SSA K1 immigration status mismatch

[Cocopuf 6]

I arrived under a K1 visa about 5 days ago and I'm trying to get a SSN asap (In wake County NC you need an SSN to get married, if you're eligible).

 

I printed out my I-94 from here, everything seems to be correct and it states I entered under a K1.

 

When going to the local SSA with just pasport, I-94 and the SS-5 form, they're telling me they're getting an "immigration status mismatch" from their system. They know about the wait-time before my entry record shows up in the SAVE database, but the odd thing is that my entry is there (they showed me on their screen what they're getting back from the SAVE database). I verified together with them that there are no mismatches in name or DOB or passport number, it even says in the SAVE database I entered the country on a K1 visa, which matches with the info SSA tries to put in.

They have no clue what the "immigration status mismatch" is referring to, and advice me to just wait.

I called USCIS and they tell me that if the info is in the SAVE database, then it's there. But SSA is telling me that "the data in the system takes a while to update" even though all my info is there when they request it.

USCIS also told me SSA can open a SAVE-case to try to get it resolved (which takes 3 to 5 days according to USCIS), SSA doesn't seem very receptive to that.

 

I already went to SSA twice, and had the same result with both people I talked to.

 

- Is the 2 weeks wait time still valid advice? Seeing that my entry record is apparently available in the SAVE database (and I can access this myself at SAVECheck, though there's no info there except that it's send to SSA).

- A different topic mentioned a new system, since a couple months, where SSA needs to send a request for confirmation by default. Is this the case, and does SSA know this?

- What's my best option to get my SSN as soon as possible. Just wait as they suggest (and risking getting the same "immigration status mismatch" later) or demanding that they open a "SAVE-case" which they didn't seem very eager about.

 

[HonoraryCitizen 179]

There is really no option to go around the Social Security people in the short term. They are the alpha and omega in this situation and you have to go through them.In any case I think the two weeks is not unreasonable. After it passes, you have ammunition to go there and insist they address the issue.  Did you ask for a supervisor? If you go after two weeks and they are giving you the runaround ask for a supervisor. And be documenting everything.

[Crazy Cat 41,850]

You could get a marriage license by signing the affidavit that you are not eligible for a SSN......because you aren't until the mismatch issue is resolved......

[Lil bear 4,201]

Search out how far you have to go to get to a county or state that doesn’t need a SSN.. get your licence there and marry .. Vegas is always a possibility at least for the legal part ! 

[Cocopuf 6]

12 minutes ago, HonoraryCitizen said:

There is really no option to go around the Social Security people in the short term. They are the alpha and omega in this situation and you have to go through them.In any case I think the two weeks is not unreasonable. After it passes, you have ammunition to go there and insist they address the issue.  Did you ask for a supervisor? If you go after two weeks and they are giving you the runaround ask for a supervisor. And be documenting everything.

Didn't try the supervisor yet, the people at SSA were very friendly and genuinely were trying to help me, so didn't want to step on too many toes yet. They also seemed like they handled K1 SSN applications before. If issue persists I'll need to get a little firmer.

 

3 minutes ago, missileman said:

You could get a marriage license by signing the affidavit that you are not eligible for a SSN......because you aren't until the mismatch issue is resolved......

That's an option, but a last resort, I do need the SSN for plenty of other things.

[C90 376]

I had the same thing in August 2018. I went in 2 days after I arrived in the states to get a replacement SSN (I already obtained one via another visa years ago) SSO has to send an inquiry to USCIS and they have to verify your immigration status. It's weird that the officer tells you to wait, cause waiting is not likely going to change anything. Go back to the SSO, tell them to send an inquiry and you should be able to get your SSN in about 3-4 weeks. 

Like Missileman said, most states allow people to obtain a marriage license without SSN. Did you check with your marriage office? If they're giving you a really hard time, you could get married in another state if you're close to a border. 

[Cocopuf 6]

2 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Search out how far you have to go to get to a county or state that doesn’t need a SSN.. get your licence there and marry .. Vegas is always a possibility at least for the legal part ! 

Hehe, also an option, but I'd like to limit the extra traveling for now.

[Cocopuf 6]

1 minute ago, C90 said:

I had the same thing in August 2018. I went in 2 days after I arrived in the states to get a replacement SSN (I already obtained one via another visa years ago) SSO has to send an inquiry to USCIS and they have to verify your immigration status. It's weird that the officer tells you to wait, cause waiting is not likely going to change anything. Go back to the SSO, tell them to send an inquiry and you should be able to get your SSN in about 3-4 weeks. 

Like Missileman said, most states allow people to obtain a marriage license without SSN. Did you check with your marriage office? If they're giving you a really hard time, you could get married in another state if you're close to a border. 

Thx for the extra info. This would mean that for every single K1 immigrant the SSO has to send an inquiry to USCIS, I would assume they would know how to do that after more than half a year then. Could it be that yours was a special case since you already had a SSN at one point? (I had a different visa before, B1/2, but never an SSN).

I might give it another week and then ask that they send the inquiry, if the same mismatch keeps coming up.

[C90 376]

Just now, Cocopuf said:

Thx for the extra info. This would mean that for every single K1 immigrant the SSO has to send an inquiry to USCIS, I would assume they would know how to do that after more than half a year then. Could it be that yours was a special case since you already had a SSN at one point? (I had a different visa before, B1/2, but never an SSN).

I might give it another week and then ask that they send the inquiry, if the same mismatch keeps coming up.

No, the officer at my SSN office said that USCIS was going over to another system and that had caused a lot of problems for immigrants / non - immigrants trying to obtain a SSN, new or replacement. I don't know what the form was he sent (he told me but I can't remember), but he said it was so USCIS could respond to them and verify your immigration status so that the system was able to produce an SSN. 

When I went back to change it to my married name (few weeks later) the same thing happened. Although I had the same officer, he had to do the same thing again, since the system won't produce any SSN without the right action taken. So you can try it in another week, but idk if that will make a difference.

Edited January 16, 2019 by C90

[Cocopuf 6]

@C90 The extra week of wait time is mainly to convince the SSO officer, I'm not very hopeful their system will give a different result. But if that's what I need to do to convince them, I'll have to wait.

I'm guessing what they filed in your case was a G-845 mentioned in the guide here. But it also says that adds weeks to the verification process, so I'm just hoping that's not the route I have to go down.

[The_Empyrean 733]

No wait time after entry needed. My wife came in, next day we went in to SSA, applied, gave i-94, SS5 and passport, 4 weeks later we got the card. They have to send the application to DHS for confirmation on your/your SO status, and to confirm that you're here legally, and what are the limitations for your SSN. Apart that, there shouldn't be anything in Your way.

 

Mismatch they getting might be the thing we're talking about. It throws them and error that card cannot be issued now and then, and they aren't sure what to do with it. I went to two different offices and had no problem, but each case is different so i can't be to insistent that my words are correct, and Social Security Agent's isn't.

 

Both offices i went to always dropped in "You should apply/edit name for social security card with the EAD application". In a way they were trying to tell me to gtfo and stop wasting their time lol

[Cocopuf 6]

On 1/22/2019 at 7:31 AM, PaulMac said:

No wait time after entry needed. My wife came in, next day we went in to SSA, applied, gave i-94, SS5 and passport, 4 weeks later we got the card. They have to send the application to DHS for confirmation on your/your SO status, and to confirm that you're here legally, and what are the limitations for your SSN. Apart that, there shouldn't be anything in Your way.

 

Mismatch they getting might be the thing we're talking about. It throws them and error that card cannot be issued now and then, and they aren't sure what to do with it. I went to two different offices and had no problem, but each case is different so i can't be to insistent that my words are correct, and Social Security Agent's isn't.

 

Both offices i went to always dropped in "You should apply/edit name for social security card with the EAD application". In a way they were trying to tell me to gtfo and stop wasting their time lol

Thanks for sharing your experience. It does look like the wait time mentioned in the guide isn't really valid anymore. You're in the SAVE database/system the moment you can pull up your digital I-94.

Getting the right person at SSO to know what to do to get you a SSN is a different story.

[The_Empyrean 733]

Just now, Cocopuf said:

Thanks for sharing your experience. It does look like the wait time mentioned in the guide isn't really valid anymore. You're in the SAVE database/system the moment you can pull up your digital I-94.

Getting the right person at SSO to know what to do to get you a SSN is a different story.

There is a employee pamphlet somewhere, where it shows that K-1 is eligible for SSN. If they start arguing, pull that one out, and that should make them think again or call supervisor. i didn't have issues in two different offices and no one said a thing, but i heard stories that for some, they give really hard time. Yes, it really depends on SSO and his knowledge and level of his willingness to genuinely help you out.

[Cocopuf 6]

Update:

I went back for the 3rd time to the local SSO, 11 days after entering the country, and it looks like I had more luck this time. I got a different person that confirmed to me that the previous 2 people that gave me the advice to "just wait" were wrong, and that they should just have filed a SAVE-case or a SAVE-verify right away. Just like some people mentioned in this thread.

USCIS told me a SAVE-case takes 3 to 5 days, SSO told me it can take up to 30 days, but is usually shorter. So I'm calling them in a week to see if SSO got an answer and if they made me a SSN.

 

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Cocopuf 6]

4 minutes ago, PaulMac said:

There is a employee pamphlet somewhere, where it shows that K-1 is eligible for SSN. If they start arguing, pull that one out, and that should make them think again or call supervisor. i didn't have issues in two different offices and no one said a thing, but i heard stories that for some, they give really hard time. Yes, it really depends on SSO and his knowledge and level of his willingness to genuinely help you out.

They all knew I was eligible, and didn't make a problem about that. They just had no clue why their computer gave an error and what to do next. 1 of them even asked a colleague and also came back with "just wait". So some extra training for the officers and some luck in getting the right person with some more experience wouldn't hurt.