is SSN before marriage

[pri 0]

Hi all,

Need to know should i apply for SSN number before marriage..??

Also with the AOS application i shld submit Police certificates?? i read it in a post docs with AOS and it had original Police certificates

Pls help

Thanks

Al

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Your police certificates should have been turned in at your K-1 interview and kept by immigration authorities. If you still have it/them, I don't know what to suggest. Definitely hold on to them and perhaps include them with your AOS application since they are a requirement for the K-1. If you only have copies and turned in the originals with your K-1, you don't need to get additional police certificates. Immigration will arrange for their own security searches on your name and your fingerprints after you submit your AOS application.

You should apply for your SSN as soon as you can but you can't do it until after you legally arrive in the US. Usually, it will take 2 weeks for your information to arrive at immigration after you cross the border so you need to wait at least 2 weeks after your arrival before applying for your SSN. You will need your valid I-94 - which you will receive when you cross the border - plus the K-1 visa that will be put into your passport when your K-1 interview is approved and go to the local SSN office in person. If you are married before the time you apply for your SSN and intend to change your last name, you will also have to bring your marriage certificate verifying the name change. If you marry after you receive your SSN and you wish to change your name, you just need to bring your SSN card and your marriage certificate to the same office and they will issue you a corrected card with your new name. It is one of the first things you should try to do upon your arrival.

The next thing you should try to do is to get a State Drivers' License using your still valid I-94. If it expires (after 90 days) before you get your DL, then you will need to wait until you get your Employment Authorizstion card. which can take several months. You should still be allowed to drive on your Canadian Driver's License for a while and again, the length of time varies from State to State. You need to prove that you are a legal immigrant in the US to get a State Driver's License. Depending on what state you move to, you may also have to turn in your Canadian Driver's License.

[pri 0]

My police certificate were asked and kept by montreal consulate..

so i was filling up I485 it asks for SSN number so it means i shld hv 1 before i AOS rt??

Thanks

Al

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You can do it both ways. If you have your SSN before you submit the AOS application, then yes you can fill it in. If you don't have your SSN by the time you submit the AOS application then leave it blank. Some people prefer to wait until after the ceremony, although personally I would suggest getting your SSN as soon as you can.

[WalCruz 0]

I got my SSN before getting married and to me was better because I could then open my bank account and do other things with it. I had to wait about a week for my name to be in the system, then I just took my passport there. After I got married I went back to the SSO and changed my name on it. I didn't have a hard time. It's up to you whether you get yours before or after you wedding.

[I'm Gone 60]

Need to know should i apply for SSN number before marriage..??

OK here is the real story. You don't have to apply before you get married, but things tend to go smoother if you do. Now what's going to matter before or after you get married is what name you put on the application.

For you to be able to apply in your married name as a K-1 your marriage certificate will need to have your age or your date of birth (DOB). Otherwise, you will need to wait until you have an EAD card or I-551 card with your married name.

If applying in maiden name you need your birth certificate and I-94 along with your passport. SSA doesn't care about your visa. If applying with married name of course you are going to need your marriage certificate, but again it's going to need to show your age or DOB.

You also need to remember that SSA will not assign an SSN or issue a card if your status has expired or is

within 14 days of expiring.

K-1 status is good for 90 days, so that only gives you 76 days to be assigned an SSN and issued a card. After that time you will need an EAD or I-551 card to establish authorization to work. Before that time the I-94 showing K-1 status is the document that establishes authorization to work for SSN purposes.

The status/documents of all aliens must be verified before SSA will assign an SSN and/or issue a card and the 14 day limit applies even if she passes the 76th day while waiting for her status to be verified.

The SSA office will try to verify your status through the SAVE system while you are in the office. If they can't, they will send a form G-845 to immigration for manual verification. This could delay the assigning of an SSN and/or issuing a card for weeks and some times months.

If the SSA office does send the G-845, suggest that you go back to the SSA office no more than once a week with your documents to (1) ask them to check SAVE again (2) ask if they sent a G-845 (3) if yes, did it come back (4) after 30 days ask if they have followed up on the G-845 by calling or sending another mark "second request."

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http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203720

RM 00203.720 Verifying Immigration Documents

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http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203735

RM 00203.735 Requesting Online (Primary) Verification By SAVE

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After having waited at least 30 days and your local SSA office doesn't seen concerned about following up on the G-845 you can try contacting the SSA Regional Office (RO) responsible for your state:

http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/natlpocontacts.html

Refer them to this:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203740

RM 00203.740 Requesting Additional (Manual) Verification By DHS

B. PROCEDURE – HOW TO REQUEST MANUAL VERIFICATION

STEP 6

DHS should respond to SSA within 15 federal work days after receiving the Form G-845. If DHS does not respond within 15 federal work days from the receipt of the G-845 from SSA, follow-up with the DHS, USCIS Immigration Status office. (Allow 15 days plus five additional federal work days of mail time for the G-845 to be received at and returned from DHS.

Follow local practice to follow-up with DHS. Some SSA offices have an arrangement with the DHS, USCIS office to telephone for the follow-up contact; other SSA offices send a copy of the original G-845 annotated “second request.”) If the DHS response is still not received within 15 federal work days after the follow-up contact (if the follow-up is by mail allow five additional federal work days of mail time for the G-845 to be received at and returned from DHS), make a second follow-up contact. If the DHS response is not received within 15 federal workdays (again, if the follow-up is by mail, allow five additional federal work days of mail time for the G-845 to be received at and returned from DHS), after two follow-ups, contact the RO. Also report to the RO any trend that shows a serious deviation by DHS from the above time frames. The RO will consult with central office.

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http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203500

RM 00203.500 Employment Authorization for Nonimmigrants

C. POLICY - EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION BY CLASS OF ADMISSION

The following policy applies to employment authorization by class of

admission.

1. Aliens Work Authorized Without Specific DHS Authorization

The following lists nonimmigrants, by alien classification, who are authorized to work in the U.S. without specific authorization from DHS. The alien's I-94 will not have the DHS employment authorization stamp

and the alien will not have an EAD.

K-1 Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen

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http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203210

RM 00203.210 Changing Numident Data

B. Procedure – Evidence of a Legal Name Change

Marriage document or marriage record to be acceptable as an identity document it must show, in addition to the new name, the person’s age or DOB or parents’ names.

a. Bride Takes Groom’s Last Name

In all 50 U.S. States (this means the 50 States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands,

Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa) the bride may take her husband's last name

(surname or family name) as her new last name. (EXAMPLE: Jane Doe married John Jones and she may

change her name to Jane Jones.)

Interim Guidance: If the bride wants to take her husband's last name, accept the marriage document

as a legal name change for the bride if the new name can be derived from the marriage document; even

if the marriage document only shows each partner's first names, the bride's prior surname and

husband's surname.

C. Procedure - Immigration Document as Evidence of Legal Name

When issuing immigration documents, the Department of State and DHS issue them in the person's legal

name. The legal name is also generally the name in which the foreign passport was issued.

When an alien applies for an SSN card, presume the name on the immigration document is the legal

name unless the applicant presents evidence of a legal name change (e.g., marriage) that occurred

after the immigration document was issued.

In cases where an alien applies for a replacement SSN card and submits an immigration document

showing a name that is different from the name on the prior Numident record, accept the immigration

document as evidence of the legal name. In these cases, the prior SSN card may have been issued in a

name that was not the NH’s legal name.

Note: Also need proof of work authorized alien status.

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If they can verify your work authorized status with your I-94 through SAVE this may stop them from sending the G-845 when applying with married name:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203735

RM 00203.735 Requesting Online (Primary) Verification By SAVE

E. PROCEDURE—ONLINE SAVE QUERY RESPONSE INFORMATION DOES NOT AGREE WITH

IMMIGRATION DOCUMENT

1. Name

e. Applicant Has Changed His/Her Name But SAVE Query Response Shows Old

Name

In some cases, the applicant may have changed his/her name after DHS issued the immigration document (e.g., he/she has married and is now using the spouse’s last name) but does not present an immigration document showing the new name. In these cases, the DHS system reflects the new name only when the person provided the name change information to DHS and requested to have his/her immigration record changed to show the new name.

When the SAVE query response shows the old name that is shown on the immigration document presented and not the new name on the identity document presented, do not consider this a name discrepancy for enumeration purposes. See RM 00203.200 when the applicant presents an identity document in the new name that is more recent than the immigration document to determine if the identity document is acceptable. Tell the applicant he/she must report the name change to DHS so that DHS can update its records.

NOTE FROM ME: Procedure tells the SSA office to tell you to report the

name change to DHS, not that it can't be processed.

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If you get the SSN card in your maiden name and then apply for the name change DO NOT DO NOT give up your card until you get the new one. Say your dog ate it. LOL

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100201080

RM 00201.080 Field Office (FO) Disposal of Returned Social Security Number (SSN) Cards

2. Card Returned With Request For Replacement Card or New SSN

If the applicant has a card and requests a replacement card (duplicate or corrected) or a new SSN:

-- Ask the applicant to return the old SSN card. (If the applicant does not have the card with him or her, remind the applicant to return the old card to SSA for destruction or to keep the old card in a secure place [not in a wallet or purse])

NOTE: Do not forcefully confiscate the SSN card if the applicant refuses to relinquish it. Similarly, return the old SSN card if the applicant requests that it be given back

You can do it both ways. If you have your SSN before you submit the AOS application, then yes you can fill it in. If you don't have your SSN by the time you submit the AOS application then leave it blank.

Do not let it blank. If you don't have your SSN by the time you want to submit your AOS just write "NONE" in any space that asks for your SSN.