My experience today about my SSN application under K1

[shekhelen 0]

I got married two weeks ago after arriving in the US in late Sep through K1. Apart from doing AOS preparation this period, today i went to apply for the SSN. So, I put my husband surname on the form and the staff said the respective depart/office doesn't know I am married. So I passed her a certified copy of my marriage license.

I thought I should put my new surname name on the form( as I have a new legal name after married). The staff made a photocopy copy for my marriage license certified copy and said they would need to verify my marital status with respective dept. before confirming my SSN application.

I feel regret - i should have just used my name at birth on this form. Hopefully, my application would still be successful becoz my certified copy of marriage license is a strong evidence.

[ohmygosh 1]

I got married two weeks ago after arriving in the US in late Sep through K1. Apart from doing AOS preparation this period, today i went to apply for the SSN. So, I put my husband surname on the form and the staff said the respective depart/office doesn't know I am married. So I passed her a certified copy of my marriage license.

I thought I should put my new surname name on the form( as I have a new legal name after married). The staff made a photocopy copy for my marriage license certified copy and said they would need to verify my marital status with respective dept. before confirming my SSN application.

I feel regret - i should have just used my name at birth on this form. Hopefully, my application would still be successful becoz my certified copy of marriage license is a strong evidence.

I posting the response I receive from the Social Security Office when we had a similar problem with the local SS office. Many of the local offices' are not informed that they should issue you a SS number in your new married name after marriage on a K1 Visa. For some reason they think because the names do not match they have to verify the name with DHS, however DHS will state the names do not match. "Because they don't"!! The marriage license is the documentation for the name change. Also many offices tell you that your Visa is no longer valid since you got married??? The visa was no longer valid once you entered the US! It is a one time entry visa and you fulfilled the requirement of the Visa once you were married within 90 days. They seem to be very confused about all of this. Attached is the response I received from SS administration. After many conversations and and trips to the local office, once I supplied this response from SS administration to my locat office they issued the ss# in married name without any problems.

received the following information from the district Social Security office, I forwarded it to our locat office and my fiance received her SS# in the mail. Do not accept the information of your SS administrator if they tell you, you can not get a SS# if you are married on a K-1 Visa and that you have to wait until your AOS. They are not properly trained in many offices.

Thank you for contacting the Social Security Administration.

We suggest that individuals that have entered the United States with non-immigrant status wait at least 10 calendar days before submitting a Social Security number (SSN) application to allow the Department of Homeland Security time to record entry into their database.

An individual that entered the United States with K-1 status applying for a work-authorized SSN must present evidence at one of our offices to establish his or her age, identity, and current lawful employment authorized status.

An individual needs to provide at least two documents as evidence to establish age, identity, and current lawful employment authorized status.

Example: If the immigration document, for example, Form I-94, Form I-551, or Form I-766, is used to establish work authorization and identity, the alien must provide another document to establish age.

We will not assign an SSN or issue a card to an individual who is within 14 days of his or her alien status expiring. Until the 76th day after entry, an individual with K-1 status only needs to provide an unexpired I-94 showing current K-1 status to establish employment authorized status for SSN purposes.

Once an individual who entered the United States with K-1 status has been in the United States 76 days, he or she will need another document, for example, Form I-551, or Form I-766 to establish employment authorized status for SSN purposes.

If a foreign-born person has the foreign birth certificate in his/her possession or can easily obtain a copy, he or she must submit it as proof of age. In some situations, we can accept alternative evidence of age. The alternative evidence of age may be less than a year old, for example, a foreign passport.

The documents acceptable as evidence of identity are based on three factors: (1) the applicant’s age, (2) the applicant’s citizenship/alien status, and (3) the relative value of documents.

Primary Identity Evidence for an alien:

-- Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (includes temporary I-551 Stamp in combination with an unexpired foreign passport when the I-551 Permanent Resident Card has not yet been issued)

-- Form I-94, Arrival/departure Record in combination with an unexpired foreign passport

-- Form I-766, Employment Authorization card in combination with an unexpired foreign passport

Note: Document must be unexpired

Secondary Identity Evidence for an alien:

-- Unexpired valid U.S. driver’s license (excludes licenses known to be suspended or revoked)

-- U.S. State issued non-driver identity card (issued by the same State agency which issues driver’s licenses/State-level agency with issuing authority over the State’s identity card and not expired)

-- Marriage document showing in addition to the applicant’s name either the applicant’s date of birth (DOB) or age

-- Certified copy of medical record (clinic, doctor, or hospital) or letter providing extract data from the medical record showing in addition to the applicant’s name, the applicant’s DOB, or age

-- Health insurance or Medicaid card showing, in addition to the person’s name, either a photograph of the person or his/her DOB

-- School identity card or record (for current school year) showing, in addition to the applicant’s name, a photograph of the applicant or the applicant’s DOB

-- Life insurance policy for the person showing his/her age or DOB.

Note: Marriage does not affect an individual with K-1 status’s eligibility to be assigned an SSN, or issued a card.

We suggest that individuals with K-1 status apply for a corrected replacement SSN after marriage to update the SSN record to reflect the married name.

We accept all marriage documents issued within the 50 United States, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.

We can accept a name change document based on marriage as evidence of the new name to be shown on the card, if the new name can be derived from the marriage document.

Any of the following changes to the last name, using the names shown on the evidence, are permitted:

-- bride takes the groom’s last name;

-- groom takes bride’s last name;

-- spouse takes the other parties’ last name;

-- spouse takes one part of the other parties’ compound surname;

-- compound name (with or without hyphen) of each spouse’s original surname for either or both parties

Example:

Lisa Foster submits evidence of the name change event, her U.S. ceremonial marriage to Bryan Lee-Walsh. She wants to change her surname to a compound surname, Foster Lee, with only part of Bryan’s surname. Since this new name can be derived from the prior names shown on the marriage document, the marriage document is acceptable evidence of the new name. We may also change Lisa’s surname to one of the following if she requests it:

-- WALSH,

-- LEE-WALSH (or reverse, with or without space or hyphen),

-- LEE FOSTER (with or without space or hyphen, Foster Lee could also have a hyphen or not have a space)

-- FOSTER WALSH (or reverse, with or without space or hyphen)

-- FOSTER LEE WALSH (in any order, with or without spaces or hyphens)

The marriage document can also be used as acceptable evidence of identity if it shows Lisa’s prior name (Lisa Foster) and either her age, birth date, or parents’ names, and matches the data on the SSN record, and the marriage took place within the prior two years.

This is in addition to proof of current lawful employment authorized status.

All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies as evidence because we cannot verify their authenticity. The custodian of the record must certify any copies.

The acceptability of a document must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the applicant’s situation and exploring what evidence is available for the person.

If an acceptable evidence document is in a language other than English and no other acceptable document is available, we will have the foreign language document translated by an authorized translator.

We cannot accept an application filing receipt or notice of action as evidence of an immigration document, or an immigration document with a “valid from” date in the future.

Take the required documents to the nearest Social Security office or Card Center. Individuals age 12 or older applying for an original SSN and card must apply in person.

You can obtain the address and directions to the nearest Social Security office from the Social Security Office Locator, which is available on the Internet:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/locator

We must verify your documents with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before we issue a replacement SSN card. Most of the time, we can quickly verify your documents online with DHS. If DHS cannot verify your documents online, it may take longer to issue a card. We are working closely with DHS to minimize delays.

All cards are mailed from Social Security headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland to the postal address provided on the application.

An individual assigned an SSN based on K-1 status will be issued an SSN card with “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION,” printed on the card.

An SSN card having the legend, “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION,” only means that the number holder cannot use the SSN card as proof of authorization to work in the United States. It does not otherwise affect the validity of the card or number.

When an individual previously issued an SSN card with “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION” printed on it has been granted permanent residency, he or she can apply for a replacement SSN card that reflects the new immigration status.

An alien granted permanent residency status is eligible to be issued an unrestricted SSN card and will retain the originally assigned SSN.

When am I legally required to provide my Social Security number?

http://ssa-custhelp..../detail/a_id/78

[TBoneTX 45,294]

*** Thread moved from main AOS/Family-Based forum to "Social Security Numbers" subforum. ***

[Darnell 8,478]

yikes.

is better to apply for the ssn in yer VISA name, asking the clerk to look you up in the SAVE database under A# and visa name, both.

Now you've added a buttload of wait time.

Good Luck !