Does SSA office matter?

[lilacvioletiris 11]

My fiance' will be arriving in the U.S. on June 30. We are getting married on July 11.

Does it matter which Social Security Administration office we go to in order to apply for his SSN? We are going to be on our honeymoon when his 2 weeks of being in the U.S. will come up and we need the Social Security Card in order to get his Michigan driver's license. We were thinking of stopping at a SSA office in Ohio on our trip. Anyone had experience with the SSA office in Dayton, OH?

I read on a thread somewhere that suggests 16 days from POE before going to the SSA office. Will this length of time be increased because of the 4th of July holiday?

I have read the Step-by-Step Guide to getting a Social Security Number (SSN) and it talks about finding the "local SSA office". But it is all the same government and they will send it to the address on the application, right?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

My fiance' will be arriving in the U.S. on June 30. We are getting married on July 11.

Does it matter which Social Security Administration office we go to in order to apply for his SSN? We are going to be on our honeymoon when his 2 weeks of being in the U.S. will come up and we need the Social Security Card in order to get his Michigan driver's license. We were thinking of stopping at a SSA office in Ohio on our trip. Anyone had experience with the SSA office in Dayton, OH?

I read on a thread somewhere that suggests 16 days from POE before going to the SSA office. Will this length of time be increased because of the 4th of July holiday?

I have read the Step-by-Step Guide to getting a Social Security Number (SSN) and it talks about finding the "local SSA office". But it is all the same government and they will send it to the address on the application, right?

No. Any office will do. DO NOT leave until her applicatiomn has been accepted. As a K-1 she can receive an SSn right away. My wife filed for hers 16 hours after arriving. She had the number in her hand the next business dya and the card in 6 days.

DO NOT accept ANY excuses from untrained SS personnel, ask for a supervisor if necessary, there is NO NEED to wait, but they use the SAVE system which records legal entries into the US and that is updated each night at 12:01 am so wait until the next morning. Get the card in her maiden name and change the name after she has her green card, IF she changes her name. It makes no difference what name is on the card.

[frenzyheart 2]

I don't think they'll have to worry about name changes; the foreigner is male and the USC is female. Otherwise, that sounds about right, from what I've heard.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Why not just wait til you're back from the honeymoon? As you noted...since the 2 weeks is over the long weekend, you're probably right about things being a little slower.

Nothing says you HAVE to go right at 2 weeks...worry about getting it and then his Michigan license when you return.

[Peachey 10]

The only difference is the number you'll get. The first 3 digits of the SSN are determined by which state you apply from I think.

[Hugglebuggles 60]

They tell you to wait two weeks to ensure you are in "the system". However, some people are able to go a few days after entering the US and they're in the system, while some people go well after the 2 week mark and they're not in the system. It's pretty much a shot in the dark. I waited 3 weeks and I wasn't in the system when I went down to the office. All that happens when they can't find you, is they take photocopies if your immigration information (passport, visa, I-94) and send it in for manual verification. Sometimes getting verified manually only takes a week or so, and sometimes it takes much longer. It really depends. I had my SSN in less than 2 weeks even with the manual verification.

If you apply before you leave for your honeymoon, you'll be gone and won't really need or miss the SSN. When you get home you may very well find it waiting for you. Or you can wait and it would be rather unlikely for you not to be in the system. I can't see a problem with going to the office in Ohio, but they may look at you strange when you tell them you live in Michigan!