Marriage / SSN / AOS in which order

[FleurdV 0]

Hi,

I just arrived in the US yesterday on my K1 visa and we want to get maried this coming weekend already so we can adjust for AOS as soon as possible.

I have a few questions:

Do we have to wait for a certain amount of time before getting married, or can we just get married this week?

Can we get married and apply for SSN and AOS afterwards, but at the same time (so these applications run at the same time)?

When we get married, do we recieve prove of this right away?

How long do we have to be married before we apply for AOS?

Thank you very much!!

[MariamNasir 2]

Hi,

I know that you can get married any time after your arrival as long as it is within 90 days. As far as SSN I think you should apply for that right away as well as the AOS.

You do not recieve proof right away. You will get the marriage certificate later on in the mail, once it has been registered. I'm not sure how your state works.

I'm not sure how long you need to be married before applying for AOS. Sorry!

[JohnR! 5,495]

Hi,

I just arrived in the US yesterday on my K1 visa and we want to get maried this coming weekend already so we can adjust for AOS as soon as possible.

I have a few questions:

Do we have to wait for a certain amount of time before getting married, or can we just get married this week?

Can we get married and apply for SSN and AOS afterwards, but at the same time (so these applications run at the same time)?

When we get married, do we recieve prove of this right away?

How long do we have to be married before we apply for AOS?

Thank you very much!!

You can get married as soon as you wish and you can being AOS as soon as you are married and have the marriage certificate on hand, which varies from state to state. You can apply for your SSN at any time, just visit the SSA office closest to you.

Welcome and good luck!

[Darnell 8,478]

i suggest you get the SSN without thinking of timeline for marriage.

some states require a ssn to get married, so pay attention to your state requirements.

for a K-1 visa holder, the controlling dates to get a SSN are governed by the I-94:

1. 2 weeks after the first date on the I-94, is good bet you are IN the SAVE database, and the SSA clerk can find you.

2. 2 weeks before the last date on the I-94. Apply after that and the SSA clerk won't accept the SS-5.

is best to apply in VISA name, regardless of marriage status - you do not want to have any hold for USCIS / DHS verification - these take time that you probably won't have.

[Pitaya 2,577]

Agree with Darnell....but I might add.....IN GENERAL, it is a safe bet that you are in the SAVE database after 2 weeks. Sometimes the CBP are slow to input your data into the SAVE database. Check with the SSA as Darnell describes, be persistent.

Good luck!

[HK12 273]

Do we have to wait for a certain amount of time before getting married, or can we just get married this week?

You can get married as soon as you have your valid marriage license, unless your state has a waiting period (check back). Generally you must get married within 90 days after POE.

Can we get married and apply for SSN and AOS afterwards, but at the same time (so these applications run at the same time)?

I applied for my SSN before marriage. As pointed out, in some states you might need it to get married. Also, I have read that sometimes the SS Office gives you trouble if you apply for you SSN in your married name (if you decide to change it after the wedding), and you are in their SAVE Database with your maiden name. I applied in my maiden name 12 days after POE and received my card in the mail 2 work days later; going back to change my name this week.

When we get married, do we recieve prove of this right away?

I think this might be state-specific, but I can tell you how it went for us (Oklahoma): Our minister filled out and signed the marriage license (you have to sign it too of course) and sent it to the District Court Clerk for official registration. The certificate was then mailed back to us within a week. Sometimes you can also take the license to court yourself and get the certificate right away.

How long do we have to be married before we apply for AOS?

You can apply as soon as you are married and have all documents gathered.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

A SSN is not required to get married in any state if you don't have one. There is a federal law about this.

SSN and AOS are separate things, separate timelines, not related to eachother.

Most states have some sort of waiting period between obtaining a marriage license and getting married. You'll have to check with your state. Good luck.

[FleurdV 0]

Thanks everyone!! this is very helpful!