I-944 Credit Question - No credit

[*Rachel* 2]

Hi all, post-K1 AOS applicant here. 

 

We have been trying to fill out I-944 but got completely stumped at the credit question. I do not have an SSN (circumstances prevented me from being able to get the application in prior to the wedding/90 days being up) and I don’t have a credit card. The question asks for either your credit report if you have a credit score, or evidence that you do not have a credit score if you don’t...however without an SSN I have no idea how to prove that I don’t have credit. Experian won’t help me, they told me it wasn’t possible for them to provide anything to anyone without an SSN including a letter. I even called the USCIS themselves and explained my situation and even THEY didn’t have an answer for me. They advised me to speak to a lawyer but if they can’t answer my question and this form is so new, I’m sceptical about whether a lawyer could help (plus it would cost a lot, I don’t think I am eligible for pro-bono assistance, and I am scared of wasting money). 
 

Has anyone else been in this situation and could tell me what they did? 
 

(please do not chastise me or tell me “you should have got an SSN when you had the chance”, I’m very aware of the mistakes that have lead to my present situation, we’re all just doing our best here. Last time I asked a question on here I felt like I got jumped on so apologies for being a little defensive, I just wondered if anyone might have experienced this themselves)

[SamanthaHaley 0]

Hi, I dont have the answer to your question but I am having the same issue. Also, what are you doing for health insurance for the I944? We have tried signing my now husband up for private insurance but all insurance agents tell us he has to wait until he gets his green card to sign up...We dont know how to get him health insurance so that we can put it on the I944. If you have any advice that would be really appreciated, thanks!

[*Rachel* 2]

6 minutes ago, SamanthaHaley said:

Hi, I dont have the answer to your question but I am having the same issue. Also, what are you doing for health insurance for the I944? We have tried signing my now husband up for private insurance but all insurance agents tell us he has to wait until he gets his green card to sign up...We dont know how to get him health insurance so that we can put it on the I944. If you have any advice that would be really appreciated, thanks!

Honestly I am also looking for an answer to this question Samantha! The form seems to ask if you have insurance and if not whether you intend to “sign up soon”, I was just going to check that box and deal with the health insurance as the next step once all this was applied for. I don’t leave the house (partly bc of Covid, partly because I don’t drive and have no reason to) and I do almost nothing that would put me at risk of injury (besides cooking and showering I guess) so I have just been maybe too cavalier about getting insurance, knowing it is going to be complicated and very difficult. We spoke to Kevin’s health insurance provider for advice but it wasn’t clear. 

[SamanthaHaley 0]

18 minutes ago, *Rachel* said:

Honestly I am also looking for an answer to this question Samantha! The form seems to ask if you have insurance and if not whether you intend to “sign up soon”, I was just going to check that box and deal with the health insurance as the next step once all this was applied for. I don’t leave the house (partly bc of Covid, partly because I don’t drive and have no reason to) and I do almost nothing that would put me at risk of injury (besides cooking and showering I guess) so I have just been maybe too cavalier about getting insurance, knowing it is going to be complicated and very difficult. We spoke to Kevin’s health insurance provider for advice but it wasn’t clear. 

Yes I am really confused as well! I will continue calling health insurance providers and seeing if we can sign up, but I dont think they will allow him to enroll until he has a green card. I guess I will attach a letter explaining this whole situation and hope they are understanding.

[*Rachel* 2]

1 hour ago, SamanthaHaley said:

Yes I am really confused as well! I will continue calling health insurance providers and seeing if we can sign up, but I dont think they will allow him to enroll until he has a green card. I guess I will attach a letter explaining this whole situation and hope they are understanding.

I think that may be the only option for both issues to be honest. I literally spoke to USCIS today and they were like “hmm it’s a pretty new form so uh...” IF EVEN THEY DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER WHAT THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO LMAO! 
I‘ve read online that being an “applicant for LPR” makes you eligible to access the healthcare marketplace so I went on Covered CA today but because I don’t have a social security number they couldn’t verify my identity and neither could Experian. I’m going to call Covered CA tomorrow when they’re open and try talking to them but I feel like we’re going to hit the “no SSN” wall again. In that case, we’re just going to write addendums to the credit and health insurance questions and hope that because the forms will be dealt with by a human and not a computer, they will understand. It’s their own systems that are holding us back from being able to do things the way they want, it’s utterly baffling, and hopefully they will show some leniency. It’s all we can hope for! 

Edited May 19, 2020 by *Rachel*

[kec523 256]

11 hours ago, *Rachel* said:

I think that may be the only option for both issues to be honest. I literally spoke to USCIS today and they were like “hmm it’s a pretty new form so uh...” IF EVEN THEY DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER WHAT THE HECK ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO LMAO! 
I‘ve read online that being an “applicant for LPR” makes you eligible to access the healthcare marketplace so I went on Covered CA today but because I don’t have a social security number they couldn’t verify my identity and neither could Experian. I’m going to call Covered CA tomorrow when they’re open and try talking to them but I feel like we’re going to hit the “no SSN” wall again. In that case, we’re just going to write addendums to the credit and health insurance questions and hope that because the forms will be dealt with by a human and not a computer, they will understand. It’s their own systems that are holding us back from being able to do things the way they want, it’s utterly baffling, and hopefully they will show some leniency. It’s all we can hope for! 

Hi there, 

 

I don't have much light to shed on this but I did want to share that many people are having luck in getting a letter to prove no score by requesting their credit report via mail.  There is a form you can print out and send in requesting via mail.  I did it for my husband, he DOES have a credit score but still has no report.  You could just leave the SSN line blank or put all zeroes, and they will send you something back saying via mail. The only issue is that it takes several weeks to get something back.  Just an idea! 

[*Rachel* 2]

4 hours ago, kec523 said:

Hi there, 

 

I don't have much light to shed on this but I did want to share that many people are having luck in getting a letter to prove no score by requesting their credit report via mail.  There is a form you can print out and send in requesting via mail.  I did it for my husband, he DOES have a credit score but still has no report.  You could just leave the SSN line blank or put all zeroes, and they will send you something back saying via mail. The only issue is that it takes several weeks to get something back.  Just an idea! 

Goodness me thank you so much for the information!! I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone to have an answer for this, that’s really helpful! Bummer about the several weeks but if that’s what has to be done then so be it - not as if any further delay makes much difference the way things are right now! 
I had an email from member services at Experian which said they can’t help me but if I “ask for my credit report” over the phone it automatically produces a letter to say there is no report...but when I called they asked for my SSN and when I said I didn’t have one they said “there’s nothing we can do to help you” which is nice isn’t it 🙄 Mail is probably our best option! Thank you so much! 

[Akrapovic 31]

8 minutes ago, *Rachel* said:

Goodness me thank you so much for the information!! I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone to have an answer for this, that’s really helpful! Bummer about the several weeks but if that’s what has to be done then so be it - not as if any further delay makes much difference the way things are right now! 
I had an email from member services at Experian which said they can’t help me but if I “ask for my credit report” over the phone it automatically produces a letter to say there is no report...but when I called they asked for my SSN and when I said I didn’t have one they said “there’s nothing we can do to help you” which is nice isn’t it 🙄 Mail is probably our best option! Thank you so much! 

Letter is a good idea, but if you haven't given up: I managed to receive a "no credit report" confirmation by calling TransUnion. The first person i talked to would/could not help me out without a SSN. I explained the situation for 5-10 min and then asked if I could talk to a supervisor. This supervisor immediately helped and had no issue with sending a confirmation letter after making sure, that they did not have anything on file.

 

Call 833-395-6938 and dial 0 and be prepared to wait a while!

 

Good luck.

[kec523 256]

21 hours ago, *Rachel* said:

Goodness me thank you so much for the information!! I honestly wasn’t expecting anyone to have an answer for this, that’s really helpful! Bummer about the several weeks but if that’s what has to be done then so be it - not as if any further delay makes much difference the way things are right now! 
I had an email from member services at Experian which said they can’t help me but if I “ask for my credit report” over the phone it automatically produces a letter to say there is no report...but when I called they asked for my SSN and when I said I didn’t have one they said “there’s nothing we can do to help you” which is nice isn’t it 🙄 Mail is probably our best option! Thank you so much! 

You're welcome and looks like @Akrapovic had better luck on the phone too!!! 

[VISBIS 18]

On 5/18/2020 at 8:05 PM, SamanthaHaley said:

Hi, I dont have the answer to your question but I am having the same issue. Also, what are you doing for health insurance for the I944? We have tried signing my now husband up for private insurance but all insurance agents tell us he has to wait until he gets his green card to sign up...We dont know how to get him health insurance so that we can put it on the I944. If you have any advice that would be really appreciated, thanks!

Hey  

if you receive health benefits from your employer, you most likely should be able to sign up your spouse for it as well.

If not, you could try the International Major Medical Plan (IMMP) or visitors coverage from a provider. But the spousal plan would be the easiest and cheapest. 

If that doesn’t work, I think it’s best to choose the planning on signing up In the future option on the form.
 

[SamanthaHaley 0]

On 5/19/2020 at 3:44 PM, Akrapovic said:

Letter is a good idea, but if you haven't given up: I managed to receive a "no credit report" confirmation by calling TransUnion. The first person i talked to would/could not help me out without a SSN. I explained the situation for 5-10 min and then asked if I could talk to a supervisor. This supervisor immediately helped and had no issue with sending a confirmation letter after making sure, that they did not have anything on file.

 

Call 833-395-6938 and dial 0 and be prepared to wait a while!

 

Good luck.

Hey! I did this today and it worked for me! I called twice (the first time the operator did not understand/would not help but the second time I called I got an operator who was able to do this! I just explained the visa situation and that my husband has no bank account, no SSN, and has only been here for a month and that I just needed a paper that said nothing shows up when TransUnion searches his name and address. The man did a quick search, said nothing appeared and he would send me a letter stating that and it would arrive in the next 5-7 business days. Hopefully it arrives soon!! Thanks so much for the advice!

[Akrapovic 31]

3 minutes ago, SamanthaHaley said:

Hey! I did this today and it worked for me! I called twice (the first time the operator did not understand/would not help but the second time I called I got an operator who was able to do this! I just explained the visa situation and that my husband has no bank account, no SSN, and has only been here for a month and that I just needed a paper that said nothing shows up when TransUnion searches his name and address. The man did a quick search, said nothing appeared and he would send me a letter stating that and it would arrive in the next 5-7 business days. Hopefully it arrives soon!! Thanks so much for the advice!

Perseverance is an important quality during immigration 👍 way to go!

[Sandyl 128]

Hi Guys,

I sent in my AOS package with the I944 and my SSN. I was able to get one, it was months ago just before it all closed. I did not add anything from Transunion or anywhere else saying I do not have a credit score. I just added info to the last page saying I just received my SSN and for that reason do not have a credit check or score. I think it is possible not to have a SSN since you just moved to the country. I read this website and it helped me understand more about the I944
https://www.boundless.com/immigration-resources/form-i-944-public-charge-test/

I also believe I read somewhere that the I944 is used in a lot of immigration forms and not just after marriage. I would read the instructions of the I-944 on the USCIS website, it says you need to add this if applying for AOS. If you look at AOS there's more "visas" who need these eventually. 

 

Im not an expert, just trying to help and advise on what I did lol.. Btw I did receive a RFE but not for my I-944, I forgot to add in W2 and 1040 of my husband to the I-864..