Social security card...nightmare

[star_dragon 0]

First mistake was bringing nmarriage certificate. You don't need it and it confuses the pig. Hre is the secret to the SSN as has been posted like 1 million times...

1. Apply for SSn immediately (the day after you arrive) you do NOT need to wait two weeks.

2. Apply in your name exactly as in your passport

3. Your passport is one form of government issued ID, your visa is the other.

Youwill have your card within a week from when you arrive in your MAIDEN name. AFTER you get your green card, change your name at SS.

If you run into untrained clerks that give you a hard time, insist on seeing a superviosr. DO NOT LEAVE until your application has been accpeted. Call or go to the office the NXT BUSINESS DAY and get your SS number. You do not need the card anyway and the number never changes. The "system" generates the number overnight, and may have even in your case. Check with them and see if you have a number yet. If you do, the card itself does not matter, nor does the name on the card matter. I lost my card in 1973 and have never found a use for the thing since.

Why do you insist on telling readers to go to the SS office the day after they arrive? How many times has it been explained to you that this is poor advice?

I agree, I wish he would stop posting that. I see it all over the AOS forums and it is indeed poor advice. I listened to it, and my husband's SS card was delayed 8 weeks for manual verification and by then the window of applying had expired (too close to the I-94 expiring). Just because it worked for you, doesn't mean everyone will be as lucky. I cannot stress enough how much I wish I'd waited 14 days. Sometimes when people get here, they're anxious and eager (us included) and want to do anything to jump the gun, but patience really is important during the AOS process. I dunno, to me it's just as bad as telling someone to buy their plane ticket as soon as you get your K-1 interview date.

[I'm Gone 60]

I agree, I wish he would stop posting that. I see it all over the AOS forums and it is indeed poor advice. I listened to it, and my husband's SS card was delayed 8 weeks for manual verification and by then the window of applying had expired (too close to the I-94 expiring). Just because it worked for you, doesn't mean everyone will be as lucky. I cannot stress enough how much I wish I'd waited 14 days. Sometimes when people get here, they're anxious and eager (us included) and want to do anything to jump the gun, but patience really is important during the AOS process.

I used to be of a mind to go apply as soon as possible, because SSA procedure says that the SSA employee is supposed to hold the application until the 10th day if the person applies before they have been here ten days and status does not verify and try it again after the 10th day. But I have seen too many times that the SSA employee either goes to the next step of the verification process without waiting or just lets the application sit and does nothing.

[tlnt 1]

It's rather confusing to wait 14 days to apply with married name or not. For ourselves, we (rather I) jumped the gun and applied a 4 days after fiance arrived in POE and after we got married. The SS lady did accept our application due to it being a k1 visa well before the expiration date and we did have our marriage license (we applied under married name). The problem for us was that the "quick" verification failed due to her married name was obviously not in the i94 database - actually to this date we have no idea how it's recorded in there. It all became a mess...subsequent visits, they told us we came too early that they weren't even going to start verification until after 10 days. Most likely no matter what name they searched they wouldn't find us cuz probably CBP hadn't even recorded it or made it's way into the i94 db? The ss person showed us his screen (month later) still no name. After electronic verification and manual verification and lots of panic states on my part (being the impatient person i am)...i was kind of regretting applying so early and even using married name. but it all sorted itself out, uscis did indeed "verify" after a short time and we got our SSN card in about a month or so...but i guess it could have gotten ugly. So not sure what the advice I'd give, but I would personally if i had to do it all over again, WAIT 2 weeks (still applied in married name - cuz honestly that's the name we'd be using for everything anyhow)...not sure if married name "makes" a difference but you have to be careful (not sure on this point) if they submit verification documents (electronic and/or manual) what name they're submitting on - maiden or married cuz seems maybe that makes a difference (?) maybe someone has some input. our ss guy (if u visit waples mill rd ss office in va, guy named gene is really knowledgeable and helpful) said the original person who submitted our manual put the name "wrong" so who knows what it's supposed to be...

anyways, i was so confused/nervous about what to do ... so if anyone can learn or feel confident on what to do when they apply for a ssn...hopefully they'll sail through this process. in va, u can't get a driver's license w/o a ssn (i think) so we were "trying" to rush to get that and open joint account, etc.