.  They seem to point to getting the SSN as a kind of loophole?  So getting the insurance never became an issue down the road (public charge, relying on gov't assistance or whatever they call it now)?

 

Healthcare.gov does state that the following statuses qualify:

Applicants for any of these statuses qualify to use the Marketplace:

-Adjustment to LPR Status

https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/immigration-status/

 

They require the following documentation to prove status.  But it's not clear combination of documents they are looking for.  For example, any visitor will have an I-94 but that doesn't qualify you for insurance.

https://www.healthcare.gov/immigrants/documentation/

 

Adjustment to LPR status sounds exactly like AOS.  I'll have to call healthcare.gov again.  Every agent I talk to says something different.  So far, all the healthcare.gov insurance brokers say my fiance would NOT qualify for insurance, but maybe they are not used to dealing with immigrants?

It was all online, neither of us were asked for any proof. I am in Colorado so we use a state health marketplace instead of the federal one but I assume it’s pretty much the same process. It asked for my husband’s marital status, immigration status (adjustment to LPR), US income and SSN. The marketplace then gave us a list of insurance companies and policies to choose from. 
 

Generally in our AOS process, the only documents we’re ever had to show to prove immigration status are the I-94, marriage license and I-797 (which is the NOA1 for AOS). However I didn’t have to show any of these for insurance, the healthcare marketplace verifies identity through social security numbers. 

[Chancy 6,241]

31 minutes ago, TheJs said:

However I didn’t have to show any of these for insurance, the healthcare marketplace verifies identity through social security numbers. 

 

Verification done by healthcare.gov is different from what you went through with your state health marketplace.  Healthcare.gov will not require SSN (field is present but not mandatory).  But they do require upload of immigration documents from all non-USC applicants.

 

[rich rich 10]

Thanks for everyone's experience.

 

I hate websites like these the flat out lie.  Who can we report them to?  The FTC?

 

https://www.visitorguard.com/health-insurance-before-i-get-my-green-card/

Can you get health insurance while waiting for green card?

Yes, if you are waiting to get your green card, you can get health insurance from insurance companies, like us. When your green card status is pending or still on hold, you are considered a visitor to the US. You do not become eligible for Obamacare till you get your Green Card.