Pat2021

This to me indicates that it should be what they're asking for. As they're not accepting it, all I can think of is to contact your congressperson.

If you were not a resident - why are they asking for the certificate? Usually you only need to provide police clearance certificates for countries in which you resided 12 months or longer. How did you stay in Qatar for that long without being a resident?

Might be going a bit off-topic, but US wife and I got married in the UK and she did not need anything from the embassy, no affidavits, nothing. Marriage certificate got accepted without issue when she changed her name for her passport and when we went through the IR1 process.

Did not need anything of the sorts, interview was very quick and straight-forward, you can find my review with questions on my profile or under the UK embassy here on VJ We did provide photos for the I-130, I imagine the IO has all the access to those. Never heard of letters, however bear in mind it might be different for everyone depending on circumstances, place of birth, place of marriage, etc. We got married in the UK and they do an interview beforehand with both parties to ensure it's bona fide, so might be the US embassy trusts the UK marriage certificate more due to this? Good luck, I'm sure it'll be fine, don't overthink it too much!

Hi, sorry for resurrecting this "old" thread, but seems there was no response and I'm currently in the same boat. Is there an online access code for the immigrant Visa fee? All I received was the payment confirmation email, just like OP, with a receipt number. This receipt number is different than the receipt number for my I-130. EDIT: Never mind, right after posting this I found the solution, hopefully it'll help someone. On the USCIS instead of clicking "Add a Case", press "Verify Identity", enter your A-Number and do a small quiz about your immigration history and it shows up. Weirdly it shows the name as FirstName "NMN" "LastName" though, I hope this doesn't cause any issues?

This one was quite helpful: https://www.immigrationboards.com/

Thank you again! Lots to think about and there does not really seem to be a right or wrong decision. Is there a way I can find out UHC (United) coverage in LA area? Knowing how many options there are for in-network vs out-of-network would be great.

Thank you! Definitely something to think about.

Oh, oh wow, I wasn't aware of all that! Thank you. This makes it definitely worth thinking about. Only issue is, the HSA is tied to the worst plan with the highest deductibles with no copay, while being only marginally cheaper.

@Captain Ewok is this something that's possible to do? I see more and more people processing at Potomac and I'm sure they'd love to have timeline data.

Oh wow, thank you everyone for those thorough responses and all the recommendations! Yes that's my worry with United - how's the provider coverage in California? How do I find that out? I know Kaiser is accepted pretty much everywhere, but United, I'm not so sure. Huh I did not know that - I imagine that'd be in the fineprint of the booklet? Need to re-read it then. They do offer an HSA - but can you give more info as to why it's that good? From what I've seen it's just another investment account but where you can only use it for healthcare related stuff. Surely we'd get more benefit just investing it in a regular investment account where we can use the money for whatever, including medical emergencies? The company does not contribute to the HSA. Thank you for your post, just wondering why are you advising to stay away from Kaiser?

Hi everyone, As a new immigrant to California, especially from Europe with standardized "free" healthcare, the US system is very daunting to me. Is it reasonable to compare it to private health-insurance here in the UK where I can claim some treatments (like dentist / optician) back via receipt? I was wondering if there are any guides out there that explain how it works in detail and what to take into account? So far from what I've researched, I have a few questions. I've seen "Covered California" as an option in California. Am I eligible for it? I read something about "Public Charge" not being allowed to take any benefits, but I'm coming on an IR1 Visa so not sure if it applies? For the calculator - what counts as "Household size"? We will be living with my wife's parents - do we include them / their income? Is it a generally good health care plan before I find a job? Can I switch off it once I find a job or is there some cooling-off period? I've seen something about enrollment being open now - does that mean I need to join right now? We're arriving in the US in second week of January, so should I wait until then or join now for coverage start 1 of January? Can I join if I'm not physically in the US yet? My wife / sponsor is moving back at the same time as me and her job allowed her to transfer over to the US branch. As such, she will get a healthcare packet. Does it make sense for her to enroll both of us as a family plan, or is it better for her to do single healthcare and I go with "Covered California"? Her job's branch is in NY, so her healthcare is NY centric - meaning that it mostly covers NY service providers. Is this relevant / important? It's "UnitedHealthcare", however, they also offer "Kaiser Permanente" for CA residents. Is this plan sensible for someone in California or will we have issues finding covered treatments? I've heard Kaiser is not great. As she will be moving it counts as "life change" and she can enroll me onto the plan - however will there be an issue in me leaving the plan if for example I'll find a job and get a better plan? Would we have to wait to the next "enrollment period"? I know it's quite a few questions, we still have a few weeks to decide. Thank you in advance

Didn't find a thread for July so starting one. Submitted on the 21st. Good luck everybody!