# Planning to move to US



## adamkh (Jan 3, 2009)

Hi everyone

I am 36 and a UK citizen. My girlfriend is 30, a US citizen but currently living in London with me as she also has an Irish passport. We are planning to marry and to move to New York where her family resides. I have tried contacting the US embassy but have not yet received a reply. I wondered if anyone can help on the following questions:

1. My visa situation. Would I be eligible for residency as soon as we are married? Would we need to get married before applying for residency?

2. I am a CIMA qualified Management Accountant. Would this help my application and is CIMA generally recognised in the US?

3. If I moved, I would like my mum, who is retired, to move also as she is alone and fairly dependent on me. Would it be possible for her to gain residency? Also she receives a state pension and disability allowance. Would she still be able to receive these if she was to gain residency in the US?

4. How do you make provisions for healthcare, especially regarding my mum, who has recovered from cancer. Would this be very expensive?

I would be very grateful for any advice on any of these questions.

Thank you.


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Use the search option - fiance visa is a frequent topic here. Otherwise USCIS has all the details on their site.

CIMA is recognized but consider the current situation in finance/accounting. What else do you bring to the table?

Your wife has to sponsor you for a green card. You can sponsor your mother for a green card after you receive your citizenship. Give or take five years.

Unless you can add your mother as dependent on a health insurance policy supported by an employer her pre-existing condition will be a problem signing her up for coverage.


----------



## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

1/ Marry -> CR1 immigrant visa -> permanent resident on entry with right to live and work in US from day one. As she is resident in the UK, she might be able to file the I-130 directly at the consulate, which shaves 4 or so months off the process. Budget 6 months from initial filing to receiving the visa. You then have a further 6 months to enter the US once the visa is issued.

2/ Makes no difference to your application. No idea how it'd be viewed by employers. But generally, if it didn't happen in the US, it didn't happen!

3/ You can only petition for your mother after you naturalize. You can apply for naturalization 3 years minus 90 days from the date you land, and expect it to take around 6 months to your oath ceremony. Thereafter, you can file an I-130 for her and she should be over as a permanent resident within the year.

4/ Therein lies a major problem. You can buy her into Medicare but ONLY after she has been a PR for 5 years. Before that, provision will be difficult or impossible and very expensive. Look to local, state schemes for salvation.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

adamkh said:


> 1. My visa situation. Would I be eligible for residency as soon as we are married? Would we need to get married before applying for residency?.


Not really. Even if you are married (and have been for years) you have to go through the application process, which includes providing a whole bunch of documents, including police checks from most places you have ever lived and an interview at the Embassy. She will have to show that she can support you (i.e. keep you off welfare) or that her family is willing to vouch for you both while you get established.

BTW I wouldn't wait for a reply from the Embassy or Consulate. Just check their website. Most of the information you need is here: Visa Services U.S. Embassy London They are not known for responding to individual questions.



> 2. I am a CIMA qualified Management Accountant. Would this help my application and is CIMA generally recognised in the US?.


It sure won't hurt your visa application (speaks to employability), but other than at international companies, you may find that not too many folks know what a CIMA is. There is a close equivalent in the US - the CMA, Certificate in Management Accounting. Once in the US, you may want to contact the Institute of Management Accountants IMA - Institute of Management Accountants to see if they can offer some reciprocity or even just to look at membership. (That stuff looks good on your resume and they do get some job listings you won't find elsewhere.)



> 3. If I moved, I would like my mum, who is retired, to move also as she is alone and fairly dependent on me. Would it be possible for her to gain residency? Also she receives a state pension and disability allowance. Would she still be able to receive these if she was to gain residency in the US?.


This is a toughie. To sponsor her, you'll need to be a citizen - and that takes a few years.



> 4. How do you make provisions for healthcare, especially regarding my mum, who has recovered from cancer. Would this be very expensive?.


Healthcare for your mum would be VERY expensive, as most health insurance in the US for those over age 65 assumes that the person is eligible for Medicare (the US national health care for the elderly) and thus provides only "top up" coverage to Medicare benefits. Cancer as a "pre-existing condition" will only make things worse.

In your case, healthcare coverage will depend on what sort of jobs you and your wife are able to find. You'll probably need some sort of transitional expat policy if you head over to the US before you have found jobs.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

Usually the only way to get health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions are to work for a company whose policy will cover them, or to have ended employment for any reason, used up your COBRA benefits (allows you to keep you company insurance if you pay for it, for up to 18 months), have applied for a regular private policy and been rejected, and therefore become eligible under HIPA. A policy for your mother will then cost in excess of $600 per month, and probably much more.

Unless she meets those conditions she will not be insurable. I really don't think moving her to the US is a viable option. A simple office visit will cost $100. Medication is outrageously expensive, and any problems will break you. Even with insurance, the co-pays and exclusions can drive a family into bankruptcy.

I broke my ankly about ten years ago, and it would have cost me $45,000 without insurance. And costs have been rising at more than 10% a year since then.


----------



## adamkh (Jan 3, 2009)

Thank you all very much for the wealth of information and references for further info. Looks like I have a fair amount of planning and saving to do!! Have also found a couple of useful books and am contacting AICPA about sitting the CPA accounting exams.

I will let you know how I get on. Thanks again.

Adam


----------

