Unrestricted Social Security Card

[peejay 327]

After reading another post on VJ about removing the restrictions from my wife's Social Security card, we decided to go to our local SSA office to do it. She originally got her Social Security card as a K-1 in her maiden name shortly after arriving in the USA to be with me. After getting married we had the name on her card changed to her married name and thought that was the end of it. The new card with her married name has, "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION" across the top of the card.

From reading the back of my wife's Social Security card it reads:

If you are an alien legally in the U.S. with temporary permission to work, your Social Security card will be marked "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION". If you show this card to an employer as evidence of employment eligibility, you will also have to show your U.S. immigration document authorizing employment.

I understand the "U.S. immigration document" to mean a valid EAD, Green Card, I-551 stamp, etc. My wife's conditional AoS was approved in January 2005 and we will be filing to lift conditions in October 2006. The point is...if the new 10 year Green Card does not arrive before her 2 year Green Card expires in January 2007, then she has no "U.S. immigration document authorizing employment." Sure, she will have a NOA to prove that we have filed an I-751 to lift conditions and she will legally be in status, but legally she can't work without a valid Green Card or other "U.S. immigration document authorizing employment."

So why go through this potential hassle when it is so easy to get an unrestricted Social Security card before the 2 year conditional Green Card expires?

My wife filled out the form to get a replacement card (available online or in the SSA office) and we stood in line at the local SSA office. We explained to the SSA clerk at the window that we wanted an unrestricted Social Security card. We showed the clerk my wife's Social Security card and Green Card. Unfortunately the clerk's computer wouldn't allow the transaction to go through. So we had to sit and wait to be called into a cubicle in a back office to speak to another SSA employee. The SSA employee made a copy of my wife's Green Card and told us they had to send our information to DHS to get permission to issue a new unrestricted Social Security card and that it would take from 2 to 8 weeks. She gave us a receipt with a reference number and a telephone number we could call to inquire about the status of our request.

The entire ordeal took 1 1/2 hours from the time we walked through the door until we left. This process basically informs SSA that the applicant is a permanent resident and can work without restrictions. The SSA clerk also reminded me that when a Social Security card holder becomes a naturalized US citizen that they should bring the naturalization papers to SSA to change that status as well in their records.

[I'm Gone 60]

So why go through this potential hassle when it is so easy to get an unrestricted Social Security card before the 2 year conditional Green Card expires?

My wife filled out the form to get a replacement card (available online or in the SSA office) and we stood in line at the local SSA office. We explained to the SSA clerk at the window that we wanted an unrestricted Social Security card. We showed the clerk my wife's Social Security card and Green Card. Unfortunately the clerk's computer wouldn't allow the transaction to go through. So we had to sit and wait to be called into a cubicle in a back office to speak to another SSA employee. The SSA employee made a copy of my wife's Green Card and told us they had to send our information to DHS to get permission to issue a new unrestricted Social Security card and that it would take from 2 to 8 weeks. She gave us a receipt with a reference number and a telephone number we could call to inquire about the status of our request.

The entire ordeal took 1 1/2 hours from the time we walked through the door until we left. This process basically informs SSA that the applicant is a permanent resident and can work without restrictions. The SSA clerk also reminded me that when a Social Security card holder becomes a naturalized US citizen that they should bring the naturalization papers to SSA to change that status as well in their records.

I hope your wife didn't give up her old SSN card. Did they say why they had to send of for manual verification of her status? Wrong status, name spelled wrong, wrong date of birth in SAVE? Did they give the office phone number or the SSA 800# to call?

[peejay 327]

I hope your wife didn't give up her old SSN card. Did they say why they had to send of for manual verification of her status? Wrong status, name spelled wrong, wrong date of birth in SAVE? Did they give the office phone number or the SSA 800# to call?

No, they did not confiscate my wife's Social Security card and we still have it. They gave us the local SSA number to call (the same office we went to in person). The rest of your question about verification of status I cannot positively answer. However I can give you some background and you can draw your own conclusions.

My wife was born in Russia, but is now a citizen of Belarus after the USSR dissolved because that is where she lived at that time. Her Russian birth certificate has her first, patronomic (middle), and last names from birth. Her Belarusian passport only has her first and last name on it. No patronomic (middle) name is listed on any Belarusian passports. My wife's Green Card has her real patronomic (middle) name as per her Russian birth certificate because US-CIS accepted it as a legitimate document. When my wife got her first Social Security card before we got married, SSA let her put her name as listed on her birth certificate.

The problem came up when my wife got her Texas driver's license. TX-DoT would only accept the name as it was listed on her Belarusian passport and K-1 visa that had no middle name. Since we were already married (we had to bring our marriage license), they made us use her maiden as a middle name. So the name on the TX driver's license had her first name, maiden name, and my last name listed. At the time I thought nothing of it, but later it caused us problems. Several weeks after she got her TX driver's license, we got a nasty letter from TX-DoT informing us that the name on her SS card and the name on her TX driver's license did not match and they would cancel her license if we did not rectify the discrepancy.

So we went to SSA with all necessary documents and changed the name as it was listed on her TX driver's license. Then we went up to TX-DoT with the SSA receipt showing the change and the bureaucracy was then happy.

However, when my wife eventually got her Green Card much later the name is different than on her Social Security card and Texas driver's license.

So when we applied for the new unrestricted Social Security card we decided to begin the process of getting the names on all these documents to be the same. So we applied for the new unrestricted SS card in the name as it is shown on her Green Card (which shows her first name at birth, her patronomic (middle) name at birth, and my last name).

I'm sure we will soon get another nasty letter in the mail from TX-DoT inquiring about the discrepancies in the SS card name and the name on her TX DL. That will be the last document we need to change in order to get everything to match and be the same. Then the bureaucracy will finally be happy and we can all live happily ever after.

My wife's Belarusian passport will expire soon and it will be a good time to get her married name on it. I'm sure that will turn into a cluster-#### too!

[I'm Gone 60]

However, when my wife eventually got her Green Card much later the name is different than on her Social Security card and Texas driver's license.

So when we applied for the new unrestricted Social Security card we decided to begin the process of getting the names on all these documents to be the same. So we applied for the new unrestricted SS card in the name as it is shown on her Green Card (which shows her first name at birth, her patronomic (middle) name at birth, and my last name).

I'm sure we will soon get another nasty letter in the mail from TX-DoT inquiring about the discrepancies in the SS card name and the name on her TX DL. That will be the last document we need to change in order to get everything to match and be the same. Then the bureaucracy will finally be happy and we can all live happily ever after.

My wife's Belarusian passport will expire soon and it will be a good time to get her married name on it. I'm sure that will turn into a cluster-#### too!

Based on that it's still hard to tell, because she applied in the name on the I-551 card and I would assume that would be the name in SAVE.

Probably at some point the DL name will need to be corrected, since just about every state matches DL info against the SSN record.

[peejay 327]

It was my 20 year old stepdaughter's turn to go to SSA to get an unrestricted Social Security card. We got a ticket and waited in line for about an hour before getting up to the window. This time the verification of her status went through (unlike her mom's). Who knows why? The name on her Green Card has her first name, middle initial, and maiden name (she isn't married). The Social Security card has her the same first and last name, but her middle name is fully spelled out (no initial).

Anyway, we got a receipt and were told her new unrestricted Social Security card will arrive in the mail in 2 - 4 weeks. Groovy!

My wife and stepdaughter don't understand why I torture them by making them wait in line at government offices for what seems like eternity, but I assure them it is all for the best.

I can only hope and pray that the lifting of their conditions in October goes by without any major problems or nightmares. At least when their Green Cars expire they can legally work. It would be great if they got new Green Cards before the old ones expire, but that might be a stretch.

[sparkofcreation 0]

When G. got the unrestricted card, he had to be re-verified as well. Idiots put in the wrong date of birth when entering his info back when he first arrived in the US in early 2004. So his birth certificate, UK passport. visa, and green card all had the correct date of birth, but the SSA's records were off by a day (June 17 instead of June 16) and so he had to be re-verified. Took about seven weeks to get the new card, but that counts the fact that we moved across the country and the mail had to be forwarded. (Which they did. I hadn't thought they would.)

It took twelve weeks to get the first card, so this was an improvement.

[I'm Gone 60]

This time the verification of her status went through (unlike her mom's). Who knows why? The name on her Green Card has her first name, middle initial, and maiden name (she isn't married). The Social Security card has her the same first and last name, but her middle name is fully spelled out (no initial).

My wife and stepdaughter don't understand why I torture them by making them wait in line at government offices for what seems like eternity, but I assure them it is all for the best.

Maybe?

https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203735#E1

RM 00203.735 Requesting Online (Primary) Verification by SAVE

d. SAVE Query Response Does Not Show Middle Name (or Initial) but Immigration Document Does

When the immigration document shows a middle name (or initial), the SSA SAVE query response does not display a middle name or initial as part of name on the "First Name" line. This is not a data discrepancy. Do not request DHS to verify the middle name or initial when the SAVE query response does not show the middle name (or initial) that is shown on the immigration document submitted. When the DHS database has a middle name or middle initial, DHS provides that information to SSA. However, the middle name or middle initial data is not displayed on the SSA SAVE query response screen.

Let them try sitting in one 8 hours a day five days a week for 31 years. LOL