ProbeGT

On 9/17/2024 at 9:45 PM, appleblossom said:

You’ll get the I-130 approval at some point. If your sibling has kids you want it to take as long as possible. 

When does the I-130 approval usually arrive for F4 cases?

Why is the longer timeframe better?

Per this link, police certificates are not required from Pakistan

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Pakistan.html

Per this link, an FRC theoretically works, but who knows for sure

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Pakistan.html

On 8/1/2024 at 8:52 PM, uzair_tx said:

I have submitted an I-130 and am getting documents ready for the next stage when it Allah goes to the NVC however I have a question.
My spouses Pakistani birth certificate is a B form written in the Urdu language. I'm being told by people that because it's an older form NADRA can't update it to the new English and Urdu form. Pls note I'm being told this by people not by NADRA. 
Can someone who has had to deal with such an issue in Pakistan tell me how did they handle it and satisfy the I 130 application and the NVC requirements. Did they get NADRA to update it with the new English\Urdu form? Did you get it translated privately in Pakistan and submit that? Did you have someone in the US translate it and then submit it? Are there any other options?
Thanks in advance for ur help.

DO NOT UPDATE OLD DOCUMENTS.  OLD DOCUMENTS ARE MORE VALUABLE IN IMMIGRATION.

In Pakistan, new documents are often labelled as "LATE ENTRY", which causes significant issues in immigration..

An old, Urdu certificate is completely valid.  I know a few relatives who translated theirs and had no issues. 

They translated it privately, and the translator just added a statement saying that they are proficient in Urdu and English, and that they testify that the translation is accurate.

Detailed post on ACA insurance and subsidies.  It IS possible for a new immigrant to get subsidies.

ACA is your friend:

See this post.  He will not be able to get medicaid due to the 5 year rule, but he can get ACA insurance and possibly get a subsidy:

Writing to update.  A few friends have reported that they were able to follow this process in different states and received subsidies.

@missads One of these cases was someone over 65, and they were able to get a subsidy.  Thanks again for your initial post that prompted this!

Everyone - the key thing is to READ THE FORMS AND APPLICATION IN DETAIL. 

Any updates?

Writing to update.  We have been able to renew the ACA plan each year with no issues!

On 1/2/2024 at 11:32 AM, JeanneAdil said:

the embassy will deny a K1 if the state does not allow the marriage /seen this happen to others here on VJ

so, no chance to marry in another state and return to Mississippi that still considers it illegal and can pose fine and jail time/ kinda out of rules and laws with all our real issues but MS still has the 2003 law on the books

Agreed.  They can't simply get married somewhere else and move back.  The move has to be legitimate, and not just to get married.

You need to move to a state that recognizes cousin marriages (some states do not allow them to be performed within the state, but will recognize them if done outside the state)

On 7/6/2023 at 1:37 PM, carmel34 said:

There is a 2 year wait time for B1/B2 visa appointments at US consulates/embassy in Canada right now.

Indeed.  That is why they wanted to check if there were any other options they were simply not aware of

On 6/22/2023 at 6:58 PM, Bryan and An said:

So I'm going through this exact process right now. Thanks for the extremely helpful information. However, I do have a question/concern. When I get to the question about "Were you found ineligible for Medicaid..." Well, actually there are two questions. The first one is something like "Were you found ineligible for Medicaid since March 2023" (no mention of immigration status). It specifically says not to say "no" unless you had been denied coverage, and if you do click "yes," it asks for the date of your denial letter. If you say "no," it then asks, "Were you found ineligible for Medicaid based on your immigration status since 2018?" If you say "yes," it asks, "Have you had your current immigration status since 2018?" Then when you say "no," it asks, "Have you had a change in your immigration status since you were found not eligible for Medicaid?" Is the proper method to say "yes" to being found ineligible due to immigration status since 2018, "no" to having your current immigration status since 2018," then "yes" to having a change in your immigration status since you were found not eligible for Medicaid, despite not actually being denied or found ineligible? Just wanted to make sure because these questions sound a little more specific/detailed than what was posted in the OP. Thanks for any insight! (This is Illinois, if that helps at all.) 

Were you found ineligible for Medicaid based on your immigration status since 2018?

--- YES

Have you had a change in your immigration status since you were found not eligible for Medicaid?"

--- I would answer "No".  If you say "yes" it implies that something changed that makes you now possibly  eligible for medicaid. 

The previous question made it clear that you are ineligible for medicaid based on immigration status since (I interpret this as "after", in this case) 2018.

On 6/25/2023 at 2:49 PM, Boiler said:

Illinois is different, has California vibes.

 

https://hfs.illinois.gov/medicalclients/coverageforimmigrantseniors.html

This does not apply to those who are not seniors, but yes, it is similar

Asking for a friend.  They are a Canadian permanent resident and work for a US employer remotely.  They need to come to the US for a few days for work meetings (training, I believe).  They do not qualify for the waiver program (their citizenship is not one of the eligible ones), and they can't get a TN visa as they are not Canadian (unless there is something I am unaware of). 

What would the options be?

1. B1/B2 visa?

2. H-3 visa?

3. CUSMA/NAFTA- any provision for this situation?

1. Add to spouses' insurance from work (life event - getting married).

2. ACA is technically an option too.

1. Spouse's insurance.  There are two "life events" that help.  Getting married is one, but there are a few others, such as "gaining immigration status" or changing address.

2. ACA is an option as well.  In this case, you may want to file taxes MFS (not sure). 

From what I have seen, it is not terrible if the immigrant does not have any income.  I know of a few cases where the relative was in their late 50s, the copay was about $20 a month.  Granted this was for an HMO (PPOs were $200+, and most people like PPOs)

For those under 65:

For those over 65 (also mentioned in my post)

We contacted an insurance agent for a "short term insurance plan" that covered a relative for the first few weeks.

Read this.

See this post which also mentions this.  In your case, I would select I-797 since that is the immigration document until you get the physical GC.

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On 1/22/2023 at 10:16 AM, susysteele said:

@ProbeGT I stumbled across this very informative post today as we start researching how to get insurance for my in-laws who hopefully will be immigrating in the next year or two. I just wanted to ask  if any advice from your original post has changed, especially around filing of $0.00 and non-dependent tax returns. Is this what your parents are still doing successfully here now in 2023? BTW thank you for the information you have provided. 

On 3/8/2023 at 1:19 PM, ProbeGT said:

Hello.  No changes to this process.  The non-dependent status on tax returns is the most important thing.  Even if there is some income (for example, opening a bank account and getting a bonus) it doesn't change the subsidy much.  I think one year my relative had to pay the IRS back less than $10.  

So this year my relative "earned" more money than the $0 we put on the ACA application (they opened a bank account and got a welcome bonus, which is taxable income).  They had to send the IRS $7 during tax time as part of the ACA reconciliation process (there is a form that is filed with taxes)

On 1/22/2023 at 10:16 AM, susysteele said:

@ProbeGT I stumbled across this very informative post today as we start researching how to get insurance for my in-laws who hopefully will be immigrating in the next year or two. I just wanted to ask  if any advice from your original post has changed, especially around filing of $0.00 and non-dependent tax returns. Is this what your parents are still doing successfully here now in 2023? BTW thank you for the information you have provided. 

Hello.  No changes to this process.  The non-dependent status on tax returns is the most important thing.  Even if there is some income (for example, opening a bank account and getting a bonus) it doesn't change the subsidy much.  I think one year my relative had to pay the IRS back less than $10.  

Note that many states have their own programs for insurance that operate outside of the ACA process.  Each state has its own criteria, rules, regulations, restrictions, etc, but it is something to consider as well depending on your specific situation.