Our next steps

[ScotsinAZ 0]

Morning All,

We had our J-1/J-2 interview on Friday in London. Everything went well so we're now preparing for a life in the sun beginning 14 July 2016.

We arrive in Vegas where we plan to spend a few days before heading down to Phoenix. We have rental accommodation sorted for as long as we need it.

My questions relate to the priority aspects we need to address urgently and a couple we hope to tick off pretty quickly. Any information about necessary waiting times would be appreciated.

First and foremost is getting our SSNs - my wife (the J-1) has a job commencing 3 August. We plan on arranging an appointment with the local social security office on Monday, 18th July. Is this too soon after arriving in the country to attend that appointment? Is it possible to get the SSN on the day or is it a case of waiting for it to be processed and posted? The slight issue here is that her employer requires her SSN to get her onto the system and produce her contract (at present all we have is a letter of intent). We will be contacting both the school district and the social security office tomorrow to try to expedite this step as much as possible.

As a J-2, I'm aware that I can't apply for an I-9 until we land in the country. I need to investigate what forms and what evidence is needed to go for that as I want to be able to work as early as possible (although I'll enjoy having the whole summer by the pool!)

[Pitaya 2,577]

Welcome to the forum.

Not sure what you mean about applying for an I-9. A USCIS Form I-9 is the responsibility of you and your employer to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-9.pdf .

Sounds like you need to do some more reading while you are sunbathing by the pool this summer.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

[ScotsinAZ 0]

Welcome to the forum.

Not sure what you mean about applying for an I-9. A USCIS Form I-9 is the responsibility of you and your employer to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/i-9.pdf .

Sounds like you need to do some more reading while you are sunbathing by the pool this summer.

Good luck on your immigration journey.

Thanks for that - yes, plenty more reading to do. Cheers for linking the form.

[Elf 146]

. We plan on arranging an appointment with the local social security office on Monday, 18th July. Is this too soon after arriving in the country to attend that appointment? Is it possible to get the SSN on the day or is it a case of waiting for it to be processed and posted?

Since the introduction of the SAVE system, it's been possible for people to apply for an SSN the day after entering the US. Here's a recent thread where people confirm that they or their fiancee did just that.

You won't receive the SSN on the day you apply for it. You'll be given a receipt showing that you've requested one, but you won't know the actual number until the card arrives in the mail. That typically takes about two weeks.

Don't be alarmed if the receipt mentions a much longer wait - when I updated my SS card last year, the receipt said it could take up to 60 days. That's just the SSA covering its butt so that people don't start phoning them because it's been 8 days and the card hasn't shown up yet. My replacement card arrived in a week, just as the woman who took my application said it would.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Elf

[ScotsinAZ 0]

Since the introduction of the SAVE system, it's been possible for people to apply for an SSN the day after entering the US. Here's a recent thread where people confirm that they or their fiancee did just that.

You won't receive the SSN on the day you apply for it. You'll be given a receipt showing that you've requested one, but you won't know the actual number until the card arrives in the mail. That typically takes about two weeks.

Don't be alarmed if the receipt mentions a much longer wait - when I updated my SS card last year, the receipt said it could take up to 60 days. That's just the SSA covering its butt so that people don't start phoning them because it's been 8 days and the card hasn't shown up yet. My replacement card arrived in a week, just as the woman who took my application said it would.

Thanks elf,

Much appreciated. That's exactly what we'll do. I'll have a crack at scheduling an appointment with the relevant office in Phoenix for the Monday and we'll go from there.

Cheers

[Elf 146]

Much appreciated. That's exactly what we'll do. I'll have a crack at scheduling an appointment with the relevant office in Phoenix for the Monday and we'll go from there.

You may not even need an appointment. When I updated my card I went to my local SSA office as a walk-in, waited about 10 minutes until a window was available and was out of there within half an hour. Best to check with the local office though.