Hi, we got married last October 26 and went to the local Social Security office last November 6 to get a number. I used my married name in the application form and showed our marriage certificate but the officer said immigration website is not yet updated so they can only issue me a card under my maiden name. I thought it was the usual "delay" in the immigration process so we didn't complain. Two weeks later i got the SS card with my maiden name.

We went back again yesterday hoping to finally have it changed to my married name but the male officer said the same thing. He said that the immigration website bears only my maiden name and they can only issue me a card under my married name if the website updates it. He said that to do this, i have to file AOS and get a green card. That's the only time they can change my name.

I'm confused. My I-94 will expire this January and we're hoping to send the AOS package by next week. How come it was so easy for other people to secure their SS numbers using their married name? Some even applied for SSN a day after they got married and never had a problem. In my case, they will only issue me a number under my married name IF and only IF i get a green card.

So i guess the VJ guide for securing SSN is not applicable to all, huh?

There have been so many controversial stories on the topic. Maybe you should try another SS office? I know mine told me that i will only have to bring my marriage certificate.

SS website states: If the document you provide as evidence of a legal name change does not give us enough information to identify you in our records or if you legally changed your name more than two years ago, you must provide Social Security with additional documentation.

Why the rush to change the card to your married name? You have the initial card....you have the SS# which does not change, so just wait until the green card to change your name to your married one. At this stage, the SS administration does not have a way to verify the validity of your request....as the only ID you can present to them (your passport) still bears your maiden name. Once you have the greencard, in your married name, you can take that to SS and change the card...but it will serve no purpose as of yet...until you have EAD and/or GC.

Good luck,
-P

You will need something, like EAD or the green card, to show USCIS status, then they will change the name but it still took Claudeth about six weeks to get her new card.

I have read a lot of topics like this and theres only one solution, Wait for your EAD or Green Card in order the get SSN card on your married name. In my case i filed for my SSN after i got my EAD and i didn't have any problem.

Hi Tigbok. You should have been able to get the SSN in your married name, but now it is too late. Unfortunately, you got caught in the US government bureaucracy where not every employee is knowledgeable about the rules they are supposed to be enforcing.

I understand the desire to have your SSN card in your married name. It is one of the first documents that you can use to begin your new married life, and as such, is very important to some people.

We had a similar problem, We went to one SSN office, and the clerk told us the same story. I KNEW that was not true, and asked to speak to the supervisor, who said the same thing. Then the supervisor printed me off the 1st page of the SS policy page and gave it to me as if that should shut me up. I also had read the policy, and the rules are very clear that there is no problem for a K1 to get the SSN in their married name, but the wording for that is like on page 3. And unfortunately that day, I left my highlighted copy of the the complete policy AT HOME! So, all I could do was tell the SS Office staff how incompetent they were, and leave. Before I left, I got the address of next closest SS Office, and we went there the next day. The clerk there gave me another BS story about how he could not give my wife the SSN in her married name, but this time when I spoke to the supervisor, he explained everything to the clerk, and then we were issued the card in my wife's married name. The VJ guide does explain that you may run into problems, and it also suggests that you take the policy with you when you go to the SS Office.

The problem you have now is that your I-94 expires in less than 30 days, and the computer actually locks out any entries into their system, when the I-94 is due to expire soon. But I would imagine that your SSN has wording similar to "Not Authorized to work without DHS authorization". This means, you will have to wait until you get the EAD before you can apply for another card. The new card will have your married name, and not have any restrictions on it. Just make sure you apply for the GC and EAD IN YOUR MARRIED NAME[

The good news is, the SSN you have will never change, so you can use it just as if it is in your married name. Bank accounts, insurance, credit cards, you can apply for all of these using your new SSN, so not having the actual card in your married name yet, is not that important, except for your own piece of mind.

Good Luck.

OK you still have a small window of opportunity to have an SSN card issued to you with your married name using your I-94 if you go into an SSA office on Monday and someone knows what they are doing or you can convince the office manager, your K-1 status verifies in your maiden name through the intitial SAVE query and your marriage certificate has your age or date of birth.

74 Days Between...

October 4, 2007
and
December 17, 2007

RM 00203.210 C. Procedure - Immigration Document as Evidence of Legal Name

When an alien applies for an SSN card, SSA presumes the name on the immigration document is the legal name unless the applicant presents evidence of a legal name change (e.g., marriage) that occurred after the immigration document was issued.

RM 00203.210 Changing Numident Name Data:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203210

RM 00203.735 Requesting Online (Primary) Verification By SAVE:

http://web.archive.org/web/20051002025945/.../lnx/0100203735

E. PROCEDURE—ONLINE SAVE QUERY RESPONSE INFORMATION DOES NOT AGREE WITH IMMIGRATION DOCUMENT

1. Name

e. Applicant Has Changed His/Her Name But SAVE Query Response Shows Old Name

In some cases, the applicant may have changed his/her name after DHS issued the immigration document (e.g., he/she has married and is now using the spouse’s last name) but does not present an immigration document showing the new name. In these cases, the DHS system reflects the new name only when the person provided the name change information to DHS and requested to have his/her immigration record changed to show the new name. When the SAVE query response shows the old name that is shown on the immigration document presented and not the new name on the identity document presented, do not consider this a name discrepancy for enumeration purposes.

RM 00203.735 was taken off the SSA Website, but is still valid procedure

Even if you pass the 76th day you can still correct the name on the SSN record, but you will not be issued a card.

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203510
RM 00203.510 Alien without Work Authorization - Nonwork Need for an SSN

D. PROCEDURE - SSN CARD REQUEST BY ALIEN NOT AUTHORIZED TO WORK

4. Correcting Numident Data When a Replacement Card Cannot Be Issued

If the alien does not provide evidence of work authorization or a valid
nonwork reason, explain that no replacement card can be issued.

Although a replacement card cannot be issued, the Numident can be
corrected if the alien has provided documentation supporting the change
(e.g., a name change).

If the alien provides documentation supporting the change, process the
SS-5 to update the Numident information but suppress the issuance of a
card. (suppress issuance of the card, and see RM 00202.320 for providing
SSN Verification Printouts.)

DO NOT DO NOT give them your old SSN card until you are issued a new one!!! Say the dog ate it.