Getting SSN for wife

[Zhen's Tiger]

QUOTE(donahso @ Mar 21 2007, 10:35 PM) she will need an EAD in order to get a SSN.

Hi,

I also thought this was the case & when we went to the Social Security Office in NJ 3 weeks ago, they confirmed that as well. But my wife's friend just received her SSN yesterday in the mail after applying in person 2 weeks ago. Her friend (K-1 Visa) has only been in the country for a month now & has not applied for AOS or EAD yet... can this be true? She's in Harrisburg, so I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but why would she call my wife all happy to tell her this if it wasn't so?

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Anyway, does anyone here have any experience getting their SO's SSN without applying for AOS or EAD yet? Thanks!

 

Steve

[Trigg]

A K1 is eligible to get a SSN without AOS or EAD but only for as long as the I-94 is valid. Some SSA offices are not aware of this--also, the I-94 expires 90 days after she enters the USA but they will not issue a SSN after the 74th day--dunno why and dunno nuthin' 'bout a K3 visa.

[Randy W]

K-1's are work-authorized (for SS purposes). K-3's are not.

[SirLancelot]

K-1's are work-authorized (for SS purposes). K-3's are not.

 

 

I just came back from our local SSA office (3 minute walk from my home).

 

I printed a lot of stuff in support of this but I didn't have to show it. The worker there was relatively efficient in what she was doing but also quite terse and not very friendly--still, she wasn't very rude either, just an un-smiling drone doing her work with relative efficiency.

 

That said, our receipt letter still says "You can use your Social Security card for work only if you have authorization from the DHS."

 

Is this just the normal scripted letter for everyone or will my SO's card actually have that written on it?

 

As a K-1 who applied within the first 70 days, she should have the full fledge SSA card with no restrictions of any kind, correct?

 

Thanks.

[esun41]

A K1 is eligible to get a SSN without AOS or EAD but only for as long as the I-94 is valid. Some SSA offices are not aware of this--also, the I-94 expires 90 days after she enters the USA but they will not issue a SSN after the 74th day--dunno why and dunno nuthin' 'bout a K3 visa.

 

This is what happened for Lucy... as long as her I-94 wasn't expired. The SS card will have the words "Not valid for employment authorization"

[Randy W]

K-1's are work-authorized (for SS purposes). K-3's are not.

 

 

I just came back from our local SSA office (3 minute walk from my home).

 

I printed a lot of stuff in support of this but I didn't have to show it. The worker there was relatively efficient in what she was doing but also quite terse and not very friendly--still, she wasn't very rude either, just an un-smiling drone doing her work with relative efficiency.

 

That said, our receipt letter still says "You can use your Social Security card for work only if you have authorization from the DHS."

 

Is this just the normal scripted letter for everyone or will my SO's card actually have that written on it?

 

As a K-1 who applied within the first 70 days, she should have the full fledge SSA card with no restrictions of any kind, correct?

 

Thanks.

 

 

No - the SS card is restricted, since she is not an LPR. Once she gets the green card, she can have the restriction removed. Yes - it will be stamped on the card of everyone who gets an SSN without a green card.

 

The "restriction" is really meaningless, since it is not the SS card that provides work authorization - it is the EAD card, or the green card.

Edited March 22, 2007 by Randy W (see edit history)

[SirLancelot]

No - the SS card is restricted, since she is not an LPR. Once she gets the green card, she can have the restriction removed. Yes - it will be stamped on the card of everyone who gets an SSN without a green card.

 

The "restriction" is really meaningless, since it is not the SS card that provides work authorization - it is the EAD card, or the green card.

 

I see. Thanks for the clarification Randy.

[yuehan123]

Anyway, does anyone here have any experience getting their SO's SSN without applying for AOS or EAD yet? Thanks! Steve

Yes, we had this experience. As Trigg said, if you apply after K-1 arrival and less than 15 days before I-94 expiration the SO is eligible to receive a SSN. My wife applied within 5 days of arrival, had to wait one month ('for the computers to catch up) and had her SSN card within a few weeks. We neither applied for nor received EAD or AOS or AP until months later.

[SirLancelot]

 

The "restriction" is really meaningless, since it is not the SS card that provides work authorization - it is the EAD card, or the green card.

 

Randy, if the SSA lady accepted my SO's application today, does that mean conclusively that CBP has relayed my SO's info correctly into the SAVE database? If my SO's info hasn't been input into SAVE, the SSA lady would have rejected her application today, correct?

 

So we're in the clear now, just waiting 2 weeks for her SSN to arrive in the mail, correct?

 

Or could SSA still send my SO a letter stating that her I-94 info hasn't been entered into SAVE yet?

 

Thanks.

[Randy W]

 

The "restriction" is really meaningless, since it is not the SS card that provides work authorization - it is the EAD card, or the green card.

 

Randy, if the SSA lady accepted my SO's application today, does that mean conclusively that CBP has relayed my SO's info correctly into the SAVE database? If my SO's info hasn't been input into SAVE, the SSA lady would have rejected her application today, correct?

 

So we're in the clear now, just waiting 2 weeks for her SSN to arrive in the mail, correct?

 

Or could SSA still send my SO a letter stating that her I-94 info hasn't been entered into SAVE yet?

 

Thanks.

 

 

I think it was izus' wife who applied, and then was later denied an SSN because the lady said that "B-1's" are not eligible (she misread "K-1" as "B-1"), but yeah, you should get it within 2 weeks.

[mercator]

We had our interview on 3/21 and we are K-3. The Case Officer asked us if my wife had one and I looked perplexed and said no. I then asked him if that was even possible. He said it isn't supposed to be, but the SSA is a different agency.

 

So if you are K-3, I would hold off.