No SSN yet after 4 weeks

[Toledospod 0]

Hi all,

Hoping you can give some good advice, as you lot always do!

I understand that it normally takes about 4 weeks to receive your SSN once you've gone through POE(if you've ticked 'Yes' to having one on the DS-230). It's been just over 4 weeks and it stil hasn't arrived. Can anyone suggest whether it's possible for me to call the local SS office in NJ(that's where I entered into the US and the address I gave for my Green Card, which I have now). I was wondering if I called them whether they could tell me that I'm in the system or not. If they've never got my request from the USCIS(for whatever reason), is it best for me just to go along to the SS office and apply there?

The other queston leading on from this is if I have to apply for a SSN because the process went wrong(as per my above point), does it matter which office I goto, i.e. if I move to a different State, do I need to change my address with the USCIS first and then goto the local office or can I just turn up at any office and apply for an SSN? I only ask this question because I'm back in the UK temporarily just to finish up on the sale of my apartment and we'll be flying out on 10th July, but we won't be going back to NJ, we'll be flying to Detroit and then travelling to Toledo, OH, where we are going to end up living(I entered through Newark as that's where my Mother-in-Law lives and we wanted to visit and then drive out Ohio for a bit, so I put my Mother-in-law's address down for my Green Card).

[broma25 2]

I went to my local SS office, and had to complete a SS-5 even though I had checked box on the DS-230.

Try looking on their website, maybe you can do something from the UK, although I would think you have to go in person.

If anyone else knows different they will post to correct me.

Good Luck

[Euro 3]

Hi all,

Hoping you can give some good advice, as you lot always do!

I understand that it normally takes about 4 weeks to receive your SSN once you've gone through POE(if you've ticked 'Yes' to having one on the DS-230). It's been just over 4 weeks and it stil hasn't arrived. Can anyone suggest whether it's possible for me to call the local SS office in NJ(that's where I entered into the US and the address I gave for my Green Card, which I have now). I was wondering if I called them whether they could tell me that I'm in the system or not. If they've never got my request from the USCIS(for whatever reason), is it best for me just to go along to the SS office and apply there?

The other queston leading on from this is if I have to apply for a SSN because the process went wrong(as per my above point), does it matter which office I goto, i.e. if I move to a different State, do I need to change my address with the USCIS first and then goto the local office or can I just turn up at any office and apply for an SSN? I only ask this question because I'm back in the UK temporarily just to finish up on the sale of my apartment and we'll be flying out on 10th July, but we won't be going back to NJ, we'll be flying to Detroit and then travelling to Toledo, OH, where we are going to end up living(I entered through Newark as that's where my Mother-in-Law lives and we wanted to visit and then drive out Ohio for a bit, so I put my Mother-in-law's address down for my Green Card).

I entered on the 5th of may at POE, i have had my greencard 3 weeks already now, & yet i still wait for my SSN, dont bother calling them, i did after many minutes & being put on hold a few times, the lady then told me to go to the local office as she cant give out info on the phone

[I'm Gone 60]

When an individual indicates on the DS-230 that he or she would like to be assigned an SSN when applying for an immigrant visa, one of three things may happen:

1. The application information is not transmitted correctly from the

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS)

and the individual must go into a Social Security office to submit

an SSN application (Form SS-5).

2. The application information partially transmits from DHS and

DOS and the individual must go into a Social Security office. If

the exception can be corrected the SSN can be assign and card

issued. Otherwise, the individual must submit an SSN application.

3. The application information transmits correctly from DHS and DOS and

the individual is assigned an SSN and the card is mailed to address

provided to DHS for the mailing of the I-551 card.

RM 00202.315 Enumeration At Entry:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100202315

If you answered “yes” to being assigned an SSN on form DS-230 when applying for an immigrant visa and you have not receive your SSN card within 3 weeks of being admitted to the United States, suggest that you go into your local Social Security office.

If you have been assigned an SSN, the office can provide you with the number. However, if you have not received your card within 14 days of your SSN being assigned, normally you will need to apply for a replacement SSN card.

If no SSN has been assigned after 3 weeks or application is found pending, you will need to submit an SSN application (Form SS-5) at an SSA office.

You can obtain the address and directions to Social Security offices from the Social Security Office Locator, which is available on the Internet at:

http://www.ssa.gov/locator

Be sure to take proof of age, identity and work authorization when going into a Social Security office to inquiry about the status of your SSN or to submit an application.

Applicants need to provide at least two documents as evidence to establish age, identity and work authorization. Proof of age is not required when applying for a replacement SSN card.

If a foreign-born person has the foreign birth certificate (BC) in his/her possession or can easily obtain a copy, he or she must submit it as proof of age. When a person is foreign-born, a BC may not exist, may not have been recorded shortly after birth, or the probative value of the document may not be high. In these situations, SSA can accept alternative evidence of age in order of probative value. The alternative evidence of age may be less than a year old, e.g., a DHS document or passport.

You can find detailed information regarding evidence that

establishes age on the SSA Website at:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203110

The documents acceptable as evidence of identity are now based on three factors: (1) the applicant’s age, (2) the applicant’s citizenship/alien status, and (3) the relative probative value of documents.

You can find detailed information regarding evidence that

establishes identity on the SSA Website at:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203200

The unexpired immigration documents I-551 card or Machine Readable Immigrant Visa (MRIV) with temporary I-551 language establishes work authorization.

Note: The MRIV shows the alien's identification number (“A” number) as the “Registration Number” in the upper right-hand corner of the MRIV.

The MRIV in an unexpired foreign passport that shows the above statement and is endorsed with an admission stamp the same as a valid Temporary I-551 stamp and is valid for one year from the date of endorsement by the admission stamp.

Example:

If the admission stamp shows a date of entry into the U.S. as January 4, 2004, the expiration of the temporary I-551 status will be January 3, 2005. The expiration date on the MRIV should not be used to determine when the temporary I-551 status expires. The expiration date on the MRIV only shows how long the MRIV is valid not how long the alien's temporary I-551 status is valid.

RM 00203.410 Evidence of Alien Status for an SSN Card for an Alien Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203410

SSA cannot accept an application filing receipt or notice of action as proof of lawful alien status or work authorization.

An SSN card should be received card in the mail within two weeks after the application and documents have been received and verified when applying within the United States.

However, when an alien requests an SSN or replacement SSN card, SSA will verify his or her documents/status with the appropriate Bureau of the Department of Homeland Security. If verification is not available through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, the SSA office will send Form G-845 for manual verification.

RM 00203.720 Verifying Immigration Documents:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203720

If the SSA office does send the G-845, suggest that you go back to the SSA office no more that once week with your documents to (1) ask them to check SAVE again (2) ask if they sent a G-845 (3) if yes, did it come back (4) after 30 days ask if they have followed up on the G-845 by calling or sending another mark “second request.”

All cards are mailed from Social Security Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.

New Rules For Getting A Social Security Number And Card:

http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10120.html

Employers can contact the CIS Business Liaison Office Hotline at their toll-free number, 1-800-357-2099 with work authorization and Form I-9 questions.

You may also wish to review “Employer Responsibilities When Hiring Foreign Workers,” that can be found on our Website at:

http://www.ssa.gov/employer/hiring.htm

You may find additional SSN and employment information on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Website at:

http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/intern...=129227,00.html

[Toledospod 0]

Wow! That's a lot of information!! Thanks ever so much for all your advice everyone!

Looks like I'll be going to my local SSA office in Toledo next month

[broma25 2]

Hopefully by the time you return to the US the card will also have arrived!

[Toledospod 0]

Hopefully by the time you return to the US the card will also have arrived!

I hope so! It'll save me a trip to the local SSA office!

[I'm Gone 60]

Hopefully by the time you return to the US the card will also have arrived!

I hope so! It'll save me a trip to the local SSA office!

You can check with the Federal Benefits Unit in London if you are near there to see if an SSN has been assigned.

Federal Benefits Unit

American Embassy

24/31 Grosvenor Square

W1A 2LQ London

England

Phone: 44-207-499-9000

Fax: 44-207-495-7200

[Toledospod 0]

You can check with the Federal Benefits Unit in London if you are near there to see if an SSN has been assigned.

Federal Benefits Unit

American Embassy

24/31 Grosvenor Square

W1A 2LQ London

England

Phone: 44-207-499-9000

Fax: 44-207-495-7200

Thanks mdyoung. I called them this afternoon, but didn't realise that they were closed after 1pm. I'll try them again tomorrow or e-mail them.

Many thanks for your help once again!

[Artegal 1]

There seems to be huge disconnect between the Department of State and the SSA. Well no surprise since they are completely opposite ends of the government. And the DMV in my state is run better than the SSA office here. Well I don't know of anyone on VJ that has successfully received the SSN/Card based on the application box on the DS-230.

[I'm Gone 60]

There seems to be huge disconnect between the Department of State and the SSA. Well no surprise since they are completely opposite ends of the government. And the DMV in my state is run better than the SSA office here. Well I don't know of anyone on VJ that has successfully received the SSN/Card based on the application box on the DS-230.

It has worked for some people, but normally you only here from people on when there is a problem.

Edited June 19, 2006 by mdyoung

[meauxna 15]

There seems to be huge disconnect between the Department of State and the SSA. Well no surprise since they are completely opposite ends of the government. And the DMV in my state is run better than the SSA office here. Well I don't know of anyone on VJ that has successfully received the SSN/Card based on the application box on the DS-230.

Lots of people have reported their success in using the DS-230 application method.

Anyway, it's nothing to do with the Dept of State. As I understand it, the application is triggered after the POE; the CPB or another Dept of Homeland Security officer is in charge of entering the application.

[Toledospod 0]

There seems to be huge disconnect between the Department of State and the SSA. Well no surprise since they are completely opposite ends of the government. And the DMV in my state is run better than the SSA office here. Well I don't know of anyone on VJ that has successfully received the SSN/Card based on the application box on the DS-230.

Lots of people have reported their success in using the DS-230 application method.

Anyway, it's nothing to do with the Dept of State. As I understand it, the application is triggered after the POE; the CPB or another Dept of Homeland Security officer is in charge of entering the application.

IMO you're both right, it seems(from what I've been reading on here anyway)that it's very much hit and miss whether you get your SSN as a result of filling in the relevent box on the DS-230. I think that it is much the fault of the DHS but at the same time it looks like this system is relatively new in which the SSA issues SSN's to new immgrant's in this way(am I right?). Maybe the SSA and DHS are having teething troubles in communicating with each other? This is what is supposed to happen according to the SSA:

Process for applying for SSN during visa application

Well, I phoned SSA and after going through 2 minutes of recorded information and 'Press X for this' and 'Press Y for that', I then have to wait 10 minutes to speak to a representative. She tells me that I have to speak to my local SSA office, so that was a wasted phone call. I call the local office in NJ and after waiting another 10 minutes, I get through to a lady who tells me that the only way to check my status is to visit the office. So, after all that, it looks like I am going to have to wait until we go back to the US on 10th July and then I'll visit my local office, tell them I've moved and either re-apply for my SSN or see if it was issued by NJ and hasn't arrived.

Talk about jumping through hoops! I feel like a circus animal!

[Euro 3]

I had to go to the SS Office today to ask about mine, it will be here in a week to 10 days, so i guess the DS-230 didnt work for me

[I'm Gone 60]

There seems to be huge disconnect between the Department of State and the SSA. Well no surprise since they are completely opposite ends of the government. And the DMV in my state is run better than the SSA office here. Well I don't know of anyone on VJ that has successfully received the SSN/Card based on the application box on the DS-230.

Lots of people have reported their success in using the DS-230 application method.

Anyway, it's nothing to do with the Dept of State. As I understand it, the application is triggered after the POE; the CPB or another Dept of Homeland Security officer is in charge of entering the application.

IMO you're both right, it seems(from what I've been reading on here anyway)that it's very much hit and miss whether you get your SSN as a result of filling in the relevent box on the DS-230. I think that it is much the fault of the DHS but at the same time it looks like this system is relatively new in which the SSA issues SSN's to new immgrant's in this way(am I right?). Maybe the SSA and DHS are having teething troubles in communicating with each other? This is what is supposed to happen according to the SSA:

Process for applying for SSN during visa application

Well, I phoned SSA and after going through 2 minutes of recorded information and 'Press X for this' and 'Press Y for that', I then have to wait 10 minutes to speak to a representative. She tells me that I have to speak to my local SSA office, so that was a wasted phone call. I call the local office in NJ and after waiting another 10 minutes, I get through to a lady who tells me that the only way to check my status is to visit the office. So, after all that, it looks like I am going to have to wait until we go back to the US on 10th July and then I'll visit my local office, tell them I've moved and either re-apply for my SSN or see if it was issued by NJ and hasn't arrived.

One problem could be that people don't follow directions.

"If you answered “yes” to being assigned an SSN on form DS-230 when applying for an immigrant visa and you have not receive your SSN card within 3 weeks of being admitted to the United States, suggest that you go into your local Social Security office."