Applying for SSN 12 days after wedding. Can SSN take her married name?

[jaygauss 0]

My wife arrived in the States about a month ago (on a K1 visa) and we got married 12 days ago. On Monday we will go to the SSN office and apply for her SSN.

My wife will take my name and we would like to make this change official asap. I have heard some people say that the SSN office will tell people to wait to change their name when the Green Card comes. This seems to me like a BS answer. Am I wrong? What can we do to have the SSN office process the name change *at once*?

Edited August 22, 2014 by jaygauss

[NikLR 13,220]

It is easiest to apply for thr SSN in visa name because that's your name in the SAVE db. Then after the green card to change your name. You can try with just the married name but many SSA employees are just not trained well enough and may cause issues.

[G Walters 136]

I agree with the last post. File under the visa name it is easiest. When the green card comes in then use that to go to a SSA office and make the name change. The databases are in the madian name and you could run into issues.

[Dave&Roza 748]

My wife arrived in the States about a month ago (on a K1 visa) and we got married 12 days ago. On Monday we will go to the SSN office and apply for her SSN.

My wife will take my name and we would like to make this change official asap. I have heard some people say that the SSN office will tell people to wait to change their name when the Green Card comes. This seems to me like a BS answer. Am I wrong? What can we do to have the SSN office process the name change *at once*?

Son on a K-2 visa cannot apply for a SSN until they have their GC. File the AOS so the son's name on the GC is the married name. Once the GC arrives you can apply for a SSN for the son.

For your wife it is easier to file in the VISA name so the SSA employee does not try to feed you some line of cr@p about not being able to get the SSN after marriage because "...the K-1...<insert your favor mis-information here>..." Once she has her GC go back and using the marriage certificate and the GC get her name changed and have the "NOT VALID FOR WORK WITHOUT DHS AUTHORIZATION" removed from her SSC. That is the easiest. If you like a challenge or a fight: go to the SSA office with her passport, K-1 visa, the I-94,and the Marriage Certificate to use to change her name. You may get lucky and have a properly trained SSA employee. If not, thank them for their time and just leave. Go back later and file in the Maiden name.

Good luck,

Dave

Edited August 23, 2014 by Dave&Roza