What costs should I expect when I move to the USA on a K1 fiance visa?

[Dutchster 1,106]

We budgeted for adjustment of status costs, the marriage license, the guy who married us we had to pay, the marriage costs like the building we rented,, decoration for the celebration party etc, redecoration of the house and bedroom, clothing and shoes (I just came here with two suitcases -and one got lost- and a carry-on which is actually not a lot), healthcare, vision/dentist insurance, a new car extra for when I start working - we don't have public transportation where I live- etc etc.

[yuna628 9,528]

Health insurance is going to be your biggest cost per month. Cell phone bill perhaps?

[Dutchster 1,106]

Oh god, forgot to add the cellphone bill. America's providers aren't cheap. We pay $200 monthly for two lines and two phones. Calculate that in, too.

[Jmc1 13]

Here are some rough costs I’ve encountered whilst being in USA for first two months beyond food & living, in case this helps…

 

• Medical insurance (temp for non-residents, does not include anything pre-existing) - $168 per month, but I’m sure this amount varies lots!
• Flu jab at CVS @ $30
• USA doctor ‘translating’ flu jab onto immigration form - $60 (I managed to find one that didn't make me take the whole medical again, phew!)
• Passport photos x6 at Fedex (for AOS, AP and EAD package) - $48 (ouch!)
• Additional copy of marriage certificate (for AOS package) - $25
• Additional long form copy of marriage certificate valid in UK - $48
• Printer & ink @ $100ish (this was a great investment for sorting AOS package)
• Postage - $10 for my AOS package signed & tracked. Though international is expensive, to send 1x t-shirt present to UK cost $22!
• Shipping 8x boxes from UK to NYC inc insurance - £600ish
• Buying stuff for kitchen etc whilst waiting for shipment to arrive (2.5 months)
• Buying furniture, cleaning, practical items like vacuum cleaner etc (I really recommend Craigslist for buying furniture and household items, I’ve got some great quality stuff there at great value, man and van delivery has been super-expensive in Manhattan though).

 

Best of luck!

[yuna628 9,528]

33 minutes ago, Dutchster said:

Oh god, forgot to add the cellphone bill. America's providers aren't cheap. We pay $200 monthly for two lines and two phones. Calculate that in, too.

My husband got a go-phone through ATT, and it works well for him. Only about $40 per month with plenty of data. I'll assume that the American fiancé already pays for internet service, because that is also extremely expensive.

[databit 328]

6 hours ago, Adam&Allison said:

 

The driving license fees I've looked at, and those are fine - they seem cheap enough. 

Are you including the additional cost of mandatory car insurance? That's not cheap.

[Dutchster 1,106]

7 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

My husband got a go-phone through ATT, and it works well for him. Only about $40 per month with plenty of data. I'll assume that the American fiancé already pays for internet service, because that is also extremely expensive.

I wish we could have chosen that one! We live quite middle of nowhere, the best service we can get here is Verizon and it's still not the best. AT&T would only work if we'd live more in town. Sprint I'm not even going to talk about lol and T-Mobile doesn't provide any good service here too. Sucks!

[Love_A_Brit 33]

16 minutes ago, Jmc1 said:

Here are some rough costs I’ve encountered whilst being in USA for first two months beyond food & living, in case this helps…

 

• Medical insurance (temp for non-residents, does not include anything pre-existing) - $168 per month, but I’m sure this amount varies lots!
• Flu jab at CVS @ $30
• USA doctor ‘translating’ flu jab onto immigration form - $60 (I managed to find one that didn't make me take the whole medical again, phew!)
• Passport photos x6 at Fedex (for AOS, AP and EAD package) - $48 (ouch!)
• Additional copy of marriage certificate (for AOS package) - $25
• Additional long form copy of marriage certificate valid in UK - $48
• Printer & ink @ $100ish (this was a great investment for sorting AOS package)
• Postage - $10 for my AOS package signed & tracked. Though international is expensive, to send 1x t-shirt present to UK cost $22!
• Shipping 8x boxes from UK to NYC inc insurance - £600ish
• Buying stuff for kitchen etc whilst waiting for shipment to arrive (2.5 months)
• Buying furniture, cleaning, practical items like vacuum cleaner etc (I really recommend Craigslist for buying furniture and household items, I’ve got some great quality stuff there at great value, man and van delivery has been super-expensive in Manhattan though).

 

Best of luck!

This is a great list!  I would add in the cost of obtaining a driver's license, auto and renter's insurance, cell phone, and the cost of items plus shipping for things you're going to miss from the UK (those Wine Gums don't come cheap!).  Also, consider if you will ship a vehicle over or get one once you've arrived.  For us, importing made more sense.  Good luck with your move!

[yuna628 9,528]

5 minutes ago, Dutchster said:

I wish we could have chosen that one! We live quite middle of nowhere, the best service we can get here is Verizon and it's still not the best. AT&T would only work if we'd live more in town. Sprint I'm not even going to talk about lol and T-Mobile doesn't provide any good service here too. Sucks!

Oh yeah we live out in the boonies too. Verizon is utter trash, and that's pretty much all that's offered for internet in these parts... if you can get it that is. There's some people way back up in the cliffsides that don't have anything at all. Thankfully cellphones do work in clearings, but we have some dead zones... still better than it was about 15 years ago.

[theresaL 408]

Great list. I think I would up the budget for postage though. $10 is a little low especially since they are really good at "loosing" things from your AOS packet and requesting a duplicate copy. I think we spent around $50 for Fedex fees with the original AOS packet and the RFIE. I don't trust USPS and wanted a tracking record of the packages.

[Patient 57]

10 hours ago, Adam&Allison said:

So I have my K1 visa now and I'm trying to figure out what costs will be incurred when I move to the USA between the time I land, and receive my Green Card. I have the AoS/Biometrics fee which I believe is at $1225 right now - I've also got stuff like marriage license, certificate etc. budgeted for. What else should I be expecting?

 

Medical cover - Insurance before you leave or on arrival - 6 months cover in case you get delayed getting a job - USD$ ? 

[Russ&Caro 1,548]

Early marriage counseling costs? lol

 

I know that sounds funny, but that's actually a cost that we incurred. And that's after having known each other for almost 10 years before she arrived in the USA. All's good now, but it just shows you that you can end up having totally unexpected costs with immigration. Either pad your individual cost #'s or have an extra cushion in your bank account for "emergencies", if possible.

 

Good luck! Nice to see you're planning ahead.

[KimchiLumpia 315]

Because I work in Dentistry, make sure to evaluate the health insurance policy you plan to get and make sure dental is covered.  Many people assume dental is covered under their health insurance, and are extremely upset when they find out their $1000 root canal isn't covered at all. 

Edited February 9, 2017 by KimchiLumpia

[GreatDane 366]

I think the major costs have been summarized and are individual to what the couple spends/decides.

 

Our cell phone bill is around $90 (T-Mobile, two lines with unlimited phone, text, and 8GB data each). Outside of that, I purchased new furniture (100% second hand) to make it homier when Kasper arrived which was at least $1,500. It takes a while once you arrive to gain employment, outside of the approval process. Despite being highly educated, it can be hard for foreigners to find a job in their field or at the US equivalent pay rate. I would assume you'd be out of work for at least six months once you are in the US, if not more (up to 3 months to marry, at least 3 months to work, plus a buffer). Health insurance isn't a legal requirement in the US for non-citizens, so he passed on insurance and kept his foreign travel insurance. I'm not sure it would actually work, but who knows.

[caliliving 606]

you are from the UK so i think u shouldnt have a hard time finding a job.  

i actually went 2 years without insurance.. woops!

 

I would add driver license is 100

depending on your car, you can get liability only and that is like 40$ but if u have a new/good car u will pay about 100/month

also, i got 2 HUGEEE hockey bags and filled them full of clothes and then it should be free.. wheeling suitcases are annoying bc they weight so much!!! haha so u can look at something like tht to save cost on sending stuff... also, if you have friends/family planning on visiting they can bring stuff for u

clothes im sure u will want to be for the seasons or whatever 

dental is good to have, but u can always take the chance! my husbands wisdom tooth to pull was only 100$ and a cleaning is like 200.. yes, a root canal will be alot but if u want to cut costs, u can risk it on the dentist insurance.

also, my medical was 200$ plus the flu shot and that is with my full vaccination record.