Tara&Misha

TL;DR: Will I be able to immediately perform work as a self-employed person after I enter the US on a IR-1 visa, working for a non-US contractor?

I'm likely receiving my IR-1 visa by the end of the month and my wife and I are looking to move to the US soon afterwards. I think I understand that if you want to work for a US-based employer, you need to have a green card, the application of which can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months if I understood it correctly. In my case, I will not have a US-based employer, I will be self-employed, doing contracting work for a non-US company.

Hi @JeanneAdil, thanks for the answer, it's good to know about the 90-day waiting period, I wasn't aware of that. My wife has some savings, which were enough to sponsor my visa, so she doesn't strictly need to get a job before we move. This does mean that she currently does not have a US-based employer or an option for insurance. She could move before I do to get a job/health insurance, but we prefer to move together.

Thanks also @Chancy, good to know about the life changing event thing, I'll look into that. Ideally we'd apply for insurance before we move to the US, so that the coverage starts on day 1.

For the first few weeks we will be staying at my wife's parents house, until all our stuff ships overseas. Would it be an option to register for health care on my wife's parents address?

There are a number of threads on the topic of health insurance, but I couldn't find one that exactly matches our situation. My wife (US citizen) and I live and work in the Netherlands, and as such we are insured here. Our plan is to move to the US in December 2021 or January 2022, depending on the exact date of the IR-1 visa approval.

I've contacted my health insurance in the Netherlands, and it turns out I will lose coverage as soon as I no longer live in the Netherlands (e.g. from the date that I de-register with the city, which, at the latest, coincides with the termination of our rental contract). In order to avoid a "gap" in our health insurance coverage, we will need to make sure our US-based insurance starts on the day that our Dutch health insurance stops. Since my wife does not yet have a job in the US, she does not have health coverage there that we could add me to. And as far as I understand it, one can only apply for insurance on the market place if you already live in the US, and also only on specific dates (e.g. the end of the year).

The question is: how do I avoid a gap in my insurance coverage?