Lots of questions!

[ecg19 7]

This is off topic - but I read your blog months ago when my hubby were just bf and gf and we were just starting to navigate the visa journey process!

So happy to hear you are pregnant - your baby will be gorgeous

[LBeachey 45]

Yes; you are never required to get a SSN ever. Some USCs manage to never get one (I am guessing these people are wealthy and never work and live lives as international playboys ). I have seen USCs petition loved ones on here with no SSN. It is not a national ID number - it is simply a number used to determine Social Security benefits, which children don't start to buy into for at least 16 years or so. If you have a SSN, you need to supply it on the application, but if you do not have one, you cannot supply it and do not have to get one.

The main reason they now issue a SSN with the birth certificate is you can not claim a dependent on your taxes without one. Prior to 1987, you could. I think my parents got my SSN when I was about 5.

http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/dependents.asp

The only exception to this is if the dependent(or spouse) is not eligible for a SSN and then the IRS requires a ITIN. So if a USC does not have a SSN he is not filing taxes nor being claimed as a dependent.

When I went to China, one of my colleagues brought his infant daughter, his wife told me the hardest part was getting an acceptable picture of the baby with her eyes open as required. I would think this might be easier once the child is at least a couple weeks old which by that point you likely will have the SSN.

Slightly off-topic, when my wife was going through the immigration procedures with her CR-1 visa, there was another couple right behind us in secondary processing with a child about 1 or 2 who through his father was a USC. The Border Officer gave the father a hard time because his son's passport was not signed so once you get the passport, you are supposed to sign it for your child.

[Messybrownhair 251]

This is off topic - but I read your blog months ago when my hubby were just bf and gf and we were just starting to navigate the visa journey process!

So happy to hear you are pregnant - your baby will be gorgeous

Thank you so much

[Messybrownhair 251]

Thanks everyone!

So to recap..

I can sign up for SSN at the hospital for the baby.

SSN is not required for passport.

Baby's eyes need to be open for passport pics which means it could take a while!

My hubby needs a form notarized and mailed to me within 90 days of application

Sign the passport for the baby (?)

So as long as I get the passport, do I need consent from my husband to travel with the baby?

And will I have a hard time getting back in the country with just an extension letter? This will be my first time out of the country since I arrived almost 2 years ago.

[LBeachey 45]

And will I have a hard time getting back in the country with just an extension letter? This will be my first time out of the country since I arrived almost 2 years ago.

There have been cases where people have been given a hard time coming back with just the extension letter. This typically is due to the airline personnel and sometimes the exit authorities not being familiar with the extension. You might try and get a Infopass appointment at the same time as the Biometrics appointment for your ROC. Usually they will give you an I-551 stamp in your passport which tends to have less issues.

[GlobeHopperMama 95]

Thanks everyone!

So to recap..

I can sign up for SSN at the hospital for the baby.

SSN is not required for passport.

Baby's eyes need to be open for passport pics which means it could take a while!

My hubby needs a form notarized and mailed to me within 90 days of application

Sign the passport for the baby (?)

So as long as I get the passport, do I need consent from my husband to travel with the baby?

And will I have a hard time getting back in the country with just an extension letter? This will be my first time out of the country since I arrived almost 2 years ago.

I found it easiest to take the passport pics with baby lying on a blanket. Mine was never a big sleeper so I didn't have much trouble getting open-eyed pics. I just waited till the moment seemed right at home, set up the camera in good light and went at it. Every time we do passport/visa pics for my son, it seems like I have to do about 60 takes to get one good shot, but that's more because now as a big kid, he sees passport/visa pics as a chance to goof off. Anyway, once I had a decent shot, I used http://epassportphoto.com/ to format the photo to specifications and generate a 4x6" photo with a few passport photos on it that I could get printed at Walgreen's/CVS/wherever there's an instant photo place.

Yeah, sign the passport for the baby. I'm not positive but I think I signed my name and put "(mother)" after it. I'm pretty sure, I'm at work right now so I can't see what I did.

Consent - it's debatable. Most people travel alone with their little one and never have a problem, but then there are those 2% of situations where they get pulled into secondary inspection to confirm that not only was the child authorized to travel at passport issuance but they are still authorized to travel without the other parent. In your case, this probably won't be relevant because the passport will have been newly-issued, but in the future, you may want to travel with a notarized consent letter just for peace of mind and ease of any questions that come up. I use this one, although it stands to be touched up a bit. http://www.scribd.com/doc/12927036/Travel-Consent-Letter-Blank

I've traveled alone with my son between the US - Mexico and the US - Korea, probably 11 international flights or so, and have never been asked for my husband's consent, but I have several friends who have been stopped, so it's up to you how you want to approach this.

[hellINTIM 9]

Wait ,, Im having baby on march , and im the one in the military, i have the same question , Do the baby needs to have SSN when getting passport.. I heading to philippines after the baby is born.....

[Messybrownhair 251]

Update- 34 weeks now! 6 weeks till baby comes and then the craziness of motherhood begins! I also plan to do my ROC and process the passport simultaneously so I will probably be on here a lot asking questions pretty soon!!!!! Hope everyone had a great holiday!

[Darnell 8,478]

Did pregnancy straighten yer hair , any, at all ?

[Messybrownhair 251]

Did pregnancy straighten yer hair , any, at all ?

lol pregnancy has actually given me awesome hair! im scared of the dreaded "hairfall" that people say happens once the baby is born lol

[lierre 224]

Congratulations on having a baby!

My husband and I were still engaged when I read your blog a year ago. I'm also thankful you linked Visajourney on there. Now, we're working on the I-130 petition while we are both OCONUS.