SSN for child (4 years old) of LPR (application issues)

[abum 324]

Hi.

 

I have some questions here regarding SSN for my child. My child and myself are LPR/GC holder - via Diversity Visa (he is my derivative DV3).

 

I already have a SSN assigned to me when I  was in the USA a long time ago. 

 

Questions:

1. When i filed my tax, for dependents, i am required to write the name and the SSN of my child. Is the section (SSN) mandatory if one were to enter his/her children as dependents?
 

2. I paid the closest SSA office a visit today (1.5 hours of driving unfortunately), and wanted to apply SSN for my child. I was told by the officer that if my child/or myself  is a US Citizen, they will do it, but not for LPRs. Is this correct? 
 

3. The officer also told me that I need to contact IRS to get a tax identification for my child (to put it in my tax return form). Is this correct too? 

4. I did ask, what differs between my own status as LPR and my child? She said that i will be working, so i can get SSN issued for me, but my child won't be working - hence SSA wont issue him SSN. Is  this correct as well?

 

Any links to the guidelines of SSA or IRS would be of help too. 

[Ontarkie 14,225]

~~Moved to SSN, from Bringing Family of PR's - As  the OP is trying to get their child a SSN.~~

 

 

mod hat off

 

Your child as  permanent resident is permitted a SSN. The person at the SS office is wrong.

The only time an immigrant child can't get their SS is when they come on a K2. Then all they have to do is wait till their EAD comes in after the AOS has been file. EAD or GC gives authorization to get a SSN.

 

If you can go to a different office do so. 

[abum 324]

Alright, some updates:

The same  day after returning from the SSA office, i called SSA general help line 1 (800) 772-1213 . Had to wait 1 hour 5 minutes before i got connected to a live agent (SSN used to have the option for the system to give a call back, but not sure what happened now - so i had to wait on the line for the whole duration of the wait time). That agent WAS NOT HELPFUL AT ALL. 

 

It went a bit like this: 

Me: "Hi. I want to ask about the policy of SSA issuing SSN to Lawful Permanent Resident/Green Card Holder. I went to a SSA office today trying to apply for my child's SSN, he is also a GC holder. I was told that because my child wont be working, he should not be given SSN, and i should contact IRS to get ITIN issued. Is this the policy of SSA?"

 

SSA Helpline: "Can you tell me your status here?"

Me: "I have a green card"

SSA Helpline: "Yes, but what are you doing here? Are you studying? Working?"

Me: (already feeling weird by the question) "Well i am a lawful permanent resident, I have a green card and i do not think it matters what I am here for"

SSA Helpline: "I need to know what are you doing here?"

Me: (getting frustrated) "I am here to live permanently in the USA. Same with my child"

SSA Helpline: "Okay, why did you sound hesitant to answer the question? Regarding your child SSN, you need to contact DHS, as DHS would know what visa you are on as they were the one that deals with it, and you can ask DHS to provide letters/or details for you to bring to SSA office to apply for your child's SSN"

Me: "I do not understand, i thought having green card, regardless of the way you get it, via work, marriage or diversity visa, they are the same green card. Are there differences between the green cards?"

SSA Helpline: "That is something that DHS should answer. Do you want their number? "

She then proceeded to give me USCIS general helpline number. and the call was ended shortly after. Sigh...

 

Still yesterday morning, I managed to call an officer from a different SSA office in the same state that I am in (the office is waaaay further than the 1.5 hours of driving for the initial SSA office i went to).

 

He was very helpful after i explained my issue - he said the officer was wrong, and my child should have been issued a SSN. He also said that if the officer wanted to refuse my application, i should ask for a formal refusal letter. And that I should also ask to speak to the manager. He asked me to provide some details of my child over the phone, and he verified that he can see my child's details and status on his system. So he said it should be the same for any SSA office. 

I told him if there were things he can do from his end, maybe speak to the manager at the office i went to. He said he can try asking his manager to give the manager of the office a call about this matter - so that the officer would know better how to handle the issue. 

With that info, knowing that I was right all along, I drove back for 1.5 hour++ to the same office, and fortunately, a different officer was manning the counter (there was only 1 counter available/opened both days i went there). The new officers took my documents, looked at the I 551 stamp from INFOPASS, excused herself as she wanted to verify that document, came back and then processed my son's SSN! As simple as that!

It was very unfortunate that i encountered an officer that had no idea what she was dealing with, and also a helpline agent that had no idea of the same issue. Time and energy wasted - but i know better now.  I hope i wont have to deal with these kinds of officers again.

 

[Ontarkie 14,225]

Thanks for the update. I'm going to guess the helpline was a call center and was just reading off a screen. Sadly the SSA office person should have known better. I think that was someone who just didn't want to do their job. Made up some excuse to avoid having to do it.