ir1cr12021

1 minute ago, payxibka said:

It can take 2 days to 2 weeks 

Thank you. Do you think it's worth scheduling a follow-up appointment, while I am there, to come back to the office two weeks later? (Again, I'm keen to know the number as soon as possible so that I can move forward with bank accounts, work, etc.)

8 minutes ago, payxibka said:

They cannot tell you on the spot until everything is verified 

Thank you. Is "verification" something that they can do on the spot, or something that happens once I've left the building?

Hi there,

New LPR here. Ticked the box to receive a SSN on DS-260, been here a while, hasn't arrived (although my green card has), need to start setting up my life.

After reading others' experiences, I've been in touch with my local social security office to get a face-to-face appointment. Happening this week.

My question is: can they tell me my SSN at the appointment, on the spot, or do I need to wait for my card in the mail whenever it arrives? 

As you can imagine, I just need the number to begin doing things. Thanks very much!

45 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

there is no set rule of which comes first 

when it comes,  it comes 

if you changed the address of where you originally were suppose to go,  i would check with local SS office 

So even if the green card arrived to my new address, there's a chance the social security could go to the old address? Yikes.

17 minutes ago, neca said:

😄

 

It's truly an esoteric process, so you'll just have to be patient, for now. I have been seeing that covid has affected the SS office too, where people haven't been getting their SS cards in a timely manner. I'd encourage you to look up those other cases, but iirc if you don't see anything in six weeks then you can contact the SS office (of course, you can contact them sooner, if you don't mind being told to wait).

 

Good luck, and congrats on getting to the US!

Silly typo! Thank you very much, looking forward to getting all of this set up.

Hi there,

I arrived into the US on an IR1 on 05-Mar-21.

I updated my address at the point of entry and have already received my green card.

I have not, however, received my social security. Should I be concerned? I was expecting the green card to arrive much later than the green card.

(I appreciate it can take 3 weeks for the social security card to arrive, but the sequencing has confused me!)

(To be clear: I ticked the box in my application that I would like to receive a social security number.)

Many thanks!

On 3/3/2021 at 5:52 PM, Wuozopo said:

There's a solution for that scenario too. As a US resident, living in the US, your earnings are taxable, full stop. But if you paid foreign taxes as well, there is a form to get a Foreign Tax Credit for taxes paid to a foreign government when you’ve been taxed on that same money by the US.

 

That’s where the Foreign Income Exclusion (Form 2555) comes in. If your hypothetical USC was legally living and working abroad for a foreign company, they pay taxes to the foreign country. They still report that foreign income on their US tax return, but Form 2555 allows them to exclude any taxes on the income earned while legally living/working abroad. They can’t just be on a long holiday abroad and trying to dodge some taxes. 

 

it’s like your first year example from earlier

$4000 earned while your residence was the UK. You legally lived and worked there. You get to claim the foreign exclusion for that couple of months.

$20,000 earned after your residence was the US. You no longer live abroad so can’t exclude the income as “foreign earned” even though the employer is abroad. The tax treaty says you pay  the country where you live not where your employer lives.

 

Thank you for being incredibly generous with your time. I now have a much better understanding of what I need to do. Now, to catch that flight... Honestly, I can't thank you enough.

3 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

You lost me. You mean like if you moved to France for a couple of years but you are a US greencard holder? You could lose your greencard (US permanent residency) if you go live somewhere else. If that happened and you were no longer a US permanent resident then no US tax return.

Sorry, I wasn't very clear! If a US citizen (not me) was employed by the same firm, and living outside of the US, then they would get an EIN, a 1099, and declare it on their federal tax return? A hypothetical that may be getting off topic.

Thank you for the other information in your answer. I suppose on the "double tax" point I am just asking what to do if I end up being taxed overseas before my salary enters my account. But you've suggested having my employer update before my first payslip once I enter the US, so that makes sense!

3 hours ago, Mollie09 said:

What I'm saying is if they pay you without an EIN they will be paying you as a foreign company paying a foreign resident, not a US resident. That complicates things both from a tax perspective and an immigration perspective.

Thank you, that makes sense! If I'm living in the US, what would the complication be from an immigration perspective? (Now a little worried about continuing to work remotely from the US, if it's an immigration issue!)

11 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

Yes. The easiest option for the employer is #2 because he does not have to send money to the IRS each paycheck or pay a service to handle that task for him. My wife somehow accidentally ended up talking to a lady at IRS that issues EINs to foreign employers. She said it’s real easy. They just call up, give some info, and get assigned a number. Then the employer issues a 1099 to you saying how much total they paid you between Jan 1 and Dec 31. Here’s what a 1099 looks like. Most of the boxes he wouldn’t fill in. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1099msc.pdf
The left side is for His business name, address, etc and your name, address, etc. And his EIN number and your SSN. On the right side it would just be something like

Box 3. $20,123.45   Box 4. $0.00 and done because the rest of the boxes are not about wages.

If this is a UK company, I know there is a code that payroll can submit to HMRC meaning you are not taxed and no NI either. I can’t help much more because I haven’t any experience with it. He sends you the full pay with no deductions, and being wise, you will set some of each check aside for when you pay quarterly to the IRS. It’s four times a year and you just estimate what to send.It doesn’t have to be exact. The IRS just wants a bit of money coming in regularly rather than you owing a bunch at tax filing time. If you send too much, it comes back as your tax refund. 
 

On a tax return, worldwide income is no different than US income really. It’s all income and goes in the same place on a tax return. It simply income and they don’t care where it came from or if it was paid into a UK bank account.
 

 The 2021 tax year will be the more complicated return because you’re part UK resident and part US resident. You report everything you earn on your tax return, BUT the part you earned while resident In the UK (Jan & Feb), you can take a Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (Form 2555 added to your tax return.) Since you earned it while living abroad and paid taxes on it already, your US return calculates how much the US tax would have been for the 2 months and subtracts that from your total tax. TurboTax handled it for me my first year. You can also go to an accountant. 

As far as no EIN or 1099. 🤷‍♂️ Dunno. You still report how much you earned.  I have somebody who is supposed to give me a 1099 as a contractor. He hasn’t for two years. We still report how much he paid me.

 

Great. So without an EIN/1099, I'll report my gross (not net) salary on my US tax return. And pay double tax?

Also good to know on quarterly contributions: happy to estimate and send them something each quarter, if that's better than waiting until the end of the year.

But it sounds like it'll be better to get the EIN and a 1099. If they already have US citizens/residents employed (which I believe they do), will they likely have an existing EIN that I can use, or does this need to be a specific one for me?

If I was living outside of the US and working for them, and had to declare on my US tax return, I assume the process would be the same? (Get an EIN and 1099, and declare gross salary on my tax return)?

Thank you so much again.

34 minutes ago, Mollie09 said:

If your employer does not get an EIN you cannot be employed by them as a US resident.

To clarify: when I arrive and become a US resident (when my visa is stamped at point of entry), I will be employed by them. 

So, what you are saying is that if the employer does not get an EIN, I will need to quit? 

19 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

She plans to continue that work. Her question was about how does income tax work when the employer is foreign. She seems to have abandoned this thread. No comments or questions since she made her two posts. 

To clarify: I'll have to keep my non-US employer and work remotely until I find something!

So, if I'm right, my options are:

1. My employer gets an EIN, pays the IRS tax/medicare/social security each month, and gives me a W2 at the end of the tax year.
2. My employer gets an EIN, pays me everything/I pay everything myself, and gives me a 1099 at the end of the tax year.
(And, in either case, consult an accountant on worldwide income tax returns when I arrive in the US.)

And what happens if my employer does not get an EIN? Does this mean I will declare this income on my tax return without a W2/1099, and pay double tax? Thank you again for the advice.

5 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

She plans to continue that work. Her question was about how does income tax work when the employer is foreign. She seems to have abandoned this thread. No comments or questions since she made her two posts. 

Still here, just processing! Will reply now.

Hi all,

This week, I'll fly to the US on my IR1 immigrant visa. When it's stamped on arrival, I'll become a LPR.

I will be working remotely for a non-US employer based in Europe, and will be paid into a non-US/European bank account. 

I have spoken with my employer who is happy for me to work remotely from the US.

My question is: how do I make sure that I correctly file my taxes on this source of income? 

I want to make sure that I'm doing everything correctly from a US tax perspective. 

Many thanks in advance!

4 minutes ago, Boiler said:

The UK is well on the way to open up, I would imagine by June you will be able to pop back for a few days to grab your stuff and say your goodbyes.

 

Currently I am not sure the lockdown rules in the UK allow a visit?

 

Now the job could well complicate matters but from a tax perspective, check with your US CPA and your Employer that they are OK employing someone resident in the US.

 

 

Thank you! I suppose this is a hypothetical plan if travel is possible in the coming months. 

As for the job, I'll kick up a separate thread to see if I can explain that situation a little better!

Hello all,

This week, I'll fly to the US on my IR1 immigrant visa. When it's stamped on arrival, I'll become a LPR.

I have had almost 6 months to prepare for my move to the US, but certain things have been impossible during the pandemic.

e.g. I have been unable to gather my personal items from different addresses, and to visit relatives/friends I'd like to see before moving, due to COVID restrictions.

But I am entering the US this week because, if I don't, my immigrant visa will expire and I will need to repeat the medical exam and embassy interview.

I would like to leave the US to gather my personal items and visit relatives/friends. I am also continuing to work remotely for a non-US employer as I have not yet found work in the US, and am not sure if this complicates my situation.

I am writing to ask whether a re-entry permit would be acceptable in my situation. And, if so, if you have any advice on how I should explain my "purpose of trip". Any other sage advice is also welcome.

(I am not entirely sure how long I will need, and think it would be better to express my intention to return without simply leaving, particularly if I'm gone for more than 6/12 months.)

Thank you very much in advance!

33 minutes ago, JFH said:

I got an account and a credit card with a $300 limit at Bank of America with my stamped IR-1, no SSN and no plastic green card. I was working within days of arriving so I had a letter from my employer. I hadn’t been paid yet. In fact, I opened the account so that I could be paid. 

Thanks very much, that's extremely helpful! Might I ask 1) the type of account you opened, and 2) whether you opened this in person or online?

Also, I was under the impression that I would need to wait until I've arrived and picked up my SSN before looking for work in the US. Am I wrong? Could I start looking now, with nothing but the IR-1 (stamped at point of entry, once I fly over!)?

Hi everyone,

I recently had my IR1 visa approved.

Before moving, I would like to prepare everything that I need to open a bank account. 

Apologies if I've missed this, but I couldn't see a guide anywhere. I wonder if anyone has any useful advice or links?

I appreciate that I will arrive with nothing but a visa, a social security number (after a few weeks), and no utility bills or proof of address.

Any advice on the best way of getting a bank account with this limited set of documents would be wonderful.

Many thanks!

Update: got an email yesterday and picked up from the depot this morning! 7 calendar days after my interview. Hooray!

Hi all! A little nervous about the impending lockdown and its impact on getting my passport back...

Embassy interview and approved: Wednesday 28 October

Status to administrative processing: Monday 02 November (3 working days after interview)

Status to issued: Tuesday 03 November (1 working day after administrative processing)

Is it reasonable to expect an update from the courier, later today, so that I can collect my passport, tomorrow? 

For reference: I selected to pickup from a nearby depot. 

Thanks!

34 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

If your spouse doesn’t meet the requirement, then no point in proving three times that he didn’t. He is required to present the most recent tax return with W2 or 1099s, even if it shows insufficient income. 
 

Your joint sponsor also needs proof of US citizenship or residency, besides his most recent tax transcript.

Thanks very much! Super helpful.

11 minutes ago, os306 said:

So I had my interview earlier today and was in a similar position to you (My US citizen spouse didn’t meet the income requirement so we used a joint sponsor).

 

All they wanted was the most recent year’s tax transcripts for both my spouse and the joint sponsor. I had 2017 and 2018 available too and even offered to provide them to the officer but he said they weren’t needed. In your case, your spouse’s 2019 tax return (plus W-2 and 1099s) should be fine. It’s your joint sponsor’s income they’re concerned about anyhow, and the 2019 tax transcript will suffice.

 

Good luck!

Thank you very much, that inspires some confidence. All the best! 

Hi there! I have my embassy interview next week.

I am concerned about my financial sponsor's (US spouse's) documents.

We uploaded federal income tax returns for the last three years.

For the most recent tax year, this included W-2s and 1099s.

For the previous two years, we included the tax return but not the W-2s and 1099s.

I am concerned that we will be asked for these, as we don't have them to hand. 

At this point, should we:
1) source them and upload them to CEAC
2) source them and wait to present them at interview
3) not be concerned, as we have them for the most recent tax year

I should also add that we have a joint sponsor (my US father-in-law), with a complete set of federal income tax transcripts (not tax returns), as my financial sponsor (US spouse) was below the income requirement.

Many thanks!

3 hours ago, Stein said:

We are going to be in a similar situation where we won't want to go to the scheduled interview.  Our case is we won't want to move within six months of the interview.

 

When you talked to the consulate did they say anything about cancelling the current appointment ahead of time and releasing the slot to someone else or just completely ignore it and "miss" the appointment, letting it pass and then reschedule?  Seems counter-intuitave to just ignore the appointment when you know you won't attend.

Counterintuitive, indeed! Here is a copy-paste of the email I received from the London Embassy after writing to them using their contact form. 

TL;DR: Ignore, miss, and rebook any time from the day after your scheduled interview. Good luck!

*******

Thank you for your email.

4 minutes ago, T3G said:

It is possible through patient access.com.  Source: I did it for my visa medical which was three weeks ago. 
 

You don’t request it though, you just login to your account and go to “Medical record” and then “Export Record”. Select your allergies, problems, consultations etc and then select your export format (I did PDF) Print it off and you’re done. Visa Medicals accepted mine no questions asked. Again, with the caveat that I’ve not had any serious ongoing issues or mental health visits so mine was pretty short and to the point. 

To do this, you first need to "Link your GP practice". Unfortunately, "GP at hand" is not supported, even though it is listed:

Apologies if my post was unclear!

1 hour ago, os306 said:

The short answer is, no, you do not need a GP’s letter to confirm that you have no history significant medical or psychiatric issues, if you are completely healthy.

BUT, you do need to provide a summary care record, even if you are completely healthy. Every patient registered with a GP practice in the U.K. has one - this is a 1-3 page document detailing your immunisations and medical history. A GP practice can either print this off, or if you are registered for electronic patient access (like @T3G) then you can print it off yourself. Obviously, Babylon is a private company and not an NHS GP. Therefore, I am not sure if 1) they are able to provide a summary card record and 2) if this would be accepted by Visamedicals. Your best bet is to give both parties a call/email and ask. If the answer is no, register with a local GP and ask for a print out of your summary as soon as your registration is complete.

Thank you. 

"GP at hand" is, technically, an NHS GP surgery listed on "patientaccess.com", and plugged into the NHS IT records.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to request a summary care record through either the "GP at hand" app or "patientaccess.com" website.

For those wondering, GP at Hand will respond to a request for a summary care record within 30 days. Thanks all!

Hi all,

Regarding the "Referral from general practitioner (GP) regarding any ongoing medical issues or treatments".

Is this still required if I do not have any ongoing medical issues or treatments? As in, do I need a GP to write that I am not a risk to myself/others, even if I have nothing on my medical history to indicate any issues?

Also, I don't have a GP. I use "GP at hand", the Babylon app. They have my medical records and vaccination list, but I do not have a GP/person I can even ask for such a thing. Does anyone have experience with this?

Many thanks!