CR1 SSN Question

[visavis 0]

Hey everyone,

My wife is on a CR-1 and just entered the country on August 8th (yaaay!) with a POE in Providence, RI. The officer suggested we go immediately to the SSA to file for a number, but since we checked off the box in the DS-260 for it to be done automatically, we were skeptical that he knew what he was talking about, and secretly worried that he could be messing something up and not putting our paperwork through correctly.

We went to the SSA anyways after a few days and she was not in the system, which I guess is totally expected. It's been 8 days and we are desperately waiting for the SSN to arrive in the mail, since she has been hired for a job but the only thing that is holding her back is the arrival of this social security number. We know it should arrive sometime in the next week, but we are nervous.

OUR QUESTIONS ARE:

1. Is there any protocol for what to do if the immigration officer screwed up and didn't process her information? She has the I-551 and all he added was a silly CR-1 stamp after flying through her medical paperwork and customs form. It took her 5 minutes to get through, and she saw the officer leave for the day almost immediately after letting her through.

2. Is there a step-by-step rundown as to how we should proceed? Everyone suggests wildly different things as to how long we should wait before going again to the SSA to check for her name in the system.

3. If her name appears in the system, is there a way for them just to tell us her SSN? We just need the number, not the card, to proceed.

ANY resources or help would be greatly appreciated, there are tons of posts but I can't find a straightforward timeline/step-by-step for CR1.

Thank you!

[Kastrs 723]

Hey everyone,

My wife is on a CR-1 and just entered the country on August 8th (yaaay!) with a POE in Providence, RI. The officer suggested we go immediately to the SSA to file for a number, but since we checked off the box in the DS-260 for it to be done automatically, we were skeptical that he knew what he was talking about, and secretly worried that he could be messing something up and not putting our paperwork through correctly.

We went to the SSA anyways after a few days and she was not in the system, which I guess is totally expected. It's been 8 days and we are desperately waiting for the SSN to arrive in the mail, since she has been hired for a job but the only thing that is holding her back is the arrival of this social security number. We know it should arrive sometime in the next week, but we are nervous.

OUR QUESTIONS ARE:

1. Is there any protocol for what to do if the immigration officer screwed up and didn't process her information? She has the I-551 and all he added was a silly CR-1 stamp after flying through her medical paperwork and customs form. It took her 5 minutes to get through, and she saw the officer leave for the day almost immediately after letting her through.

Probably did not happen

2. Is there a step-by-step rundown as to how we should proceed? Everyone suggests wildly different things as to how long we should wait before going again to the SSA to check for her name in the system.

Go to your nearest SS office (it generally takes about 2 weeks for people to pop up in the system) and just apply for a SS number, checking the box on the DS 260 does not ensure that a SS card will ever show up

3. If her name appears in the system, is there a way for them just to tell us her SSN? We just need the number, not the card, to proceed.

You could try to ask at your nearest SS office, probably faster to apply for a new card

ANY resources or help would be greatly appreciated, there are tons of posts but I can't find a straightforward timeline/step-by-step for CR1.

Thank you!

[mallafri76 1,012]

The SSN card usually takes 10 to 20 days to arrive.

She can still start working without a SSN, she just can't get paid.

They won't tell her the SSN. They will either tell her it's been issued or that it hasn't, in which case you apply for a new one. But I would give it a few more days. I mean it's only been six business days.

[pushbrk 13,043]

It takes about two weeks or 7 to 10 business days to get into the SS system after entering with an immigrant visa.

[Ryan H 3,819]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to Social Security Numbers forum.

[Amadia 711]

Hi, I arrived on Aug 6 with my kids on CR1/CR2 visas. My mother-in-law took us to the SSA office in downtown Okeechobee FL on Aug 9. We were in and out in 45 minutes. The very helpful SSA official told us that we would receive our SSNs in 1-2 weeks' time....it arrived on Aug 15.

I hope my timeline for this helps you somewhat as I know each state may operate differently.

[asew50 1]

hi did you receive it yet?

I'm waiting for mine and it's almost been 4 weeks

[cyclone27 710]

We ticked the box for my wife and it never came. From my understanding its not a guaranteed one will receive by indicating on the form. We went to local SS office and applied in person. She received her card within 10 days.

[visavis 0]

hi did you receive it yet?

I'm waiting for mine and it's almost been 4 weeks

Hey guys!

We received it about two weeks after POE, I wanted to be prepared in case it never did! Thankfully she's in the country and working, nothing to worry about until we change her away from conditional status.

In regards to the timeline, from what I gathered and what's been stated by other users in this thread, go to your nearest SSA office if you don't receive it after 2-3 weeks if you checked the box (and make sure you didn't use any additional addresses in the application process, or else it could go there!). Your spouse should be in their system by then and you can request to apply for a SSN, which gets there fast. Make sure your address is correct!

Go in now!

[asew50 1]

through out our visa process I've used 3 addresses, could it have been lost in the mail?