SSN in New Jersey

[geopro1010 0]

Hello everyone, pls is there anyone here with the experience of getting SSN in the state of New Jersey?

Me and my fiance called the SSN office in NJ about getting SSN and they told us that i need to submit the application for EAD and green card before i can apply for SSN.

Please i need your view on this...

 

Thanks in advance...

[Amit&Julie 180]

That's not necessarily true. You can get a SS card with "Valid for work only with DHS authorization" printed on it before the EAD application, as long as there's I think 2 weeks left before your I-94 expires. When did your fiance enter the US?

[Amit&Julie 180]

Follow the directions below, as long as there's more than 14 days before your I-94 expires. If you still have some time before that expires and the person at the social security office window says you can't get a SSN, ask to speak the supervisor/manager. Then show them the RM 10211 document in step 5 and go to K1, where it says that K1 is a legal alien allowed to work. 

 

These are copy/pasted straight from the K1 section of the VJ guide on applying for a SSN:

 

To apply for a SSN you will need to go to your local SSA office and bring the documents below. These 
documents are proof of your eligibility to file for a SSN:
 

1.	The SS-5 form you downloaded and filled out (they have some at the office if you forget).
2.	your Passport (with the K-1 Visa in it)
3.	your valid I-94: Electronic I-94 Copy; or (for older entries) an original (and bring a front/backside copy) of a valid paper I-94
4.	another form of valid ID (as defined in the SS-5 instructions)
5.	You should also bring the document RM 10211.530 that you printed out

Make sure to bring all the documents above because some offices have staff that are not aware 
that a K-1 Visa Holder is eligible to file for a SSN. A friendly reminder is a nice thing to have -- if not 
you could be turned away incorrectly.

Once you have successfully applied for your SSN, the SSN card will come in the mail in about 2 weeks. You can check on the status of the SSN application and/or often get the SSN in advance by returning in person (try calling) to the SSA office. If you need your SSN before it arrives in the mail you may ask them for an SSA-7028, Notice to Third Party of Social Security Number Assignments, to be sent to your employer or other interested third party once a SSN has been assigned. Your card, when you receive it, will be marked with the words "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION" indicating to an employer that you must also have an unexpired EAD to be eligible to work.

[Greenbaum 12,259]

As a K-1 Visa Holder you are eligible to receive a SSN upon producing a valid I-94 (unexpired). Do not wait until you only have a few weeks left until your I-94 expires to file for a SSN. Many SSA (Social Security Administration) offices will not allow you to file for a SSN if your I-94 is about to expire (generally 14 days prior to the expiration on your I-94). On the other hand, you should also not file for a SSN too soon either.

 

You should wait 2 weeks after you arrived in the US before applying for a SSN. UPDATE: It's been reported recently that you no longer need to wait 2 weeks till you are in the SAVE database that you can go the next business day. If you go too soon your record of arrival will not be in the SAVE-ASVI system yet (what is SAVE), and it will require manual verification from the USCIS. As this will add weeks to the period it takes to process the SSN, it is advisable to attempt to wait the two weeks to be safe. If you have waited the 2 weeks and they tell you they cannot verify your arrival record via the SAVE database, then personally return on another day to have them search again -- thus eliminating the manual verification (you don't want to do the manual verification as it adds so much more time to the process).

 

Don't take "no" for an answer if you are in the 2 week window. Ask for a supervisor. We have seen some agents who don't know that you can get a SSN before you GC is approved. That's why you ask for a supervisor. This has happened to many people so be persistent.

To apply for a SSN you will need to go to your local SSA office and bring the documents below. These documents are proof of your eligibility to file for a SSN:

 

The SS-5 form  download and complete the application (they have some at the office if you forget).

Your Passport (with the K-1 Visa attached)

Your valid I-94

Another form of valid ID (birth certificate will do nicely)

You should also print and bring the document RM 10211.530 , in the event that the agent is not knowledgeable that K-1/K-2 are eligible to receive a SSN.

 

Make sure to bring all the documents above because some offices have staff that are not aware that a K-1 Visa Holder is eligible to file for a SSN. A friendly reminder is a nice thing to have -- if not you could be turned away incorrectly

 

Once you have successfully applied for your SSN, the SSN card will come in the mail in about 2 weeks.

 

K2 visa holders must first have a work permit (EAD) to get a social security number.

 

 

After marriage

Carry your marriage certificate to the social security office to get the social security card in the new name. If you applied for a social security number before marriage, you can go back to the social security office after marriage and get your name changed on your social security card.

 

The social security card will be marked “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH USCIS AUTHORIZATION”.  That means, you need to get your EAD first before you can actually work.  Hopefully, when you submitted your AOS you included the EAD. If not you will now need to submit the paperwork for an EAD prior to working.

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from K1 Progress Reports to Social Security Numbers forum.