Confused about steps after marriage

[snewbery 18]

On 2/16/2024 at 7:14 PM, K1visaHopeful said:

@SP1988 That is the procedure for before marriage. 

No problem at all: It's rare for SSA to issue a married name SSN after K1 marriage. That's why we always recommend the procedure we've been telling you @SP1988 for a few weeks.

This occursance above happens maybe in about 1 out of 500 tries which is why we never recommend to go to SSA after marriage and apply in the married name and always recommend to go before marriage and apply in the maiden name only. 

I think you might have missed my first second step which was to go to the SSA office BEFORE we were married and file for a SSN using her maiden name as listed in her passport. After we were married with the recorded MC in hand we returned to request a replacement SSC with her new name.

 

On 2/16/2024 at 7:14 PM, K1visaHopeful said:

 

*The official name change document is the MC not the SSN. Official name change documents are MCs, DDs, adoption papers or legal name change documents through the court system, etc.

The SSN is only a personally identifying document with the name changed. It's not a legal name change document.

Kind of but it's your wife's name now too not yours. 

Maiden name and married name is how you'll need to learn it by in order to understand the forms she'll need to fill out for the next 7 years. 

Learning it now will be helpful to avoid confusion later.

No!! Not after marriage and not in the married name. That's what the I765 and I485 forms are for. 

 

 

Has she attempted to read the VJ guides about SSNs yet or join the monthly AOS filers thread so she can learn some basics about her process?

To clarify, what I meant to write was that the updated SSC with her new name was the first document listing the name change. Agreed that the MC is the official name change doc. The I-485 and related AOS forms we submitted all bear her new name and hence the eventual green card should as well.

[snewbery 18]

On 2/16/2024 at 7:45 PM, K1visaHopeful said:

 

How would it be quicker if it didn't "ever" happen that way? The above guy got extremely lucky. You've got a less than one percent chance that the idiot you encounter at SSA knows anything about K1s and their eligibility for an SSN nevermind what name to issue it in or to believe they are even eligible for one AT ALL.

PLEASE read the guides on SSNs which explains all of this in full (if my several explanations are not good enough for you). 

The procedure is very straight forward if you'd just follow it and not try to understand why SSA is incompetent and there is nothing we can do about it. 

 

I would not say "lucky" really. I called the SSA to get advice on how to apply for her SSC, followed their advice and as I said, at the SSA office both agents that we dealt with were very clear on how to handle a K1 visa case. That said, the excellent SSN guide here does not mention how to handle marriage name changes.

 

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

29 minutes ago, snewbery said:

I think you might have missed my first second step which was to go to the SSA office BEFORE we were married and file for a SSN using her maiden name as listed in her passport. After we were married with the recorded MC in hand we returned to request a replacement SSC with her new name.

 

Nope. I didn't miss it at all. If you scroll up and read carefully, you'll see I tagged the OP and said that that was the correct procedure to go BEFORE marriage and apply in the maiden name.

This post has been going on for a VERY long time and only confusing the OP further. 

My comment again, FOR THE OP as that's who I tagged, was about it being EXTREMELY RARE to receive a MARRIED name SSN after marriage if you go back LIKE YOU did. It NEVER happens. They never approve it. We can't give him as much hope as you've extended. Following the VJ SSN guide is the recommended way to go. Reading and following it is much easier than arguing about it every time a "new" question about SSNs is posted. 

29 minutes ago, snewbery said:

To clarify, what I meant to write was that the updated SSC with her new name was the first document listing the name change. Agreed that the MC is the official name change doc. The I-485 and related AOS forms we submitted all bear her new name and hence the eventual green card should as well.

Correct. My issue was with the term "official name change document" being used incorrectly. 

Edited February 19 by K1visaHopeful

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

19 minutes ago, snewbery said:

I would not say "lucky" really. I called the SSA to get advice on how to apply for her SSC, followed their advice and as I said, at the SSA office both agents that we dealt with were very clear on how to handle a K1 visa case.

 

So I can tell you the stats one more time that it's rare the SSA knows much about K1s or you can believe and tell others with confidence that you did NOT have a unique and extremely unusual experience and what happened for you WILL happen for everyone

OR

you can use the search bar for yourself and see the recommendations from others who have been also advising for years and see that it's rare for what happened in your situation to happen for others.

Up to you, but I won't agree with you and mislead the OP into thinking they have a good chance it will happen for them that way because it's not common at all. 

19 minutes ago, snewbery said:

That said, the excellent SSN guide here does not mention how to handle marriage name changes.

Correct because the SSN guide is about the initial K1 SSN obtained before filing AOS. 

The name change for SSN cards takes place, most successfully, by filing for replacement cards on I765 and I485 as explained many times above. 

 

Edited February 19 by K1visaHopeful

[poh 125]

Yeah.  You will need social security number to apply for driver license, open bank account and such so best to get it as your spouse enters Port of entry but it's not detrimental that wasn't done early. Get it as soon as you can and let things work out itself.  Since you didn't get it before marriage you saved yourself a trip to the Ssn office  to update the name on the card.  

Let it fall where it may.  

[SP1988 19]

@K1visaHopeful quick question does SSC with new last name arrive with I765 card or should i expect them to come separately and if so how far apart from each other would you estimate it takes

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

2 hours ago, SP1988 said:

@K1visaHopeful quick question does SSC with new last name arrive with I765 card or should i expect them to come separately and if so how far apart from each other would you estimate it takes

Your EAD comes from a USCIS card production facility.

Your SSN card comes from SSA head office in MD.

They do not come together. 

Usually two weeks apart. 

If longer than two weeks, call SSA HO in MD, NOT your local SSA office. 

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

On 2/25/2024 at 1:55 AM, poh said:

 Since you didn't get it before marriage you saved yourself a trip to the Ssn office  to update the name on the card.  

Let it fall where it may.  

Dear lord.

[SP1988 19]

16 minutes ago, K1visaHopeful said:

Your EAD comes from a USCIS card production facility.

Your SSN card comes from SSA head office in MD.

They do not come together. 

Usually two weeks apart. 

If longer than two weeks, call SSA HO in MD, NOT your local SSA office. 

Was i supposed to get notification from the SSA that a new one was being processed since i requested it on I765??

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

49 minutes ago, SP1988 said:

Was i supposed to get notification from the SSA that a new one was being processed since i requested it on I765??

Nope. SSA does not contact you. 

[Chris Parker 10]

In my past experience, USCIS likes to disregard the marriage certificate as having any legal meaning until they approve the I-485, so they tend to keep using the premarried name until the time comes to issue the green card.

 

You can get an SSN using the K-1 visa only during the 90 day period of authorized stay hat was granted upon admission.  That's only because the K-1 visa automatically authorizes employment incident to status.  They do this because many states ask for SSN on the marriage license application.

 

If you're still within the 90 days, or you've received the work permit, you can apply for a SSN.  However, I would not follow the earlier advice about saying you're still single (USCIS may later see that and deny your I-485 as a fraudulent marriage), rather I would indicate you are married but want the SSN issued or verified in your primarried name. SSA should be able to do that because a marriage certificate usually only authorizes, but does not require, you to change your name to your married name (i.e. you don't have to use it, but once you do, you can't change it back).  

 

You should get a SSN as soon as possible.  You will probably need it for a variety of things, such health insurance, bank accounts, credit, taxes, employment, etc.

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

Can I ask that Mods please shut this thread down? Lots of false info being posted over and over without regard.

Poor OP probably has no idea up from down by now. 

[SP1988 19]

@K1visaHopefuljust got wifes EAD and AP combo approval today. Just to avoid confusion with the EAD do i need to go to SSA office and get a new SSC for my wife with my last name on it? Or will SSA send me a new one with my last name?

[K1visaHopeful 2,663]

3 hours ago, SP1988 said:

@K1visaHopefuljust got wifes EAD and AP combo approval today. Just to avoid confusion with the EAD do i need to go to SSA office and get a new SSC for my wife with my last name on it? Or will SSA send me a new one with my last name?

I'm not going to scroll up and read the rest of the thread that I asked to be closed off weeks ago so please take that into consideration as, if I remember correctly, I've answered this several times. 

I'm only answering this question I've quoted.

If SHE applied for her EAD in her new married name and marked the correct boxes on the I765 for a replacement SSN card to be sent to her after EAD approval, an SSN card will be shipped from SSA HO in MD within a few weeks. 

It will not come from your local SSA office. 

Your local SSA office will have no knowledge on her I765 approved SSN coming directly from SSA HO so do not contact them. 

If it doesn't not come within 2 weeks of the EAD ARRIVAL, not approval, you may contact SSA HO in MD. Not before. SSA HO 800# is available online.