emjay129

My senior dad lost his passport that contained his US Visa that was still valid. He only has his expired passport and visa, but the recently renewed one can no longer be found.

Based on my research, he may not qualify for drop box renewal. Is this accurate?

I'm hoping he no longer has to travel to Manila by himself because he's already 77.

Country - Philippines

25 minutes ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

In the vast majority of cases elderly parents can not be covered under children's health plans. He is not entitled to Medicare until he has been a resident for 5 years, and at that time he must pay into the plan, as of 2024 that will be $505 / month for Medicare Part A and at least $175 / month for Medicare Part B.

 

If he has little or no income he would typically be eligible for Medicaid after 5 years as well, but California has less strict rules than most states. Depending on pension income from the UK he may qualify for Medi-Cal from day one.

 

He is located in the Philippines, so I don't think his previous work history there counts.

I filled out the online calculator on Covered CA, but what I'm not sure about is whether or not he's part of our household or he's a one-person household. I don't plan for him to be declared as my "dependent" when filing taxes; he's filing taxes on his own, albeit no income.

I am planning to sponsor my dad (77 years old) to come to the US. There's a lot of conflicting information about health insurance for seniors, so I thought of asking here.

I checked out https://www.coveredca.com/, but I'm not sure if he would be considered a part of our household or is he just a household one one person? From my understanding, the person you are sponsoring only counts as a "part of the household" if they are tax dependents. In this case, the plan is for my dad to file his taxes separately, albeit he may no longer be working because of his age.

Thanks for your help!

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Why would you allow your mother to opt out of getting insurance? Who do you think will pay for her medical bills when she gets sick? She already IS sick, she has diabetes. Do you understand how expensive health v=costs are in this country, let alone her? 

Cathi - Kindly read my message again. I never said I would allow her, so I don't know where you even got that. I even said "I'd rather have her stay in our home country than opt out." She is the one that suggested that she opt out. This is what I said:

My mother is very adamant in moving to the US (my dad doesn't care) that she is willing to opt out. But from my understanding, it's mandatory? But in any case, I'd rather her stay in our home country than opt out.

There I enlarged it for you in case you can't read.

I am aware that it is very expensive, hence, I asked on this forum to see what my options are. Thought this was a safe place to ask without judgment, apparently not.

Are these articles accurate?

https://www.***removed***.com/new-immigrants-medical-insurance-plans/

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You may argue that these new immigrants have no income in the U.S. However, for the purposes of calculating income for sponsorship and insurance, the sponsor's income is also included in the equation. By submitting your sponsorship, you have already certified that you are above the poverty level. If someone has somehow managed to get any benefit like Medicaid by not revealing all the facts, in the case of a large claim, the government can investigate and can actually send the bills (plus penalty and interest) to the sponsor for reimbursement. This voids the purpose of trying to utilize anything like Medicaid and may also adversely affect your ability to sponsor others in the future. In addition to that, the new immigrant (beneficiary) may potentially face deportation.

 

 

https://www.***removed***/sponsor-responsibilities-obligations-for-affidavit-of-support/

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If the immigrant receives any “means-tested public benefits,” you are responsible for repaying the cost of those benefits to the agency that provided them. If the debt is not repaid, the agency can sue you in court to receive the money owed. When in doubt, ask the benefit provider if the benefit is a “means-tested public benefit.” 

59 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Do you really want to do this? Living in CA is expensive 

Boiler - I'm actually on the fence about it. It has been my mother's dream to live in the US because she feels like this will give her a chance to start fresh in life. My aunt (her sister), has been living here for 60 years and has been the one trying to convince her to come. All of the misinformation she's been communicating to my mother (affordable healthcare, etc) may have been true when she first came here decades ago, but these no longer apply to this day. So my mom is looking at everything with rose-colored glasses.

My mother would love to make some money of her own and believes that she will be able to find a job as a caregiver, but I'm worried that because she has mental health issues, she may not last a day at her job, if she does find one. Really, I'm just worried about a lot of unknowns and possible future implications.

Coming from Wales, you may see things differently. But I feel like Filipinos will see me as the "ungrateful child that should be burned alive for not bringing their mother with them to the US." In my mother's words, "I am the only Filipino child that has hesitations in sponsoring their mother to come to America." This makes me feel terrible, but my kids also need a future.

Sorry for ranting. Just wanted to share my story.

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OCare does not have underwriting, they may qualify for Medicaid

From what I've researched, Medicaid is only for individuals that at have at least worked for 10 years or have 40 work credits?

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“Opt out”.  Does she have the cash to pay for whatever medical services she might need, like surgery, cancer care, drugs, etc?

SalishSea - From what I have researched, it is mandatory. That said, even if it weren't mandatory, I wouldn't allow her to opt out because I know that at any point in the future, if say, she feels any sort of discomfort, even something non-life threatening like a toothache (which I know can be debilitating), she will blame me for her wrong decision and force me to help her get care.

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I'm not sure how it works in California, but that seems like a low MOOP.  I would expect the premiums to be sky-high....if they can pass underwriting.  

Crazy Cat - This was my expectation. What I'm seeing seems incorrect. I will call to verify

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California has Medi-Cal and Covered California.  Look into those instead -- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-Cal_CovCA_FAQ.aspx

Chancy - This is where I looked. I went to the Covered CA website then it led me to Medi-Cal. I'm unable to see an actual quote though, which is why I went over to healthcare.gov instead.

I know this topic has been asked a few times, but it looks like the posts are at least a few years old, so I wanted to see if there are new updates to policies that I may have missed.

I am planning on bringing my parents over to California, but health insurance has been a deterrent. Since they are 72 and 77, I called the Marketplace and was told they don't even offer insurance for that age range.

So I have a few questions:

1. I went over to healthcare.gov and see a list of plans that are quite affordable. One of them was "Anthem Blue Cross Silver 94 HMO" that was $0/mo with an out-of-pocket maximum of $1,500. This looks too good to be true! What am I missing here?

2. My mother is very adamant in moving to the US (my dad doesn't care) that she is willing to opt out. But from my understanding, it's mandatory? But in any case, I'd rather her stay in our home country than opt out.

3. My mother lost most of her vision on one eye, so I'm guessing this will be considered a preexisting condition, as well as her diabetes. Does that mean she will be denied coverage for this particular issue?

4. To those who had elderly parents immigrate recently, how much are you paying for your premiums?

Thanks in advance for your help!

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My Mom lived here in Maryland (Montgomery County) for 5 years without insurance. She used to go to a community clinic and they gave her medications for her diabetes and high blood pressure for free. I only paid $15 per visit and the clinic referred her to specialists when she had kidney stones (gastroenterologist and other specialists I can't remember). Mammogram, colonoscopy  and MRI were also free. She just needed to fill out a form saying she did not have any income. The clinic was "funded" by Catholic Charities. You should check with your local community clinic and explain your situation. 

@BowGurl When was this? There was a clinic in Los Angeles before that was also free, but that was over 10 years ago. The clinic still exists to this day, but they now require Medi-Cal.

9 minutes ago, emjay129 said:

If you look at the screenshot I sent, it says, “If you have a group/family member (including a child) who needs to apply for a visa with you.”

20 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Anyway, again, contact the embassy, they are the only ones who can really answer.

If you look at the screenshot I sent, it says, “If you have a group/family member (including a child) who needs to apply for a visa with you.”

32 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Oh - good point - they did submit two separate forms right ?

• Correct, 2 forms.They mailed ONE envelope with 2 SEPARATE DS-160 forms
• For the interview waiver, I added my mother as a dependent (see attached online form that I filled out and the interview waiver confirmation that it generated)
• Only my father received an LBC tracking number via email (passport was already picked up, but mother's passport was not in it)

I'm so worried about this. There is no information online as to what could possibly be happening. I don't know if my mother's passport is lost.

Hi all, my parents qualified for the visa interview waiver.

They mailed both their documents with my mother as a dependent on my father.

When they received it back from the US embassy, only ONE passport with visa was mailed back (my dad's). My mother's passport never made it back.

Are they typically mailed separately?

Hi, my parents qualified for the "Interview Waiver" for B1/B2 visa renewal. All required documents have already been mailed.

On the CGI Portal, this is the status - "Passport has been received from the consular section, and is currently being processed for delivery."

Does this mean that their B1/B2 has been renewed and we are not just waiting for the passport (with the visa) to be mailed back to us?

Thanks for your help!

Hi,

My senior parents qualify for the Visa interview waiver. All the documents have already been prepared by me and are ready to go. The last step is to just drop off the required documents at an LBC or To Go location.

My mother, who has Borderline Personality Disorder that has resulted in paranoia, does not trust LBC/To Go to handle her documents; she is fearful that these couriers will lose her documents. She is asking if she can bypass the process and mail her documents directly to the US Embassy in Manila instead. I know this is such a weird question - but she wanted to hear answers from other people.

I also know that her disorder is not relevant to my question, but just in case you're wondering why anyone will ever try to bypass a process that the US Embassy put themselves.. well, there's your answer.

3 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

That makes no sense.   One is for short visits and the other is to move here permanently.   Do they not want to move here?   Then don’t waste everyone’s time with that.   Immigrant visa timeline is in no way faster than visitor visa timeline.
 

This type of ambiguity is exactly why people are denied B visas.

They typically stay between 2-6 months here with their B1/B2. If I applied for a green card for them and assuming it were issued, they'll likely stay here for 6 months or more then spend the remainder of the year in our home country.

It's also not really about what's "faster" per se. The online system for visa renewal is just frustrating. We've submitted our renewal application, but the website user experience is just horrendous. There is no clear feedback as to what's going on.

The goal is to really just see them. They are senior citizens and TBH, couldn't care less what type of visa they have as long as they can see their grandchildren.

10 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

If they want to move here, the B2 is not the correct visa.  They are not allowed to come over and adjust status on a B visa.   That is fraud.

I am aware of this. I do not intend for them to come here and adjust status, they are happy with their B1/B2, but it is expiring soon. I submitted a renewal application, but it's taking too long and it is unclear what the status is online, so I was thinking of just applying for a green card for them if that's quicker.

I recently submitted an online application for my parents to renew their US Visa. I thought this would be an easier process, however, it has been slow. I guess the frustrating part of it is not actually knowing what the status is.

Because of that, I plan to just go ahead and apply for a green card for them. Will the pending tourist visa renewal negatively affect their green card application?

Thanks in advance.

6 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

I think you mean Interview Waiver.  If so, did you receive the Interview Waiver confirmation letter for document submission via dropbox?

 

Sorry, yes, I meant interview waiver.

No, I haven't yet received the waiver confirmation letter because I also don't know if my form actually got submitted albeit there was some sort of confirmation on their website. Typically, how many days do I wait until I receive the waiver confirmation letter (assuming I qualify)?

Hi, I may qualify for the Visa Waiver. I did the application online and have completed the following steps:
 

1. Paid the application form (have the Receipt Number already)

2. DS-160 (have the Confirmation Number already)

For the final step, I am supposed to completed the steps on this website - https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/SiteRegister?country=Philippines&language=en_US

I have successfully created an account and went through all of the steps. It's pretty straightforward, however, I seem to be stuck in an endless loop.

After inputting my Receipt Number, I am taken to a page that says, "Your request to schedule an appointment has been received." It made me think I've successfully completed the form, BUT when I go back to my Home page, the form is still open? In other words, I am able to go through the form again with my previously entered values still there?

They display a warning that I must use browsers other than Safari, BUT I am NOT using Safari? I'm on Google Chrome. I also tried Firefox.

What's going on? Has my form actually been truly submitted?

3 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

Beneficiary's passport is not required at petition stage.  Go ahead with filing the petition.  Your mother will need a valid passport after the petition is approved.

 

Thank you, Chancy, you've been very helpful.

I tried filling out the I-130 form online and I could've sworn it asked for a passport number in one of the steps, which is why I held off.

Anyway, assuming I could move forward with the petition anyway, would it be better to use her current married name? Will there be no issues once she legally switches to her maiden name several months down the road (assuming the petition has already will already filed at that time)?

Hi everyone,

I would like to move forward petitioning my parents for a green card. However, my mother's passport has already expired. Is it possible to start the petition process with an expired passport?

While she would like to renew it asap, she is waiting for her annulment to get completed and would like to apply for another passport after she has her married name changed back to her maiden name.

As for me, I just would like to get this squared away and begin the petition process as soon as possible while my mother's annulment case is ongoing.

I am planning on sponsoring my senior parents for a green card (they are in the Philippines), but apparently, my father was married in the 70s and because of that, his marriage to my mother is considered null/void. They've been in a legal battle to get annulment (for his previous marriage) settled for 12 years, but haven't had any luck. All my life, my mother used her married last name in all legal documents, passports, US Visa, etc. without knowing then that her marriage was actually considered illegitimate.

My questions are, since my birth certificate says that my parents are "not married":

1. Am I able to sponsor my mother if she continued to use her married name (the same last name she shares with me)?  Are they going to question her using her married last name which she wasn't supposed to be using to begin with? She also plans on reverting to her maiden name if that'll make things easier.

2. My father and I share the same last name, but do I need to now try to prove further that he really is my father? That there was an established relationship from my childhood to adulthood? Not worried if I need to provide additional evidence, but just wanted to know if that would be the case.

Please note that I am aware of the financial implications for sponsoring my senior parents and that isn't an issue. I'm mainly concerned of the processes and the possible obstacles that I may to face. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I would like to apply for a green card for both my parents who are Senior Citizens. They are both currently living in the Philippines and have visited the US on many different occasions on tourist visa.

However, my case is a bit complex because on my birth certificate, it says my parents are "not married". My dad has had a previous marriage to someone else, albeit only a month, back in the 1970s. They are currently attending court trials to have this previous marriage annulled. But because of years and years of putting it off, now that there is a pandemic, it has proved to even be more difficult because offices are closed, etc.

So my questions are:

1. Would it be difficult to apply for a green card for my parents if it shows on my birth certificate that they are not married? FWIW, they've always been together and have always lived like a married couple.

2. Is it possible to apply for a green card for them if they were here in the US and just apply for a change in status - ie, change from B1/B2 to green card?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I am a dual citizen (US/Philippines). After I became a US Citizen, the naturalization certificate I received reflected my married last name.

To obtain a US passport from the Los Angeles Consulate, do I need a Report of Marriage (ROM) form? My old passport before I became a US Citizen reflects my maiden name. But then, from my understanding, that passport has been invalidated since I became a US Citizen and has this new passport I will be applying for is technically not considered a renewal. Is that correct?

So to obtain a new PH passport, do I only need:

1. US Passport

2. Dual Citizenship certificate

3. Old PH passport

Can someone please help? Thank you.