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Living overseas

Moving to the US when pregnant

134 replies

Lolly2803 · 13/12/2018 17:50

Hi, I have 18 month old twins and am currently 16 weeks pregnant. There is a strong possibility we will be moving the the US (L.A) in March which would mean I'd be around 7 months pregnant.
What do I need to do?!! How easy is it to have a baby in the US? Basically am after any advice or help etc! Also any ideas how much nursery is in the US? I assume they have nurseries like here in the U.K.? xx

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BritInUS1 · 17/12/2018 22:17

For me it wouldn't just be the healthcare, it's everything else you need to organise too

Social security numbers
Bank account
Credit cards
Housing
Mobile phones
Cars
Driving test

The move is stressful enough - you basically have to start from scratch with everything

And yes I personally wouldn't want to have a child who was in the American tax system, it's a complete faff

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chemenger · 17/12/2018 22:36

The ease of setting up a new life in the US will depend on how much support your employer gives. Things like renting an apartment can be difficult without a US credit record. The same with opening bank accounts and getting credit cards, that’s much easier with a social security number, which I think you have to be in the US to get. I would say it takes a couple of months to get fully set up. My DH was in the US on his own in a series of Air B&Bs before he moved into our apartment. His rent is guaranteed by his company.
What you have to be sure of is that you will have full medical cover as soon as you arrive, just in case there is a problem. You can’t, unfortunately assume that arriving at 7 month gives you 2 months to get organised.
How far advanced is your DH’s visa application, and yours? This takes a fair amount of time and you will need to have appointments at the embassy in London or Belfast before the visas are issued.

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scotx · 18/12/2018 18:12

That's a good point about citizenship actually. If you have the baby in the US, it will be a US citizen. That means a lifetime of tax reporting to the IRS unless citizenship is renounced. If you want to activate dual citizenship, then that's a whole other layer of admin and dual passports etc to sort out. Not necessarily a bad thing for later in life (dual citizenship) but maybe worth reading up on it to see what liabilities come with US citizenship.

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ksb76 · 19/12/2018 01:33

We have a US citizen child and it has been a complete pain to open a bank account for him in the UK now that he is old enough to need one, with FATCA, FBAR etc. Renouncing citizenship currently costs $2700 and we have seriously considered this as an option going forward, particularly with the necessity to file taxes from 18 for life. Definitely look into this aspect of having a child in the USA before you make any decision.

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Want2bSupermum · 21/12/2018 00:16

I've had 3DC in the US. DH went for his green card and it made it easy. He is at the end of the term for his first greencard and has applied for citizenship. If you think you might want to stay beyond 3-5 years I would suggest you strongly consider having the baby in the US. I don't think $2700 to renounce citizenship is a lot in the grand scheme of things and you don't have to do it until the child is an adult.

Have your DH get every single detail about the health insurance. Call the insurance company yourself and ask them exactly how it works. Take what they tell you and post on here and we will tell you what really happens and what it means.

I only hope the package your DH is being offered is substantial because we are in NYC and it's expensive. We do earn well but we live modestly and just covering the basics is $10k a month. Often coming from the UK the salary offered is much higher compared to back home but there are significant differences in the cost of living. No joke, we spend $2500 a year on two dance classes a week for one 7 year old child. One ballet and one tap. Each class is 35mins. You can bet we are there, ready and waiting 5 mins before the start of class. It's eye watering expensive and hard to find a place which isn't pushing the DC to be on broadway or involved with television/movies.

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Lolly2803 · 21/12/2018 07:51

Yes it would definitely need to work for us financially. We are waiting for the package in January.which will be the deciding factor. But would only have the baby there if it gave us time to get things ready and i have already stressed to DH about the importance of health insurance and we would definitely make sure everything is covered. I'll definitely be calling them to be sure! Otherwise I'll have the baby here and have to join after. Of course DH would come home for the birth! So much to consider!

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chemenger · 21/12/2018 09:56

What kind of visa will your husband have and how far along is the application? If you are starting the process in January I don’t think you will be ready to go in March.

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Want2bSupermum · 21/12/2018 10:07

For L1 and L2 visas there is no premium processing at the moment. It's 6-9 months to get the visa unless your employer has significant connections to the US government through diplomatic relations.

Whatever your current salary is, double it in £ and that's what you should have as a starting point for your $ salary. So £100k should have a package of at least $200k. For most of the US, a middle class family in LA has a household income of $300k+. A family home in a safe area is $1m with taxes of $20-30k a year.

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tarheelbaby · 21/12/2018 10:31

Congratulations! Many have mentioned that your baby will be a US citizen if born in the US but, as a citizen myself, I'd like point out that being born in the US only means your baby could be a US citizen from birth but it's not automatic. You would need to assert that option before the baby is 6mos old by registering him/her as such, applying for a passport and other documentation just as you would for a British baby. Similarly, babies born to US citizens outside the US must be registered before 6mos at the local embassy.

US citizens do continue to pay US taxes but there is a generous deductible allowance (approx 100K plus p.a.) and there are several reciprocal arrangements with the UK so that for most, it's just a question of remembering to fill in the form annually rather than paying vast sums. A more annoying form to complete is the annual FBAR in which you must list all bank accounts and their maximum amount for the 12mos.

There is a lot of good advice up-thread about coping with the US medical and insurance systems. And others point out, rightly, that birth in the US would affect your baby's UK status.

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tarheelbaby · 21/12/2018 11:39

Have just done a bit of research and discovered that actually, babies born in the US are automatically US citizens. Sorry for the misinformation earlier.

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chemenger · 21/12/2018 11:44

Visas are a pain, which is why I keep going on about them. If the baby is born here I’m not sure if you can start their visa application until they are born. I assume they will need a dependent’s visa. That might set the clock back for the process. Make sure your DH’s company is paying all your visa expenses, not just his (I would assume they will).

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stealthbanana · 21/12/2018 11:47

I would be amazed if any healthcare insurance provider in the US will provide obstetric coverage to a new policy holder who is already 7 months pregnant. You/your employer will basically need to pay OOP for any care you receive.

You are fine to fly up to 36w on most commercial airlines (and delta doesn’t have a limit at all so long as you have a fit to fly note) so don’t worry about that - I have happily flown up to 36w in both my pregnancies.

I would be tempted to go out earlier just to give yourself time to settle in. Don’t forget it is horrendous in later pregnancy to have to be unpacking boxes etc.

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ShalomJackie · 21/12/2018 12:04

Pretty certain any healthcare insurance will consider your pregnancy a pre-existing condition. If so your DH should ensure that his company/new company will cover all costs relating to the birth or issues arising if any as part of his relocation package!

Personally if you do believe you will at some point be coming back have baby here for all the reasons previously given.

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luckybird07 · 21/12/2018 16:32

Lolly, join the BritsinLA Facebook group.Lots of Brits live in that area and it is lovely- close to the beach. Huge Brit community in Santa Monica. I honestly would get over here for the birth so you do not have the additional cost of making your child into a permanent resident further own the road if you stay here. It is not cheap. Unless your husband is American and then I would have the bay in the UK because you never know what could happen in the future. I met a lady on the plane who was in a horrible position- getting divorced but could not leave the US as her husband was American and he would not allow her to- so she was suddenly having to find a way of making a living in one of the most expensive areas of the US. You will not get much after care although I got to visit lactation nurses whenever I wanted for the first 6 weeks and that was a big help. Honestly after hearing all the horror stories of giving birth in the UK, I was grateful I gave birth in the US. I had four days of being looked in a private room, delicious meals, lovely non overworked nurses. It was very pleasant but yes check what insurance you have as my bill was 40K of which we paid $100. I ended up with a c section but with a huge baby I fear that in the UK they would have insisted I try and push that baby out. There is a lot of hysteria around giving birth in the US- mine was nurse led till they realized that I was not making progress and only then was the doc brought in. The whole thing was very pleasant and I only have good memories from it.

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luckybird07 · 21/12/2018 16:35

Then you can ask one of the 10K plus Brits on that group about doctors;) Worth joing FB just to access the group- everyone is so helpful and there is a selling group where people who are leaving sell off their stuff.
www.facebook.com/groups/Britslovela

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luckybird07 · 21/12/2018 18:39

There is also a blog connected to that facebook group that is quite interesting
britsinla.blogspot.com

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Lolly2803 · 21/12/2018 21:51

Thanks so much! Once we know we are 100% going I will def join the group. In terms of the birth I had an early emergency c section with my twins and had requested a VBAC here but I think if I had the baby in the US I would elect for a c section. So much to think about!! I'm trying to get an idea of how much a 4 bed house would be to rent in marina del ray. Have looked on Zillow but not sure where else to check just for context if nothing else! Trying to get a grasp of what DH salary needs to be etc etc.

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BritInUS1 · 22/12/2018 02:29

Zillow is a good place to start and will give you a good idea, also try Craigslist for private landlords

Bear in mind you won't have any credit history when you move here so you might need to put down a larger deposit

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Stupomax · 22/12/2018 04:21

Pretty certain any healthcare insurance will consider your pregnancy a pre-existing condition.

Why does it matter whether it's a pre-existing condition or not?

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luckybird07 · 22/12/2018 05:15

There are many docs who specialize in vbacs here -They asked me if I wanted to change my mind as I opted for an elective c section for 2nd time having had one the first time, so they did not push the c section.
Okay so I reckon for a house in Marina you will be looking at 4000( that would be a deal) -7000k$ a month to rent a 4 bed. You may get better value in an apartment or take a 2 bed till you really need the 4 bed. To buy you will be looking at 850K and upwards and that would be more like a 2 bed. I would say salary needs to be minimum 100k a year to just get by and more if the health insurance is going to cost you over 500$ a month. Director roles more like 130K and upwards.
Insurance at 7.5 months pregnant was not an issue because my husband's job had excellent insurance

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luckybird07 · 22/12/2018 05:19

These give you an idea- it tends to be more apartments in Marina than house to be honest. www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/Marina-del-Rey- 10 k a month for this spacious place so yes pitch high on the salary front would be my advice to your DH...unless he wants to commute to the job from a cheaper area but be careful of school districts. Culver City has good schools as does Pacific Palisades.....

CA/condo,apartmentduplextype/2087934977zpid/53162rid/34.000304,-118.416954,33.950266,-118.478752

www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/Marina-del-Rey-CA/condo,apartment_duplex_type/5XjQTr_bldg/53162_rid/34.000304,-118.416954,33.950266,-118.478752_rect/

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luckybird07 · 22/12/2018 05:23

You could always tinyhome it and bank some money;) t.org/wst/apa/d/los-angeles-guest-house-in-venice-with/6770710752.html
We found an amazing home via Craigslist so they are out there but rents have gone up a lot in the last 5 years as have house prices.

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luckybird07 · 22/12/2018 05:24
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luckybird07 · 22/12/2018 05:36
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