Confused about CR1 and SS Card

[Michael and Milahjean 0]

Checking the appropriate boxes on the immigration forms to have a SS number assigned automatically upon CR-1 entry seems to work most of the time (it worked for us), but I've also heard quite a few reports of it failing. It's most definitely not guaranteed. So don't keep waiting indefinitely, call them and see what's up.

The OP indicates an AOS approved status, so the husband evidently arrived on either a K-1 or K-3 non-immigrant visa which uses a different visa application form. The immigrant visa application is the DS-230 which has the box to check to receive the SS card immediately after entry. Arriving immigrant visa holders aren't required to do the AOS process. I don't believe the non-immigrant visa application form has that option, so all arriving K-1 and K-3 visa holders would need to apply after arrival. It's easy to get this confused if you are pursuing both the CR-1 and K-3 visas. You might have remembered checking the box, but it would have been for the CR-1 visa, not K-3.

We did the CR-1 visa with my wife arriving as an immigrant. The apply for SSN box on the DS-230 application form was checked and she received her card within 2 weeks of arrival. Her CR-1 visa interview actually was scheduled a full month BEFORE the K-3 visa interview, much to our surprise. Obviously, we abandoned the K-3 process.