Wasteful Visits to US Government Offices

[CowBoE 429]

[social Security Office]

1. Filed for SS card, and received it in 5 working days.

2. After the marriage, filed for name change and received a letter to bring original copy of marriage certificate weeks later,

even though they already made a copy on the prior visit.

3. Brought the marriage certificate in, but no response in 7 weeks.

4. So we visit SS office again, only to find that her application is not even in file,

and we are told to come back after EAD card, otherwise, same (silent) reject will occur.

5. Had to go back and refile name change after receiving EAD card.

Required 5 visits and in 5 months to complete this.

[Driver's License Office]

1. Went for learner's permit. We are told to bring 2 proof of residency letter of some sort with her marriage name,

so we go change all her bank account information to the new married name and wait for monthly statements.

2. Go back with 2 residency proof, but now USCIS is not clearing her legal status, and they have to request verification from USCIS.

3. After 2 weeks, we receive verification letter, and go back to DMV to take learner's permit test.

4. After 4 months of driving practice, she goes to take the road test. We are told, we have to reserve road test time online.

No walk-ins allowed.

5. Best appointment time is one months away, and we go back to take the test,

and we are told her legal status is not verifying by USCIS.

So they have to request verification from USCIS again.

6. We just booked the next road test...this time 6 weeks of wait.

7. And of course, we will have to go back again once she received Green Card

to change the expiration date of driver's license.

Required 5 visits and in 5 months so far, and still counting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's just amazing how well US is doing despite having poorly skilled government workers

and pretty inefficient systems/process.

[Boiler 43,436]

It is a surprise to most people moving here, the reality is so different.

[Pitaya 2,576]

~Moved from Fam.-based AOS to Moving to the US and Your New Life in America Forum~

~Commentary about US bureaucracies~

[Dashinka 23,246]

I agree. We made at lest three trips to the SSA and Michigan Secretary of State to get the SSC and driver's license. Luckily, they are not too far from our home, and the Michigan SoS gave us a return pass for our visits so we didn't have to wait in line each time.

Good Luck!

[khwaidee1 196]

[social Security Office]

1. Filed for SS card, and received it in 5 working days.

2. After the marriage, filed for name change and received a letter to bring original copy of marriage certificate weeks later,

even though they already made a copy on the prior visit.

3. Brought the marriage certificate in, but no response in 7 weeks.

4. So we visit SS office again, only to find that her application is not even in file,

and we are told to come back after EAD card, otherwise, same (silent) reject will occur.

5. Had to go back and refile name change after receiving EAD card.

Required 5 visits and in 5 months to complete this.

[Driver's License Office]

1. Went for learner's permit. We are told to bring 2 proof of residency letter of some sort with her marriage name,

so we go change all her bank account information to the new married name and wait for monthly statements.

2. Go back with 2 residency proof, but now USCIS is not clearing her legal status, and they have to request verification from USCIS.

3. After 2 weeks, we receive verification letter, and go back to DMV to take learner's permit test.

4. After 4 months of driving practice, she goes to take the road test. We are told, we have to reserve road test time online.

No walk-ins allowed.

5. Best appointment time is one months away, and we go back to take the test,

and we are told her legal status is not verifying by USCIS.

So they have to request verification from USCIS again.

6. We just booked the next road test...this time 6 weeks of wait.

7. And of course, we will have to go back again once she received Green Card

to change the expiration date of driver's license.

Required 5 visits and in 5 months so far, and still counting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

It's just amazing how well US is doing despite having poorly skilled government workers

and pretty inefficient systems/process.

I don't know how things work in China but, whenever we have to deal the government in Thailand it makes the DMV seem like a joy. Last year we needed to correct the title to some land, it involved going to the Lands Dept 3 days, all day long each day, and that's even with a sister in law who knows someone who works there and paying some tea money!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I must have lucked out then - 1 trip to the SSA to apply for my SSN in my married name after the wedding, 1 trip to the DMV to get my state id after I had my 2 yr GC (took approx. 4 mon. to get 2 yr GC back then)

[tolitzpogi 37]

A little planning and research could've saved you half the time and visits you just did. The SS and DMV have mandatory requirements, depending on what state you are in. I suggest doing due diligence in the future.

Good luck!

[khwaidee1 196]

I must have lucked out then - 1 trip to the SSA to apply for my SSN in my married name after the wedding, 1 trip to the DMV to get my state id after I had my 2 yr GC (took approx. 4 mon. to get 2 yr GC back then)

Same here. Went to SSA 2 days after arrival got first SS card. After got the GC (the EAD/AP came in the mail the day after the GC interview), made appointment at DMV and got the temporary permit. Then went back to SSA to get the SS card with married name that reflected work status. Then made appointment at DMV for driving test and wife got her license. All fairly routine and simple. In Calif. if you don't make appointment at the DMV you can potentially wait for hours!

[Lelyze 49]

went to SSA office two weeks after arrival, got my SSC in mail in 5 days. After receiving EAD went back to change my last name. They tell me I will get my SSC in 4 weeks. 5 weeks later I call them to find out that they didn't even send request for DHS verification. 6 weeks later, still no SSC.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

Ticked the box for SSN on our DS230. The cards arrived just over a week after we entered at POE.

DL: Booked written test online. Went into DMV early, allowed in early, passed test. Had to call to book drivers for some reason as online system didn't recognize temp drivers permit number. Opted for DMV to call back rather than hold. They did (with surprisingly (?) helpful and efficient person who checked around the different DMVs to see where we could get the earliest appointment.) Went to DMV at appointed time (tried to do it early again but got sent away and told to come back at correct time!), passed road test. Both times, we checked to ensure we had all the info re required documents. Did see very long wait lines for those who had not booked appointments.

The one bureaucratic issue was one (of four) green cards not arriving. Spent some time on the phone and email then gave up on TSC and handed over to congressperson's office. A couple of weeks later the missing green card arrived.

[rlogan 2,036]

Nightmare story:

Five days after we arrived we went to the social security office to file for a number.

The employee insisted ,my wife could not have one. We asked for a supervisor. He told her to file. She completed the form wrong THREE TIMES.

We got a receipt for the application. She didn't know where to file it, so she LOST IT. For months we called, visited, pleaded with them to tell us the status of our application and there was nothing we could do but wait. We were not allowed to file another one.

As the deadline approached we went to our congressman. Nothing happened. After the deadline passed, we got a call from social security directing us to COMMIT A FELONY. We were instructed to change the date stamp on her passport!!

We were appalled and confused. The woman on the phone insisted that if we did not change the entry stamp that she would refuse to process our application for being late, despite the fact we had a receipt showing we applied five days after arriving. We refused to commit the felony.

We then got a letter from social security. It was a forged receipt of application, dated MONTHS after the true receipt. We again went to our congressman. Nothing happened. We had to wait until she had her green card, and try applying for the SS# with her green card.

We went in the office, and the same woman who tried to stop us before tried to stop us again, saying my wife was not eligible for a SS#. When we got the supervisor to direct her to do the application, she insisted we needed certified copies of marriage certificate etc. which was not true. But we came in again, and to our surprise was a brand new Russian immigrant employee who immediately processed our SS application, saying we needed nothing but the green card. The other employee came over to try convincing this helpful employee to not file our application for us.

You could actually see the delight in this woman's face in approaching us by dashing our hopes to finally be free of this office. But the Russian immigrant held her ground and showed her where in the regulations in plain English it said we were eligible, not in need of additional paperwork, and a year of horror story overdue in getting what the government was requiring us to do.

It wasn't just incompetence. It was an astonishing degree of malice and most incredibly a demand we commit a felony., It is a perfect example of how America is not a free country. Even getting that precious number on your forehead subjects you to the power of petty tyrants. You should not need to be numbered in the first place, as if you didn't already have a name, address, and file cabinet full of application materials including background checks, employment history, medical records, locations you have lived for many years into the past...

Edited August 25, 2015 by rlogan

[tolitzpogi 37]

It wasn't just incompetence. It was an astonishing degree of malice and most incredibly a demand we commit a felony., It is a perfect example of how America is not a free country. Even getting that precious number on your forehead subjects you to the power of petty tyrants. You should not need to be numbered in the first place, as if you didn't already have a name, address, and file cabinet full of application materials including background checks, employment history, medical records, locations you have lived for many years into the past...

I would like to point out that there are always bad apples in any organization, but I had to snicker at that last piece of melodrama in that paragraph.