How long did it take for you to get your SSN after immigration?

[shewolf 0]

Hey everyone. I'm here in LA on a CR-1 immigrant visa (from Vancouver). I checked off the box in my DS-230 that says that I want to receive my SSN automatically upon entering the States. It's been a month and I still don't have my SSN. The paper I got from the Consulate General says that if you don't get your SSN after 3 weeks then call this 1-800 number. So I called the number and it was like an SSN office call centre and they said I should go to my local SSN office. So I went with my husband the next day (this was last week)and they said I need my green card to apply for SSN!! The green card arrives within 4 months of entering the States... the SSN is given right away.. so I applied for another SSN number.. should take two weeks (which is what the consulate general paper says about applying for new SSNs)but at the office they said it will take about 4 weeks. Without a SSN I cannot apply to an insurance company for medical and dental insurance... and my medication and birth control pills will run out in about a month. I have no idea what to do... should I call USCIS? Did anyone have problems with receiving their SSN like this?

Thanks!

[Canadiandggal 49]

Hey everyone. I'm here in LA on a CR-1 immigrant visa (from Vancouver). I checked off the box in my DS-230 that says that I want to receive my SSN automatically upon entering the States. It's been a month and I still don't have my SSN. The paper I got from the Consulate General says that if you don't get your SSN after 3 weeks then call this 1-800 number. So I called the number and it was like an SSN office call centre and they said I should go to my local SSN office. So I went with my husband the next day (this was last week)and they said I need my green card to apply for SSN!! The green card arrives within 4 months of entering the States... the SSN is given right away.. so I applied for another SSN number.. should take two weeks (which is what the consulate general paper says about applying for new SSNs)but at the office they said it will take about 4 weeks. Without a SSN I cannot apply to an insurance company for medical and dental insurance... and my medication and birth control pills will run out in about a month. I have no idea what to do... should I call USCIS? Did anyone have problems with receiving their SSN like this?

Thanks!

Im sorry that you havent received it yet, actually my experience is the opposite, I checked NO on the ds230 as I have read stories of it taking too long or people getting two number etc so I decided I would do it when i got here. However I was going to wait till this coming friday as it would be 10 business days till entry but I received both My sons and Mine in the mail yesterday. how it happened I have no clue, I never even applied and even double checked my ds230 to make sure it was checked off as no. Maybe its because I have a Itin number from last years taxes? I am sure it will work itself out soon.

Did you get the welcome letter yet? I haven't.

I would wait another week and then call SSA they can tell you if its been issued yet

Edited November 9, 2010 by Canadiandggal

[Flames9_RN 358]

I believe 1 can go back to the office a few days letter and check on the SSN card (after re-applying-) Many SSN cards appear in mail about a week after the visit

[shewolf 0]

The card will arrive at my home address... so I guess I don't need to go back to the office, Flames9_RN?.... we check the mail everyday.. still nothing. Nope haven't received welcome letter either.

[Flames9_RN 358]

it wil arrive at ur home address. BUT if you want to go get ur #, I believe you can goto the office a few days later and obtain it. I was told they wont tell you the # over the phone. I had to re-apply--and it arrived 1 week later in my mail. Have read many similiar stories on VJ!

[Krikit 1,164]

Moving from Canada Regional Forum to the SSN section.

[I'm Gone 60]

So I went with my husband the next day (this was last week)and they said I need my green card to apply for SSN!!

BS

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has entered into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS) for those agencies to assist SSA by collecting as part of the immigration process the information SSA needs to assign Social Security numbers and issue Social Security number (SSN) cards. DHS electronically forwards the data to SSA once the person is admitted to the United States (U.S.), to assign Social Security numbers and issue SSN cards. SSA calls this data sharing process Enumeration at Entry (EAE).

RM 10205.600 Enumeration-at-Entry:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205600

Individuals applying for an immigrant visa and completing Form DS-230 “Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration,” should answer “yes” to questions 43a and 43b on the form if he or she wants to be assigned an SSN or issued a replacement card.

The individual should receive his or her SSN card within three weeks after arriving in the United States. The SSN card will be mailed to the same United States mailing address that is used to mail the Permanent Resident card (Form I-551).

If you answered “yes” to being assigned an SSN on Form DS-230 when applying for an immigrant visa, and have not received your SSN card within 3 weeks of being admitted to the United States, we suggest that you go into one of our offices.

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.

After three weeks, if no SSN has been assigned or application is found pending, you will need to submit an SSN application at one of our offices.

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

http://www.ssa.gov/locator

Applicants who live or receive mail in the Brooklyn, NY, Queens, NY, Phoenix, AZ, Orlando, FL, Sacramento, CA, or Las Vegas, NV area should apply at their local Social Security Card Center.

Individuals residing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN area should apply at the Twin Cities Card Center.

Card Center Information:

http://www.ssa.gov/cardcenters/cardcenterinfo.html

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.

Example: If the immigration document, for example, I-551, is used to establish work authorization and identity, the alien must provide another document to establish age.

Proof of age is not required when applying for a replacement SSN card.

When requesting an SSN card, the documents presented, as evidence must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. SSA cannot accept uncertified or notarized photocopies as evidence.

If an acceptable evidence document is in a language other than English and no other acceptable document is available, we will have the foreign language document translated by an authorized translator.

SSA translators comprise two groups:

-- Field office and Payment Center employees who volunteer their

services as translators

-- Central Translation Section translators who hold actual translator

positions.

GN 00301.340 Authorized Translators Defined:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0200301340

If a foreign-born person has the foreign birth certificate in his/her possession or can easily obtain a copy, he or she must submit it as proof of age. In some situations SSA can accept alternative evidence of age. The alternative evidence of age may be less than a year old, for example, a foreign passport.

You can find links to detailed information regarding evidence that establishes age on the SSA Web site:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110210250

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 value of documents.

Primary Identity Evidence for an alien:

-- Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (includes temporary I-551

stamp/machine readable immigrant visa (MRIV) in combination with an

unexpired foreign passport when the I-551 Permanent Resident Card

has not yet been issued)

RM 10210.405 Evidence of Identity for an SSN Card:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110210405

RM 10210.420 List of Documents in Priority of Acceptability for Use as Evidence of Identity:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110210420

Employment Authorization Documents:

-- I-551 (stamp or card)

-- MRIV with temporary I-551 language

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 statement “UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR and is endorsed with an admission stamp is 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, 2010, the expiration of the temporary I-551 status will be January 3, 2011. 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 10211.025 Evidence of Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) Status for an SSN Card:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110211025

SSA cannot accept an application filing receipt or notice of action as evidence of an immigration document, or an immigration document with a “valid from” date in the future.

Exception: We can accept an expired I-551 card accompanied by a Form I-797C (Notice of Action) stating, “Your conditional resident status is extended for a period of one year as evidence of LPR status.

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 card, SSA must verify his or her documents/current status with the appropriate bureau of DHS. If the initial online verification is not possible through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, SSA may need to send a Form G-845 to the appropriate DHS Status Verification Office (SVO) for manual verification.

Social Security field offices can submit an additional electronic online verification, which with the majority of applications eliminates the need to send a Form G-845 along with a copy of the applicant’s immigration documents.

However, some applications still require a copy of the immigration document(s) to be mailed to the appropriate DHS SVO along with Form G-845 for manual verification.

SSA offices can also assist applicants by issuing a notice acknowledging the SSN application while documents are being verified.

RM 10205.215 Acknowledgement Requested for an Application for an SSN Card:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205215

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

When am I legally required to provide my Social Security number:

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/78

[jorgegoco 2]

It's been 5 weeks since my husband entered the country and we checked "yes" on the DS-260 to needing a card and still no card! We did what they told us and applied in the office two weeks ago and now nothing! When I call them they say it can take up to 8 more weeks! Nobody at the SSA or DHS seems to know what is going on. This is completely screwing us over since my husband came here on a hardship waiver and I cannot keep supporting him without him having a job which of course requires a SSN!

[User007 93]

I got my ssn 4 days after i applied.

[EireneFaith 54]

I got the SSN card 5 days after I applied and received it by mail.

I got my SSN card 5 days after applying in the office. I received it by mail.

[TBoneTX 45,550]

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