Social Security Application Seemingly Stuck In Limbo

[thisguyflies 72]

Preface: I realise that a SSN isn't essential for AOS. However, one is needed for my preferred banking option (again, I realise that a SSN isn't always needed to open a US bank account, but in my case it is.)

 

I had my SSN interview early August. It was fine, except that DHS hadn't updated their systems to show that I'd entered the country (I left it 3 weeks after entering before applying). I was given a letter saying that I should have my card in 2 weeks and was verbally told that it would be no issue.

 

Over a month has passed and nothing has happened. I have called them multiple times over the last few weeks only to receive the same answer: "it's pending".

 

I can't keep waiting around forever. I'm filling out the AOS forms from a K1 visa, but most importantly, am trying to create a joint bank account for my spouse and I. I struggle to find any banks that aren't a rip-off without a SSN and have been holding out for those options as I don't want to screw my finances by choosing a predatory bank.

 

Is this just the way the USA operates? Slow and incompetent? Here I am thinking the visa + AOS process was a mess, but perhaps it's EVERY branch of gov that is ran by sloths.

 

What do I do? Keep waiting more weeks and likely be told the same thing or look for an alternative?

[Ayrton 965]

2 minutes ago, thisguyflies said:

Preface: I realise that a SSN isn't essential for AOS. However, one is needed for my preferred banking option (again, I realise that a SSN isn't always needed to open a US bank account, but in my case it is.)

 

I had my SSN interview early August. It was fine, except that DHS hadn't updated their systems to show that I'd entered the country (I left it 3 weeks after entering before applying). I was given a letter saying that I should have my card in 2 weeks and was verbally told that it would be no issue.

 

Over a month has passed and nothing has happened. I have called them multiple times over the last few weeks only to receive the same answer: "it's pending".

 

I can't keep waiting around forever. I'm filling out the AOS forms from a K1 visa, but most importantly, am trying to create a joint bank account for my spouse and I. I struggle to find any banks that aren't a rip-off without a SSN and have been holding out for those options as I don't want to screw my finances by choosing a predatory bank.

 

Is this just the way the USA operates? Slow and incompetent? Here I am thinking the visa + AOS process was a mess, but perhaps it's EVERY branch of gov that is ran by sloths.

 

What do I do? Keep waiting more weeks and likely be told the same thing or look for an alternative?

1. Don't wait for the SSN or joint account to apply for AOS. Those are not a requirement.

 

2. Do you have your I-94? If yes, you're already in the SAVE database. And most likely from the moment you arrived. You didn't need to wait 3 weeks for that. I applied after 2 days and received the card within 3 weeks.

 

3. Did you apply for the SSN in your maiden name or married name? If applied with married name, your application will be rejected because the name on the save database is your maiden name.

 

4. It's still covid times. Everything is taking longer than usual.

[thisguyflies 72]

4 minutes ago, Ayrton said:

1. Don't wait for the SSN or joint account to apply for AOS. Those are not a requirement.

 

2. Do you have your I-94? If yes, you're already in the SAVE database. And most likely from the moment you arrived. You didn't need to wait 3 weeks for that. I applied after 2 days and received the card within 3 weeks.

 

3. Did you apply for the SSN in your maiden name or married name? If applied with married name, your application will be rejected because the name on the save database is your maiden name.

 

4. It's still covid times. Everything is taking longer than usual.

1. Read the first lines of my post again and why I'm making this thread. I know it's not a requirement.

 

2. Yes, of course I have my I-94. You can't get a SSN interview without it. I'm glad you got your card quickly, but 2 weeks after arrival is recommended as stated here.

 

3. My name has not changed.

 

4. I understand that it's COVID times, but that doesn't seem to be the issue here. My application and SSN interview all went off without a hitch. It seems to be DHS that have fallen short. COVID delays is honestly a pathetic excuse given what I've personally had to go through to get here.

 

I can only apologise for my frustrations. They're not aimed at you. I'm just in awe at the incompetence of US bureaucracy. 

[yuna628 9,530]

19 minutes ago, thisguyflies said:

1. Read the first lines of my post again and why I'm making this thread. I know it's not a requirement.

 

2. Yes, of course I have my I-94. You can't get a SSN interview without it. I'm glad you got your card quickly, but 2 weeks after arrival is recommended as stated here.

 

3. My name has not changed.

 

4. I understand that it's COVID times, but that doesn't seem to be the issue here. My application and SSN interview all went off without a hitch. It seems to be DHS that have fallen short. COVID delays is honestly a pathetic excuse given what I've personally had to go through to get here.

 

I can only apologise for my frustrations. They're not aimed at you. I'm just in awe at the incompetence of US bureaucracy. 

Hi there. You're saying you were not in the DHS database, but that you have a correct I94 showing when you arrived on your K1? Usually when these things happen the I94 won't have the correct info because the DHS hasn't recorded it, and you must go to the inspection site and have them manually fix it for you, for it to be reflected in the database. If this is not the actual issue and it is something on the SSAs end, then yes the delay has, as is usually described on these forums by many over the years severely lengthy and for a variety of reasons you may not get this issue resolved until your EAD arrives and you return with it and reapply. That will be a substantial time away from now.

 

It does not always matter if your 'interview' as you refer to it seemed to be fine, by all accounts it was not fine because they couldn't find you. That can be due to an employee at the office that doesn't know what they are doing to some other issue (it doesn't matter what their excuse is and it doesn't matter that they were clearly dishonest about how long it will actually take). If you do have to be 'manually verified' which is the typical excuse... well... it's anyone's guess how long it will take. It used to take long on a good day, but now we are in pandemic-land where up is down and down is up, and not a lot is functioning anymore. You can search on the forums to see the numerous cases and what the outcome generally was.

 

Your current problem is you don't have an SSN. But there are many banks that will accept you without one. You can also obtain health insurance without one, so ultimately while it can cause difficulties it won't be a huge hardship for right now. As I've always said, if the bank doesn't want you, then you don't want that bank.

 

And yes slow and incompetent is the norm. Wait until you go down the AOS rabbit hole... or the health insurance rabbit hole, unless you've already been in that fresh sweet hell. The two week SSN waiting period is outdated on that guide. You can go the day you arrive, provided you're there in the computer and the employee knows what they are doing. If they don't, run far away, withdraw the application, and find the nearest location that knows what to do.

Edited September 16, 2020 by yuna628

[thisguyflies 72]

3 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Hi there. You're saying you were not in the DHS database, but that you have a correct I94 showing when you arrived on your K1? Usually when these things happen the I94 won't have the correct info because the DHS hasn't recorded it, and you must go to the inspection site and have them manually fix it for you, for it to be reflected in the database. If this is not the actual issue and it is something on the SSAs end, then yes the delay has, as is usually described on these forums by many over the years severely lengthy and for a variety of reasons you may not get this issue resolved until your EAD arrives. That will be a substantial time away from now.

 

It does not always matter if your 'interview' as you refer to it seemed to be fine, by all accounts it was not fine because they couldn't find you. That can be due to an employee at the office that doesn't know what they are doing to some other issue (it doesn't matter what their excuse is and it doesn't matter that they were clearly dishonest about how long it will actually take). If you do have to be 'manually verified' which is the typical excuse... well... it's anyone's guess how long it will take. It used to take long on a good day, but now we are in pandemic-land where up is down and down is up, and not a lot is functioning anymore. You can search on the forums to see the numerous cases and what the outcome generally was.

 

Your current problem is you don't have an SSN. But there are many banks that will accept you without one. You can also obtain health insurance without one, so ultimately while it can cause difficulties it won't be a huge hardship for right now. As I've always said, if the bank doesn't want you, then you don't want that bank.

Thank you for the detailed response.

 

I'm very confused to the I94 / DHS issue. My I94 is up to date and accurate. DHS correctly recorded my Most Recent Date of Entry, Class of Admission etc (assuming the I94 database is linked with DHS's records). I can't see any reason for this info needing updating or fixing; it's all accurate to my travel history.

 

I really appreciate your advice. It's already worlds better than the help their offices have provided.

[Wuozopo 4,285]

1 hour ago, thisguyflies said:

I understand that it's COVID times, but that doesn't seem to be the issue here. My application and SSN interview all went off without a hitch. It seems to be DHS that have fallen short. COVID delays is honestly a pathetic excuse given what I've personally had to go through to get here.

Here’s another maybe scenario——-

I have seen many times of UK folks, which is all I generally help, that the issue is how your passport scanned at entry. Not sure if that is a passport glitch particular to the U.K. or not.  But your I-94 populates by scanning your passport instead of the old data entry off a manually filled in landing card. That’s why waiting two weeks after POE is no longer needed. A clerk is no longer copying off a card you filled out.

 

so... If your passport name is JOE BOB JONES , many Brits have experienced an entry scan resulting in JOEBOB JONES. The first and middle names are run together.  When you go to SSA, they must find  JOE BOB JONES  in the  database exactly that way.  JOEBOB in the database is not a match for your passport identification. So they have to send it off to DHS  to manually confirm that JOE BOB and JOEBOB are indeed the same person that entered the US with inspection that given date.  Maybe that’s what happened to you.  It can take 4 weeks during non-Covid times. Sometimes the clerk at SSA didn’t send it off immediately. Sometimes the manual verification is slow on the other end. Sometimes it came back and got set aside. Chasing it up with SSA is a good practice to make sure they didn’t forget to send or process when it came back verified. These are separate pieces of the government  so SSA can only see what is shared in the database and can do no more than look for an exact match which is a security requirement. The can’t fix it from their end.

 

Does your I-94 appear to have two names jammed together?

 

Edited September 16, 2020 by Wuozopo

[Ayrton 965]

1 hour ago, thisguyflies said:

1. Read the first lines of my post again and why I'm making this thread. I know it's not a requirement.

 

2. Yes, of course I have my I-94. You can't get a SSN interview without it. I'm glad you got your card quickly, but 2 weeks after arrival is recommended as stated here.

 

3. My name has not changed.

 

4. I understand that it's COVID times, but that doesn't seem to be the issue here. My application and SSN interview all went off without a hitch. It seems to be DHS that have fallen short. COVID delays is honestly a pathetic excuse given what I've personally had to go through to get here.

 

I can only apologise for my frustrations. They're not aimed at you. I'm just in awe at the incompetence of US bureaucracy. 

 

The recommendation from Visa Journey to wait 2 weeks is an old recommendation because CBP used to issue paper i-94, and because of that, it used to take 2 weeks to get in the system. There's no more paper I-94. Everything is digital now, which means the moment your I-94 is issued, you're in the system, so there's no need to wait. Some people arrived in the US and went straight to SSO from the airport and applied for their SSN with no problem. If you have done more research you would've seen here in the forum that waiting 2 weeks is no longer necessary. Many guides on VJ are outdated.

 

I've read your post, and that's why I answered you. And I'm gonna say it again. Focus on the AOS forms (also if you don't want to pay double the fees starting Oct 2nd). 

 

If you have done more research you would've seen that a verification with DHS is necessary for everyone that is not a US Citizen. For us K1, this verification is, in 100% of the cases, done by paper. The SSO file a form G-845 to check our status.

 

 

Only after this verification they are able to issue the SSN. So every K1 will receive a letter saying they need to get verified even though we already have our I-94 showing we are in the system.

 

And that leads to covid again. Offices are running slower. For example, it took 1 month for the SSO in NYC to send my originals back after I applied for a new SSC. You are also probably aware of the issues with USPS.

 

So yes, at this time, everything is gonna take longer than you desire. And I'm gonna say one more time, focus on the AOS.

 

 

[whiterose123 76]

On 9/16/2020 at 3:16 PM, Ayrton said:

1. Don't wait for the SSN or joint account to apply for AOS. Those are not a requirement.

 

2. Do you have your I-94? If yes, you're already in the SAVE database. And most likely from the moment you arrived. You didn't need to wait 3 weeks for that. I applied after 2 days and received the card within 3 weeks.

 

3. Did you apply for the SSN in your maiden name or married name? If applied with married name, your application will be rejected because the name on the save database is your maiden name.

 

4. It's still covid times. Everything is taking longer than usual.

What is the I-94 and what do we need it for ? 

Thank you

[Ayrton 965]

Just now, whiterose123 said:

What is the I-94 and what do we need it for ? 

Thank you

I-94 is your arrival/departure records. It's needed to show when you entered the country and how you entered.

[whiterose123 76]

Just now, Ayrton said:

I-94 is your arrival/departure records. It's needed to show when you entered the country and how you entered.

I didn't receive it when I entered the country but only the stamp on my passport. Do I need it for my AOS interview or any administration ? Can I still get it ?

[Ayrton 965]

Just now, whiterose123 said:

I didn't receive it when I entered the country but only the stamp on my passport. Do I need it for my AOS interview or any administration ? Can I still get it ?

Your I-94 is digital.

 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home

 

You should've sent a copy of it with the AOS packet. It's one of the requirements.

[yuna628 9,530]

1 minute ago, whiterose123 said:

I didn't receive it when I entered the country but only the stamp on my passport. Do I need it for my AOS interview or any administration ? Can I still get it ?

You don't receive a physical copy anymore. You need to look it up and print it online. https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/

[thisguyflies 72]

Update: Seemingly out of the blue, my card arrived! I guess the process works? Lock this thread.

[whiterose123 76]

19 minutes ago, Ayrton said:

Your I-94 is digital.

 

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home

 

You should've sent a copy of it with the AOS packet. It's one of the requirements.

I don't recall sending it or even reading about it before, thank you for the information !

21 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

You don't receive a physical copy anymore. You need to look it up and print it online. https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/

Thank you !