Health Insurance, AOS, i-944

[chiks24 11]

From what I have read and understood is that if the beneficiary does not have health insurance in the US, it is seen as a heavily negative factor? 

 

Unfortunately, I (US Citizen) did not opt for employer-sponsored health insurance after finding it too expensive (and before I knew I was gonna marry her while she was visiting) and also did not realize we had "special enrollment period" after getting married. We missed that deadline too. Marketplace enrollment does not open till October/November, and we plan to file the AoS by late July/early August if things fall into place. 

 

• Can I purchase travel insurance for her or does it have to be a very $$$ private insurance at this point?
• There are also "short-term" plans offered by United Healthcare. Are those seen as a positive till we can enroll in Marketplace end of the year?
• Do I also need to show health insurance for the "positive factor" or is it mainly for the beneficiary?

 

Thank you!

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

No health insurance for the immigrant is a negative factor. Most people are unable to afford a hospital stay out of pocket. It could easily go into the 100 of thousands. 

Travel insurance applies to a visitor; not immigrant; so that would not work. 

Double check to see if your state has a special enrollment period going on due to COVID.

I'm not sure if the short term plan would be helpful in this situation; I believe they want to see continuous coverage (but I haven't read the I944 recently).

I don't believe you need to show health insurance for your self for your wife immigration purpose but I couldn't imagine why one doesn't have coverage.

 

 

Can you clarify why you didn't file AOS right after marriage? Has she been undocumented this whole time? I'm just trying to understand why you are waiting. 

[chiks24 11]

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Double check to see if your state has a special enrollment period going on due to COVID.

Unfortunately, no special enrollment period in Texas. 

 

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I'm not sure if the short term plan would be helpful in this situation; I believe they want to see continuous coverage (but I haven't read the I944 recently).

Well, the short-term plan would be till November when both of us can enroll in Marketplace (affordable insurance). Would that not be a valid explanation?

 

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Can you clarify why you didn't file AOS right after marriage? Has she been undocumented this whole time? I'm just trying to understand why you are waiting. 

We got married in January 2020. We were unfamiliar with the process so we decided to seek an immigration help service which told us to gather documents for AoS. One such document (birth certificate) that she had was apparently not acceptable for immigration, so we had to get a computerized birth certificate made from her country of birth. This was late February and her country of birth was now in lockdown. We had to wait almost 1.5 to 2 months to get her birth certificate shipped to us. During this whole process, we learned that the requirements had changed (i-944) and now we have to collect even more documents, which is what we are currently in the process of. 

 

Currently waiting for her degree evaluation, no credit score report, my 2019 Tax Return notice/Transcript, etc etc, figuring out health insurance issue, etc.