Ahmed and I are trying to decide whether or not he should attempt to get his temporary work authorization stamp in New York. Is it going to help us get his SSN faster and/or easier? Any tips or personal experiences are most appreciated.

Thanks,
Gabi and Ahmed

Not faster, maybe easier. Sometimes the SSA office does not understand that the K-1 is work authorized and they have to be educated. If you have the temp stamp it will be obvious to them. I am not sure it is worth extra money to simply go through NY if your only reason is SSN. Do it if you think he will need it because he will work within the first 90 days.

We arent too concerned about him actually getting a job, since we're not getting married for about a month after he gets here. It would be a bit of a mess if he got a job and then had to quit before the permanent auth arrives. It would be nice to have the permit, just as a safety net, but its not necessary for us to survive. Our primary concern is the SSN. We are jut wondering if the temporary stamp is going to make life easier when he first gets here. For things like the SSN card, driver's liscence, etc.

If all you intend the Temp EAD stamp is to make the SSA office a bit easier to deal with then dont bother with JFK it is extra $$ not needed. Most do not have problems with SSA, just follow the guide here on VJ, they tell you to print a page from SSA website and you can point out section C on that page that K-1 holders can get SSN.

See: https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/36f...b4?OpenDocument

Besides JFK can discontinue the practice at any time.

Thank you! That is extremely helpful