SSN & Green Card After Entry with a CR-1

[HRQX 4,145]

28 minutes ago, JAC&MEH said:

After getting your message, and looked more closely it was just off a few digits.

Odds are the new IOE number is going to be on the back of the Green Card:

If you want to follow-up on the status of the Green Card production, reference the new IOE number.

[Ang Oras 13]

4 hours ago, JAC&MEH said:

I will apologize in advance if I am posting this in the wrong area.  My wife obtained her CR-1 and entered the country on 7/14/20.  When we submitted her DS-260, we answered YES when asked if we wanted the SSA to issue a SSN and card.  It's now been over 3 months and we have not received her card.  I contacted the SSA after she had been in the country for a little over a month and they informed me that due to COVID that it is now taking up to 3 months to receive her card.  They told us she could come in for an interview and they would issue her a SSN but they warned against it as she may then have 2 SSN's assigned to her so we headed their advice and waited.

 

Another issue is that she has also not received her green card which I was lead to believe could take up to 120 days which we are beyond that as well.  My concern is that nothing that was supposed to just automatically occur after entering the country is happening.  Does anyone know whether or not a SSN must be assigned BEFORE they will issue her a green card? The reason I am asking is that generally (BEFORE COVID), it would only take 30 days to get your SS card in the mail and then another couple of months you would get your green card.  Perhaps the reason that she has not received her green card is due to the fact that she does not yet have a SSN assigned.

 

We have made an appointment with the local SSA office for an interview in a couple of weeks so that she can at least get a SSN assigned but will we then need to also manually request the green card that was supposed to have already arrived?

 

I would appreciate anyone chiming in that is either intimately aware of the process following entry into the country or has also only recently entered the country and perhaps is in the same boat as we are.

You will have to wait until the green card arrives then go to the SS office we went through the exact same thing .

[HRQX 4,145]

18 minutes ago, Thomas Reinhardt said:

then go to the SS office we went through the exact same thing .

Covid has slightly changed the process. Now need an appointment to go to SSA office: https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/ "Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can only enter our offices if you have an appointment."

[JAC&MEH 34]

3 hours ago, Thomas Reinhardt said:

You will have to wait until the green card arrives then go to the SS office we went through the exact same thing .

Quick question...  In your case, had you already paid the $220 Immigrant fee BEFORE you entered the country?  Just curious if any of this is related to when that fee is paid; before or after entry.

[Ang Oras 13]

Hello again yes we paid the immigrant fee right after the interview about 1 week later she entered at her POE Chicago. We also checked the spot on the DS260 for them to share our information with the SS office we never received a card and was turned away at the Office twice the PRC arrived after about 5 months then we went to the SS office then they issued a SS card and also they Used the name on the front of my wife's green card which is first name middle initial and last name when the card arrived from SS office we took it back and had to point out the fact that her full name was on the back of the card so they then fixed it .  Til this day we don't understand why so many PRC have name format incorrect .

[JAC&MEH 34]

Thanks for following up.  I was beating myself up for not realizing I was supposed to pay the immigrant fee BEFORE she entered the country.  We were not in too big of a hurry for the green card as she was pregnant when she entered and will not be working anytime soon.  The social security card, on the other hand, we really wanted.  Sounds like from your experience, getting the green card is necessary in order to get the social security card.  It is interesting.  A lot of people get their SSN automatically when they answer that question in the affirmative on the DS-260.  Thanks again!

[dwheels76 5,466]

11 minutes ago, JAC&MEH said:

Thanks for following up.  I was beating myself up for not realizing I was supposed to pay the immigrant fee BEFORE she entered the country.  We were not in too big of a hurry for the green card as she was pregnant when she entered and will not be working anytime soon.  The social security card, on the other hand, we really wanted.  Sounds like from your experience, getting the green card is necessary in order to get the social security card.  It is interesting.  A lot of people get their SSN automatically when they answer that question in the affirmative on the DS-260.  Thanks again!

You don't have to wait for card to apply for SSN. Call SS office tomorrow they should e able to look you up and see what's up. We went through this when my husband arrived in 2016. Remember you have temp stamp in passport that's all you need in case you have to apply for SS#. I think it's just a backlog and it will come. But call tomorrow and inquire.

[JAC&MEH 34]

When I contacted them a month and a half ago, they told me she could come in for an interview but she warned that due to COVID it could take up to 3 months to receive it.  She said if she went ahead and had the interview, there was a risk of having 2 SSN's assigned to her which could be a mess.  That's why we decided to wait.  Now that it's been over 3 months and I hear some other people's experience, perhaps it is time to bit the bullet and just go in for the interview.

[acajim 16]

I don’t think she would end with 2 SS numbers, they would check name, birthdate and green card number. If you go to the SS office, they could give you a receipt with her SS# if she has been assigned one. Bring the passport to show the temporary visa. Good luck.

[HRQX 4,145]

On 10/25/2020 at 3:02 PM, JAC&MEH said:

Now that it's been over 3 months and I hear some other people's experience, perhaps it is time to bit the bullet and just go in for the interview.

It's best to try to fix it in-person. Even those that pay the USCIS fee after entry should receive SSN in the first few weeks after entry. Recent example: