SSN- before or after marriage?

[mingus_drake 0]

Reading this guide, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=ssn

I see it is best to wait tow weeks to apply for a Social Security Card.

I have also read that it is better to apply for it in my maiden name and then change to my married name later.

My question is, can I get married before that two week waiting period prior to applying for a SSC? How will this affect things in terms of applying under my maiden name?

not sure which order to do this all in

[rickynlucy 0]

It's fine to get married and apply for the card in your maiden name.

They will only issue a card in the name that is on file with immigration. Since you won't update your married name with immigration until you file AOS, it's impossible to get the social security card now in your married name.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Reading this guide, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=ssn

I see it is best to wait tow weeks to apply for a Social Security Card.

I have also read that it is better to apply for it in my maiden name and then change to my married name later.

My question is, can I get married before that two week waiting period prior to applying for a SSC? How will this affect things in terms of applying under my maiden name?

not sure which order to do this all in

Apply ASAP after arrival, next business day is long enough to wait. Apply in the name exactly on your passport. After marriage and AOS, take your green card to the SS office (in your married name if you changed it) and submit the request to change name.

The name on the card and the "DHS authorization required" stamp mean absolutely nothing. The number is what is important and that never changes. The green card or EAD is your authorization to work, not a SS card. No one, not even a citizen, can work without showing proof they are eligible and a SS card is not proof.

[rebeccajo 14]

Reading this guide, http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=ssn

I see it is best to wait tow weeks to apply for a Social Security Card.

I have also read that it is better to apply for it in my maiden name and then change to my married name later.

My question is, can I get married before that two week waiting period prior to applying for a SSC? How will this affect things in terms of applying under my maiden name?

not sure which order to do this all in

Apply ASAP after arrival, next business day is long enough to wait. Apply in the name exactly on your passport. After marriage and AOS, take your green card to the SS office (in your married name if you changed it) and submit the request to change name.

The name on the card and the "DHS authorization required" stamp mean absolutely nothing. The number is what is important and that never changes. The green card or EAD is your authorization to work, not a SS card. No one, not even a citizen, can work without showing proof they are eligible and a SS card is not proof.

It's often recommended to wait two or three weeks to apply for a SS number because one component of the SSA being able to issue a card to an alien is verification of their entry to the US. This is done by asking the alien to produce the I94 in their passport PLUS verification of that entry from the SAVE system.

SAVE is an electronic register of foreign born passengers who have entered the US. Airports report information to a clearinghouse and the data goes into SAVE for viewing by various US agencies.

Not all airports report daily to SAVE. And then depending on the workload at the clearinghouse, not all data is input the same date it is received.

There has been anecdotal evidence in these forums of persons who have gone to very busy Social Security offices too early and then finding their SS card delayed because the application got put aside until a later date when the clerk has time to re-check SAVE.

[Krikit 1,165]

It's fine to get married and apply for the card in your maiden name.

They will only issue a card in the name that is on file with immigration. Since you won't update your married name with immigration until you file AOS, it's impossible to get the social security card now in your married name.

Just correcting the above misinformation. The marriage certificate is the legal proof of name change, so the SSO will issue the SSN in the married name.

Mingus_Drake.... this is what I did. I entered the US. One week later I married. A few weeks after that I applied for my SSN.... in my married name. If you look for posts by I_Quit you will find relevant information and the SSO's own policy for legal name change.

Moving this to the SSN section.

[mingus_drake 0]

thanks guys

this is so confusing will do some more research

[mingus_drake 0]

It's fine to get married and apply for the card in your maiden name.

They will only issue a card in the name that is on file with immigration. Since you won't update your married name with immigration until you file AOS, it's impossible to get the social security card now in your married name.

Just correcting the above misinformation. The marriage certificate is the legal proof of name change, so the SSO will issue the SSN in the married name.

Mingus_Drake.... this is what I did. I entered the US. One week later I married. A few weeks after that I applied for my SSN.... in my married name. If you look for posts by I_Quit you will find relevant information and the SSO's own policy for legal name change.

Moving this to the SSN section.

thanks... read some of I_Quit's posts.

I thought I read somewhere if you didnt get the SSC before marriage you'd have to wait until AOS, is that wrong?

basically i just want to make sure that is i do get married, then apply for my SSN in my married name, it won't hold things up too much.

[pRetTy_aNgeL 1]

You can apply for SSN before marriage and then go back together with your marriage certificate to change it to married name.

If you want to save a trip get SSN after you get married and correct it to married name.

[mingus_drake 0]

You can apply for SSN before marriage and then go back together with your marriage certificate to change it to married name.

If you want to save a trip get SSN after you get married and correct it to married name.

yeah, but if i get it before i get married, i want to wait two weeks to ensure i'm in the system. we'd rather get married sooner than that. but if i wait, and get it in my married name, i'm worried it'll delay things.

[I'm Gone 60]

thanks guys

this is so confusing will do some more research

What don't you understand? It's pretty simple. Wait 10 days and go apply with your maiden name and go apply for the name change after you are married or wait until you are married and apply with your married name. If it was me I would apply as soon as you can, since you only have 76 days to be assigned an SSN based on your K-1 status and no telling how long the verification is going to take. Now if you do wait until you are married and apply with your married name and the SSA service rep starts acting stupid and not wanting to accept your application start yelling for a manager. Tell him or her to look at POMS section RM 00203.500 C1 and where does it say a K-1 is ineligible after getting married.

[mingus_drake 0]

thanks guys

this is so confusing will do some more research

What don't you understand? It's pretty simple. Wait 10 days and go apply with your maiden name and go apply for the name change after you are married or wait until you are married and apply with your married name. If it was me I would apply as soon as you can, since you only have 76 days to be assigned an SSN based on your K-1 status and no telling how long the verification is going to take. Now if you do wait until you are married and apply with your married name and the SSA service rep starts acting stupid and not wanting to accept your application start yelling for a manager. Tell him or her to look at POMS section RM 00203.500 C1 and where does it say a K-1 is ineligible after getting married.

thanks. i had just read some stuff about there being some difficulty involved if you apply for a SSN in the married name because my maiden name would be the one that's in the system, and i didn't want this to cause any hold ups due to the 76 day thing.

i think i'll do the wedding first as we can do that in WI after 5 days, then get the SSN straight after in my married name.

i'll take your advice on the service rep part, thanks.

[I'm Gone 60]

thanks guys

this is so confusing will do some more research

What don't you understand? It's pretty simple. Wait 10 days and go apply with your maiden name and go apply for the name change after you are married or wait until you are married and apply with your married name. If it was me I would apply as soon as you can, since you only have 76 days to be assigned an SSN based on your K-1 status and no telling how long the verification is going to take. Now if you do wait until you are married and apply with your married name and the SSA service rep starts acting stupid and not wanting to accept your application start yelling for a manager. Tell him or her to look at POMS section RM 00203.500 C1 and where does it say a K-1 is ineligible after getting married.

thanks. i had just read some stuff about there being some difficulty involved if you apply for a SSN in the married name because my maiden name would be the one that's in the system, and i didn't want this to cause any hold ups due to the 76 day thing.

i think i'll do the wedding first as we can do that in WI after 5 days, then get the SSN straight after in my married name.

i'll take your advice on the service rep part, thanks.

The part of POMS that talks about the system showing the maiden name when you apply with your married name is not available to the public. However, an archived version is available.

RM 00203.735 Requesting Online (Primary) Verification By SAVE:

http://web.archive.org/web/20051002025945/.../lnx/0100203735

F1 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.

The new version says to advise the person to report the name change to DHS, not must report it.

[mingus_drake 0]

thanks very much!