Cannot Get SSN After Getting Marriage

[DandB 0]

All, My fiancée arrived to USA and we got married and obtained marriage certificate. She is my wife now. We took the K1 visa and marriage certificate to Social Security Office to get social security number, however they told us we should have done this before getting married. What should we do now? Should we wait? did we mess up? I also wanted to add her into my medical and now they want SSN? Please help??? Thank you!

[DaveE111 10]

Your Social Security office is wrong. We got married four days after arrival on a K1 visa. One week later we got her social security card in her married name.

[Casprd 167]

They are dead wrong. You can get a ssn now. You need to go back and if they give you the same line, ask for a supervisor. From everything I've heard, the Social security office is even more clueless about their procedures than USCIS is about immigration procedures.

Edited July 7, 2011 by Casprd

[Krikit 1,165]

Agree that the clerk has it wrong. You should have escalated it to their supervisor. Try again, but go armed with their own policy. Link I am going to transfer you from the K-1 Progress forum to the SSN section. Do a search for posts by "I Quit". He's the resident expert.

[DandB 0]

Thank you for quick responses, this is great information for us. I will go back there tomorrow.

[I'm Gone 60]

Thank you for quick responses, this is great information for us. I will go back there tomorrow.

Which SSA office was this?

[DandB 0]

Which SSA office was this?

It was in manassas, virginia. they keep saying that marriage certificates somewhat cancels the visa, so I have to apply for AOS and get EAD and then get SSN. It was strange. However I called yesterday to 800 number and I was told we can get it so we are going to office today again. Since we are in this topic, can she get ID card as well? Based on the DMV website as long as she has I-94 and valid passport she can get one. Thanks

[BlueBonnet 84]

Same thing happened to me. The clerk said that my now legal name, didnt match my immigration forms ... hence no SSN ... she said all I could do was sit back and hope that immigration caught up in there paperwork ... grrrr

[I'm Gone 60]

It was in manassas, virginia. they keep saying that marriage certificates somewhat cancels the visa, so I have to apply for AOS and get EAD and then get SSN. It was strange. However I called yesterday to 800 number and I was told we can get it so we are going to office today again.

If you have a problem at the Social Security office ask for the office manager. Office closes at 4:00 p.m.

[Dave&Roza 748]

You should look at the SSA employee and say the visa is already expired since it is a ONE ENTRY ONLY visa and obviously it has been used as I am standing in front of you. The I-94 is the important document and needs to be valid for at least another 14 days in order to get a SSN.

If you continue to get the royal run around--I know this requires two trips but should work--go back to the SSA office and apply for SSN without mentioning the marriage (I am assuming that this is the wife as there is a name change involved) and get the SSN that way. Then go back after getting the card and change the name based on marriage. Just remember that the emplyees of the SSA are federal workers so you must be nice. As to speak to a supervisor, but be nice. If refused a supervisor, ask for a phone number for the regional office, but be nice. I wish I could be as clueless as they are and still keep my job .

Dave

[BlueBonnet 84]

I actualy got my denial on Saturday . . .

Not really a denial, more a denial for right now. It says once my legal status changes or I have a work permit then I can re apply for the SSN.

Man, did I do this one backwards.

[disney09 6]

I wanted to change my SSN Card with my married name today but the social security officer said that I can't change my last name since I'm a K1 and I need to report the marriage to the immigration first.

[Darnell 8,479]

ssa clerk is wrong, mostly. however, if your I-94 is expired, they won't issue new card, but will change the name in their system.

[Anh map 2,098]

It was in manassas, virginia. they keep saying that marriage certificates somewhat cancels the visa, so I have to apply for AOS and get EAD and then get SSN. It was strange. However I called yesterday to 800 number and I was told we can get it so we are going to office today again. Since we are in this topic, can she get ID card as well? Based on the DMV website as long as she has I-94 and valid passport she can get one. Thanks

Any ID issued now will expire on the same date as the I-94.

[I'm Gone 60]

I wanted to change my SSN Card with my married name today but the social security officer said that I can't change my last name since I'm a K1 and I need to report the marriage to the immigration first.

If you arrived on June 24th, they are wrong. There is no requirement for you to first report the name change to immigration.

RM 10212.001 Defining the Legal Name for an SSN

https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0110212001

B. Evidence of legal name

2. Foreign born individual

A foreign-born person’s legal name is the name shown on his or her immigration document (includes hyphens and apostrophes).

The only time you may process an SSN application in a name that does not agree with the name shown on the immigration document is if the person legally changed his or her name after the immigration document is issued. In these situations, the legal name is the name shown on the evidence of the name change.

Edited July 23, 2011 by I Quit