Problem with SSN

[20R3Mun 0]

Hello Visajourney folks!

Once again, we come to you in search for help and right. You have proven to be more dependable and knowing than the "official channels" after all.

First of all, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this topic. If it's not, please help me fix my mistake Thank you.

Now, the issue. So my now wife and I applied for a K-1 visa, which was eventually granted. Then I came here and, May sixth, we got married at the rotunda of the San Francisco city hall. Everything fine so far. After a grace period, honeymoon and a nice pat on eachother's back, we started with the new set of paperwork: Adjustment of Status and Social Security Number. And it is the latter that is giving us the biggest headache at the moment:

so, July 1st, we went to the Social Security Office in Berkeley. I had the form filled in, and everything the VisaJourney guide says. I thought it'd be a piece of cake!

But I got the feeling that the girl at the counter didn't really know how to proceed with a K-1 visa holder. In the end, she told me she had to send my application back to the Department of Homeland Security so I would get cleared, and that I'd receive the card in up to 4 weeks, "but it shouldn't take that long". I thought it was odd that I needed to be cleared again, since I already had been or I wouldn't have the visa.

Four weeks gone by, I still don't have it, so today I called the office. They told me that since my I-129F is expired, I have to fill it in again before applying for the SSN again. Why would I ever want to get a K-1 visa again, if I alraedy have one and I'm here and married already?

I called the national Social Security customer service, and they told me to call USCIS. I called USCIS and they said I need to make an appointment with a USICS officer. In the meantime, no SSN.

So I'm quite pissed, and quite lost as well. I needed to come to you to shed some light on all of these and blow off some steam as well.

Am I paranoid or is this all the fault of the Social Security office in which I applied for doing it wrong in the first place?

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome. And as always, thanks for all the help and support.

[20R3Mun 0]

Sorry, but I don't seem to be able to edit my own post. Anyway, my wife and I have been doing some investigating, and I think the lady that told be that my I-129F is expired got confused and meant the I-94 is expired. We think this, because the date she told us doesn't match the I-126F but the I-94.

So, yes, the I-94 is expired. But it wasn't when we filled in. In fact, it had exacly four weeks left in it, so we thought it'd be plenty of time. Now it is expired and I don't know what to do.

Hello Visajourney folks!

Once again, we come to you in search for help and right. You have proven to be more dependable and knowing than the "official channels" after all.

First of all, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this topic. If it's not, please help me fix my mistake Thank you.

Now, the issue. So my now wife and I applied for a K-1 visa, which was eventually granted. Then I came here and, May sixth, we got married at the rotunda of the San Francisco city hall. Everything fine so far. After a grace period, honeymoon and a nice pat on eachother's back, we started with the new set of paperwork: Adjustment of Status and Social Security Number. And it is the latter that is giving us the biggest headache at the moment:

so, July 1st, we went to the Social Security Office in Berkeley. I had the form filled in, and everything the VisaJourney guide says. I thought it'd be a piece of cake!

But I got the feeling that the girl at the counter didn't really know how to proceed with a K-1 visa holder. In the end, she told me she had to send my application back to the Department of Homeland Security so I would get cleared, and that I'd receive the card in up to 4 weeks, "but it shouldn't take that long". I thought it was odd that I needed to be cleared again, since I already had been or I wouldn't have the visa.

Four weeks gone by, I still don't have it, so today I called the office. They told me that since my I-129F is expired, I have to fill it in again before applying for the SSN again. Why would I ever want to get a K-1 visa again, if I alraedy have one and I'm here and married already?

I called the national Social Security customer service, and they told me to call USCIS. I called USCIS and they said I need to make an appointment with a USICS officer. In the meantime, no SSN.

So I'm quite pissed, and quite lost as well. I needed to come to you to shed some light on all of these and blow off some steam as well.

Am I paranoid or is this all the fault of the Social Security office in which I applied for doing it wrong in the first place?

Any thoughts or ideas are welcome. And as always, thanks for all the help and support.

[Inky 1,110]

I-94 is expired you cannot get an SSN until you have EAD or green card. Nothing you can do but file AOS and just wait.

The SSN office is notorious for accepting the SSN application from K-1 and then letting it sit until the I-94 expires so they don't have to give an SSN. Been posted about many times on VJ!! Sorry they screwed you over.

[20R3Mun 0]

Thanks for your response, Inky 

After we figured out that she meant I-94 instead of I-129F as she said, we saw on VJ that we need to wait for the EAD befor applying again. Luckily we've got all of that rolling already.

How can they just let it sit until it expires? I'm thinking of filing a formal complaint.

[velnoure 2]

Thanks for your response, Inky 

After we figured out that she meant I-94 instead of I-129F as she said, we saw on VJ that we need to wait for the EAD befor applying again. Luckily we've got all of that rolling already.

How can they just let it sit until it expires? I'm thinking of filing a formal complaint.

Most people apply for SSN with at least an EAD at hand. SSNs aren't too useful until then (can't use it to work, difficult time in the DMV, etc). After a short period of time (about 90 days... IMO, it's fairly short), you'll get the EAD/green card and just forget about the headache. Your SSN woes may also affect or delay your AOS application.

Edited August 6, 2011 by velnoure

[mishellibelli 1]

We had a bunch of headaches with the Berkeley office as well. We waited nearly 8 weeks without the SSN showing up. When we went back to the office, they told us they had sent the card out about a week after we had applied. Hmmm. So they requested another one and that one took nearly a month to arrive. Fortunately we got it all sorted out before the I-94 expired, but boy did I ever see a lot of that office over the last few months!