Ewan

I came to the US in 2021 on an IR5 parent visa. I am a self-employed, home-based contractor (I brought my work with me) and ALL of my income comes from OUTSIDE the US. On the contrary, ALL of my spending is done INSIDE the US. My earnings from foreign clients are paid into my US bank and are used to pay my income tax (the US gets all the taxes on my worldwide earnings), property, utilities, car insurance, food, leisure etc etc. As well as that... Being self-employed, I have to pay for my own health insurance and whatever part of my medical bills that I owe. I also am paying Social Security taxes but will not be eligible for Medicare until I have been paying in for 10 years, which will mean having to work until at least the age of 70. Apart from the above, my daughter petitioned me and agreed to be responsible for me financially if I am unable to do so myself. So the impression given of immigrant parents as getting everything and giving nothing is way off course for me - and, I'm sure, for many other parents.

My timings just seemed to work out. I did my first port of entry in September 2021, then went back to my home country soon after to sort out some things. I re-entered the US in November, by which time my physical green card had been delivered. I got short-term medical insurance for six weeks (called a local agent and asked about plans) and then my ACA started. As for Medicare, I believe you have to pay into it through your taxes for 10 years before you become eligible. Although you can purchase Medicare Part A after residing legally in the U.S. for five years continuously. That's where my knowledge of the system ends.

I moved to Tennessee in late 2021 on an IR5 and have been on ACA since the start of 2022. I qualify because I'm self-employed and earning under the maximum limit of $54,360 per year. It was very easy to apply for it and to report on my annual tax return. Like you, I would have been paying about $1200 a month but instead the ACA tax credits mean I'm paying under $300 (although that doesn't include dental).

At the risk of causing more confusion (but hopefully not), I went back through my documents to see what I had to do in 2021 - bearing in mind this was to transport a dog in the cargo hold. I needed to provide PetAir UK: A rabies vaccine certificate and proof of other vaccinations. A Fitness to Fly Certificate (done by a vet after an examination and valid only for 10 days). An Acclimatisation Declaration (only needed for a pet travelling in the cargo hold, also done by the vet) American Airlines provided a Customs Clearance Pack through PetAir UK for their purposes, which included: A breed verification form (completed by vet) A Customs Power of Attorney (completed by me) A shipper's certification (completed by me) Again, these might only be necessary if an animal travels in the cargo hold and is taken to customs officials for pickup. I did a quick search on the UK Government website section about "Find an export health certificate". When you search for USA and pets, it says there are no matching results. But always best to check. https://www.gov.uk/export-health-certificates?keywords=dog&destination_country[]=usa&commodity_type[]=pets&certificate_status[]=active

That's great that you've got this sorted out. Obviously I was giving you my experience of moving a large dog - but this sounds like a really good way of travelling with your cat (and much cheaper!) VisaJourney is wonderful for getting this sort of advice. It was a huge help to me when I was preparing to move. I hope everything goes well with your move.