British fiance on apartment lease while AOS is pending

[corvusheart 163]

My fiance and I have already started the K-1 Visa process however we have a concern. As far as we understand as soon as he gets approved and flies here to stay, we marry, then he applies for AOS how long exactly does it take for his status to adjust to resident? My concern is the apartment I live in requires background checks for all their residents; which means you must have a US Social Security number. And from what I heard theres a long period till he gets his residency (3 months or something like that). How on earth will this work if it takes time to adjust status? Anyone else have this problem?

[Lainie B 465]

He can apply for a SSN as soon as he enters the US (best to wait for a couple of weeks though to allow his details to be entered into the system). He doesn't need to be married first, in fact it is best to do it before he marries.

Once you marry, he should apply for AOS/EAD/AP as soon as possible (no deadline to do so though). Within 90 days he will receive his EAD and AP which will allow him to work and travel outside the US while he waits for his green card. The green card (residency) can take up to a year.

[Ning 619]

My fiance and I have already started the K-1 Visa process however we have a concern. As far as we understand as soon as he gets approved and flies here to stay, we marry, then he applies for AOS how long exactly does it take for his status to adjust to resident? My concern is the apartment I live in requires background checks for all their residents; which means you must have a US Social Security number. And from what I heard theres a long period till he gets his residency (3 months or something like that). How on earth will this work if it takes time to adjust status? Anyone else have this problem?

He can request a S Security card once he enters the USA. This version wont allow him to work but it will suffice for what you need.

[lost_at_sea 995]

See step 16 (and follow link at this step to a guide about SSN): http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1flow

A background check on a brand new SSN will turn up very little. If they're doing a credit check, his will be bad.

Edited December 26, 2013 by lost_at_sea

[Zedayn 485]

Have you tried to talk to your landlord or the managers of your apartment complex about the situation? They may be willing to work with you if you explain the circumstances.

[Kajikit 65]

Unless he's spent time living in the US previously, he doesn't have a 'background' for them to check! Your basic 'background check' only applies to time spent in the country. Besides, before he could get his visa he already had to pass a background check, medical etc in his own country or they wouldn't have let him in... he's coming to the US with a clean slate.

[Anna Grant 169]

My concern is the apartment I live in requires background checks for all their residents; which means you must have a US Social Security number.

You do not need a SSN to do a background check. Many authorities say they need an SSN but the only authority who needs the SSN is the IRS to collect your taxes. Many authorities use the SSN as it is a unique identifier.

Our apartment complex did a background check on me before I got my SSN and before I was even permanently in the US. Of course, they found nothing as I didn't have anything to find at the time.

However, he can apply for a SSN at his SSA office within a couple of days of entering the US (you no longer need to leave it 2 weeks as the I-94 process is automated). He can then visit the SSA office again the following day to get his SSN - it will follow in the mail two weeks later.