The time before Green Card and SSC arrives..?

[Ariel & Claus 0]

Hi y'all

So I just made it into the US for the first time as a LPR (with my CR-1) and is reunited with my wife after 9 months of living apart. Awesome!

Now - some practical issues arise.

What do I do while I wait for my Green Card and my Social Security Card? Like how do I apply for a driver's license, get auto-insurance, how do I sign up for a phone subscription, how do I sign up for a bank account? Is the only way just to wait for those cards to arrive or can I do any of these things before that? I was warned that it's gonna take 90-180 days before I receive my GC and my SSC..

Hope you can help out.

Thanks, Claus

[JohnR! 5,495]

Hi y'all

So I just made it into the US for the first time as a LPR (with my CR-1) and is reunited with my wife after 9 months of living apart. Awesome!

Now - some practical issues arise.

What do I do while I wait for my Green Card and my Social Security Card? Like how do I apply for a driver's license, get auto-insurance, how do I sign up for a phone subscription, how do I sign up for a bank account? Is the only way just to wait for those cards to arrive or can I do any of these things before that? I was warned that it's gonna take 90-180 days before I receive my GC and my SSC..

Hope you can help out.

Thanks, Claus

Even if you have indicated that you wished a SSN to be issued, upon your entry into the US, it would behoove you to give them three weeks and pay a visit to the local SSO. By that time you should in their system as a LPR and they should be able to either confirm your SS application is being processed or not, in which case you can fill out a new application. For some reason the automatic SS application process is oftentimes deficient.

You will need your SSN in order to get a DL, insurance and pretty much everything else, so for the time being, all you can do is wait for your greencard to arrive in the mail.

Edited June 3, 2013 by Gegel

[Inky 1,111]

Tour the area, meet some new people, go for walks, host bbq parties, have a welcome home party. Find some things that are new and go see them. Fill your time up until your SSC and GC arrive, not much more you can do until you have those.