Does pregnancy impact Visa Interview/POE?

[msjegan]

Hello,

I am right now in India and will be attending my L1B visa interview by end of July 2006. My wife will also attend her L2 dependent visa interview with me.

Last week, we came to know that she is pregnant. When we will attend the visa interview by end of July, she would be around 6 months pregnant. But, I hope if granted the visas, we would be travelling to US immediately within a week from our visa appointment date as my employer wants me to be there ASAP.

My questions are...
1. Will my wife's pregnancy be an issue during the visa interview?
2. Will it create any issue at the Port of Entry?
3. Will there be any problem while adding my already pregnant wife to my medical insurance?

thanks,
SJ

[Padmini]

You may not face any issues during visa interview/port of entry. However, you should have a clear understanding of how much insurance coverage your company provides for your dependants. In most cases, where people come on L1, the coverage is partial and may not cover maternity expenses. I know people who were on L1, and started paying for seperate insurance from their pocket to cover up the maternity expenses, as the healthcare expenses are very high in US as compared to India. So better be prepared for that.

I advise that you bring up this discussion with the logistics folks (or whichever department takes care of Insurance coverage) in your company.

[Nishant]

New arrival of a baby is an important element of happiness in life. US is a very liberal country and these events will not come in way in your visa.

L visa spouse can work in US unlike H visa which cannot work. Based on convenience, you can explore this option.

Air travel has restrictions on max permissible pregnancy period. You may like to take this into account in travel planning.