Risk of becoming public charge?

[milimelo 4,475]

45 minutes ago, LilyCasper said:

Thank you. Getting affordable meds in the US is one of my greatest concerns. And my intention is to find a part-time job once I get my work permit while expanding my business. I hope it's enough for the CO to conclude I won't be a public charge.

Is this something I should bring up during the interview?

Upon entry to the US your immigrant visa turns into temporary (1-yr) green card until your plastic card is mailed to you. There won't be a work permit as green card is all you need. Unrestricted social security card plus a driver's license is what you'll want to use for employment purposes. No employer can tell you what documents to produce for I-9 - that's all your decision. 

[LilyCasper 4]

1 minute ago, milimelo said:

Upon entry to the US your immigrant visa turns into temporary (1-yr) green card until your plastic card is mailed to you. There won't be a work permit as green card is all you need. Unrestricted social security card plus a driver's license is what you'll want to use for employment purposes. No employer can tell you what documents to produce for I-9 - that's all your decision. 

That's good to know. I thought I would be receiving a work permit along with the green card. Thanks for clearing that up! 

Do you know if I need to wait to arrive in the US to register my business? I've been reading contradictory accounts.

[milimelo 4,475]

Depends what's needed for registration - if it's SSN, then you'll have to wait until you get it (if you marked yes on DS-260 it will be assigned to you and sent after your entry into US and visa activation). 

[LilyCasper 4]

1 minute ago, milimelo said:

Depends what's needed for registration - if it's SSN, then you'll have to wait until you get it (if you marked yes on DS-260 it will be assigned to you and sent after your entry into US and visa activation). 

Good point. I did mark yes. I'll look into it further based on that information. Thank you!

[carmel34 3,620]

4 hours ago, LilyCasper said:

Do you know if I need to wait to arrive in the US to register my business?

It depends on the nature of your business, the potential financial risks involved, and if you want to form a separate legal entity such as an LLC, C corp, etc.  You can operate a business in the US as a sole proprietorship which does not require any registration or incorporation at all.  If you decide to form an LLC or C corp, or others (there are many options, each with pros and cons), you should do research on the process in the state where you will be living before you arrive and decide on the best path for your situation, so that you can register/incorporate soon after your arrival in the US.  You can do this yourself without an attorney if you want to.  I had my own business years ago when living in Texas, and formed a C corp by filing the forms with the Secretary of State office and paying nominal fees as it was pretty simple.  You may also want to find a competent accountant to help you with filing taxes as the process can be very complicated in the US depending on how you ultimately decide to set up your business.

Edited June 3, 2023 by carmel34

[Redro 4,611]

5 hours ago, LilyCasper said:

Thank you. Getting affordable meds in the US is one of my greatest concerns. And my intention is to find a part-time job once I get my work permit while expanding my business. I hope it's enough for the CO to conclude I won't be a public charge.

Is this something I should bring up during the interview?

Don't volunteer anything. 

Just answer the questions the CO asks. 

We weren't asked anything about future job plans at the interview and my husband used savings on his I-864. 

[LilyCasper 4]

2 hours ago, carmel34 said:

It depends on the nature of your business, the potential financial risks involved, and if you want to form a separate legal entity such as an LLC, C corp, etc.  You can operate a business in the US as a sole proprietorship which does not require any registration or incorporation at all.  If you decide to form an LLC or C corp, or others (there are many options, each with pros and cons), you should do research on the process in the state where you will be living before you arrive and decide on the best path for your situation, so that you can register/incorporate soon after your arrival in the US.  You can do this yourself without an attorney if you want to.  I had my own business years ago when living in Texas, and formed a C corp by filing the forms with the Secretary of State office and paying nominal fees as it was pretty simple.  You may also want to find a competent accountant to help you with filing taxes as the process can be very complicated in the US depending on how you ultimately decide to set up your business.

Thanks for the advice! My financial risks are currently low, so I think I'll start off with a sole proprietorship until I have a larger turnover, also because it's cheaper than an LLC in California and I'm not turning enough profit yet to warrant it.

I'll look into finding a good accountant.

[Lil bear 4,181]

23 hours ago, LilyCasper said:

My CR1 interview at the Brussels embassy is on July 7.

 

I have been receiving public benefits for a few years from the Belgian government due to chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.

I have been working towards regaining a more independent status, and new medication recently has been helping me along.

For example, I now have my own business as a part-time editor, which I'm hoping to expand, but my main income currently is still the government benefits.

 

Is my case at risk of being refused under the pretext of 'becoming a public charge' (not my intention!). If so, is there anything I can/should do to prepare a rebuttal during the interview?

Unless it was flagged in your medical report .. and i doubt it would be as it is neither psychiatric nor communicable.. i dont see why it would even be known to the IO 

[LilyCasper 4]

4 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Unless it was flagged in your medical report .. and i doubt it would be as it is neither psychiatric nor communicable.. i dont see why it would even be known to the IO 

My understanding is that the medical examiner will ask about your medical history. Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, to the point of not being able to work fulltime, have played a big part in that. I'm not sure if that is something I can or should omit. And if the examiner knows, the CO will too.

Am I approaching this from the wrong angle?

[Lil bear 4,181]

3 minutes ago, LilyCasper said:

My understanding is that the medical examiner will ask about your medical history. Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, to the point of not being able to work fulltime, have played a big part in that. I'm not sure if that is something I can or should omit. And if the examiner knows, the CO will too.

Am I approaching this from the wrong angle?

My daughter now 42 lives with CFS /ME since her early 20’s. My heart goes out to you. Yes you complete a medical

history for the medical but it is not a “ traditional” medical assessment as you might have for employment, insurance etc.  It is focussed on identifying a small subset of conditions which are listed as making the applicant permanently or temporarily inadmissible.. ongoing untreated or uncontrolled psychiatric, illegal drug use, communicable diseases such as TB etc..   Things like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, preexisting cardiac events etc. are not issues. The IO doesn't investigate the medical report .. they look at the bottom line.. is there a listed reason for inadmissibility.  Dont leave out your cfs history …. that is a big mistake. Don’t over play it either. You are managing it and you are doing well in doing so !! 
 

The bigger factor will be the petitioner's I 864.. . Adequate stable ingoing income mitigates the risk of the immigrant becoming a public charge.  

[LilyCasper 4]

10 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

My daughter now 42 lives with CFS /ME since her early 20’s. My heart goes out to you. Yes you complete a medical

history for the medical but it is not a “ traditional” medical assessment as you might have for employment, insurance etc.  It is focussed on identifying a small subset of conditions which are listed as making the applicant permanently or temporarily inadmissible.. ongoing untreated or uncontrolled psychiatric, illegal drug use, communicable diseases such as TB etc..   Things like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, preexisting cardiac events etc. are not issues. The IO doesn't investigate the medical report .. they look at the bottom line.. is there a listed reason for inadmissibility.  Dont leave out your cfs history …. that is a big mistake. Don’t over play it either. You are managing it and you are doing well in doing so !! 
 

The bigger factor will be the petitioner's I 864.. . Adequate stable ingoing income mitigates the risk of the immigrant becoming a public charge.  

Thank you for your insights. My mind is a little more at ease. I hope the medical examination goes well.

I'm sorry to hear your daughter also suffers CFS/ME. Sending her love ❤️

[LilyCasper 4]

3 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

Where did you get this? 

I'm wondering as well. It sounds like good advice, but it makes me nervous. Financial plan, testimonies of work ethic, doctor's evaluation report, it's a lot. I'm afraid I'm going to mess up. I'm confused on what to address and what not. Some say volunteer the information, others suggest not saying anything unless asked.

[Boiler 45,445]

11 minutes ago, LilyCasper said:

I'm wondering as well. It sounds like good advice, but it makes me nervous. Financial plan, testimonies of work ethic, doctor's evaluation report, it's a lot. I'm afraid I'm going to mess up. I'm confused on what to address and what not. Some say volunteer the information, others suggest not saying anything unless asked.

Spammer I would guess some AI produced it as it seems semi coherent at first glance.

[LilyCasper 4]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

Spammer I would guess some AI produced it as it seems semi coherent at first glance.

That could be. I suppose I'll put that comment aside and focus on the advice in the other replies.

[Ontarkie 14,215]

~~Spammer ejected, quoted post also removed.~~