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ujongjoe

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Everything posted by ujongjoe

  1. ujongjoe
    Thanks! Also looks like #6 - Varicella. She has pock marks, but probably not sufficient. I read somewhere Influenza is only required seasonally, Oct 1 - Mar 31 but not sure if that has changed.
  2. ujongjoe
    Thanks for the info. Did they require any other vaccination or immunity proof besides those? My wife hasn’t had a vaccination (other than Covid) since childhood, and not sure she has any records (around 40 years ago).
  3. ujongjoe
    It was mentioned upthread that Syphilis testing is only required for those aged 18-24, is this true? Also, I see you did not need the $117 Tdap or $75 chicken pox vaccination, was that because you had proof that you were up to date on those vaccinations, or… ?
  4. ujongjoe
    From what I’ve read previously, it is sufficient for the doctor to make a determination of chicken pox immunity based purely on physical evidence of pox scars. Not sure if that has changed.
  5. ujongjoe
    Wow, that is pricey! Did they charge extra for being a new patient? I recall IMC charged me extra on my first visit (many years ago). Assume the Tdap vaccine could also be done outside for cheaper too!
  6. ujongjoe
    Wow, I didn’t think such a thing was possible, but a quick check on Google says otherwise. Do let us know how it goes!
  7. ujongjoe
    Let us know how it went. In my experience, Malaysia is usually not super thorough at checking… but better safe than sorry. If caught, they can make things very difficult & costly for you. If me, I would limit to packaged food only - no fresh meat or fresh produce. However, if you fly into Singapore first, you can bring in fresh meat and produce — there are no farms to protect here.
  8. ujongjoe
    I would ask the embassy what they require if they deem the affidavit unacceptable.
  9. ujongjoe
    You can change your birth certificate? That sounds interesting!
  10. ujongjoe
    I have yet to go through the process yet (later this year - hopefully), so I’m not totally sure. My understanding was that you give the doctor the forms, they carry out the required procedures and then they send it in per the instructions on the form. Others can correct me if I am mistaken.
  11. ujongjoe
    If you read what Nj005 said carefully, AIC accepts e-filing, but it looks like their system is not ready yet. In other words, you are probably stuck with paper for both. I agree with you, the AIC location should have an x-ray facility nearby or in the same building. Comparing the two, both AIC and IMC have been in business for a long time here in Singapore, but one difference I see… AIC appears to be mainly one doctor and maybe one secondary. For IMC they have up to a half dozen working at each clinic, which can mean less waiting if you aren’t precious about which doctor to see.
  12. ujongjoe
    The IMC location at Camden Medical can send you to the x-ray facility on another floor of the building. I found this out when I broke my foot and called them before coming in. If you go to their location at Jelita, you’d need to go to another location to get the x-ray done; not convenient at all.
  13. ujongjoe
    Should be fairly quick. If AIC can’t get you in, the embassy page has now added IMC which I’ve used many times — they can usually get me in on the same day I call, but that is for regular doctor’s appointments. If you do go to IMC, I’d recommend Camden so you can get everything done in the same building.
  14. ujongjoe
    Appreciate if you can share how much you ended up paying at the newly appointed clinic. Back in 2017, it was S$190 - - already on the high side compared to other locations around the world. These newly appointed clinics appear to be very expat focused, typically charging a stiff premium compared to local clinics.
  15. ujongjoe
    The embassy in Singapore is pretty good about answering emails if you give them 24-48 hours. That is what I recommend.
  16. ujongjoe
  17. ujongjoe
    I am not a tax advisor, but my understanding is this: from a US tax perspective, a withdrawal from CPF is no different than a withdrawal from a bank account, you only owe tax on the interest earned each year. Plus, if you or your employer contribute to CPF after you become US taxable, those contributions are not tax deductible and must be included as taxable income each year. One exception is CPF LIFE payments. The tax code on annuities has a special provision making the entire payment taxable as income if the funds were contributed while you were not US taxable (usually the case). For this reason, it is usually better to withdraw (or try to get an exemption) before age 70.
  18. ujongjoe
    This works similarly in Singapore where you are either Chinese, Malay, Indian or Others (CMIO) because CMI are the 3 dominate races… they don’t really care about other small minorities (at least for the purposes of data collection). It only has meaning to individuals, and this results in everyone who is not CMI feeling like a square peg that doesn’t fit.
  19. ujongjoe
    My wife had an approved I-130 (unbeknownst to her at the time) when she landed in LAX last month (Dec, 2022), luckily the officer didn’t ask about that, but did ask why she was traveling with two US citizen children (it’s because their father is a US citizen) and asked how long she was staying… wanted to see the return tickets. We have already returned overseas now. We will probably make another trip to the US before the process to get her IR1 visa is completed. We live abroad, and have clear intentions of staying for at least the rest of this year (2023). Even after they issue “the packet” we do not want to execute it until 2024, for tax reasons, so she will continue to use her valid B1/B2.
  20. ujongjoe
    Thanks for this. Yes, I am aware of this option, but I read that you must provide evidence of an eminent transfer back to the US by the employer - I do not have this evidence. I also do not know whether I will keep working after we move back. I wouldn’t mind, but could also retire. I’ve already got the approved petition now after filing it in Feb last year. Singapore embassy is pretty efficient, so we will wait until the later this year to proceed with the NVC. We don’t want to move to the US before June 2024. Once they issue “the packet” we’ll only have 6 months.
  21. ujongjoe
    We will enter together. We have lived abroad for 26 years and will move to whatever state our daughter goes to college in the fall of 2024. We have enough to retire, so no issue showing adequate financial means during the interview. The issue with the AOS is that the petitioner/financial sponsor must already have domicile (residence) in the US when they execute it. The waiver gets around that. The only alternative — I work for a major US company abroad and should qualify for that exception under the AOS — but hopefully won’t need to.
  22. ujongjoe
    Wow, thank you for spotting that! You may have just saved me $120! In that case I shall not pay the AOS fee and submit the I-864w (by snail mail if needed). We are not in any kind of hurry, so if this delays things it won’t be an issue for us.
  23. ujongjoe
    One other reason I want to use I-864w is to bypass the US domicile requirement. I’m domiciled in Singapore. I could try to use my US employer as an exception, but hard to prove it is temporary when I’ve been working there over 20 years.
  24. ujongjoe
    Thanks for confirming. This info is not readily apparent, but I did find a few websites that indicated the same. I think the only way out is expedited processing at the Singapore embassy, but that needs proof of eminent transfer from my employer, which I don’t have.
  25. ujongjoe
    Thanks for the response. I was planning to include my marriage certificate (2003) and my latest social security statement which shows consistent contributions from 2003 until now. Should be 80 full credits, and most years I maxed out earnings-wise.
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