Cocopuf

Filed in May '21, got approval letter today, looks like my card is in the mail, should get it in 2 days! No biometrics, no interview, total processing time 285 days. WAC service center

You might get some more visibility if you open a new topic about your problem. Sounds like there are some similarities, but also some new issues compared to my case.

You might have some luck if you call USCIS, and ask them about the 2 SAVE cases and their status, I'm pretty sure they can look them up. You can also ask them about your AOS application (which is a lot more important than your SSN) and check why you haven't gotten your NOA1 yet.

That's a very unpleasant interaction indeed.

There are probably ways to file a complaint about that, but the fastest route to getting a SSN is probably to just go back and hope someone else is helping you, or go to a different office.

On 6/21/2019 at 1:27 AM, WaterLeaf said:

Looks like I'll have to go through that, what should I do when the teller would NOT do this (Create a save case?) Just want to eliminate long drive as possible, there are 2 nearby. One is 40 mins and the other 1 hour away. We already went to the one that's 40 mins away and probably likely to have some work with the internationals but the person I went to doesn't have that much knowledge.

Ask to speak to someone else / higher-up.

I had to go back 3 times until I spoke with someone who knew what he was doing and opened the case. But knowing what I know now, I would ask to speak to someone else until I get someone who opens a case.

Final update:

After going to the SSO and finally speaking to someone that actually opened a SAVE-case for me I got a letter in the mail from the SSA that stated I applied for a SS card and I should receive it in 2 weeks. The letter is dated 9 days after they opened the SAVE-case (because of USPS I only received it much later though). So that went pretty fast.

Since it took a while for me to actually receive that letter, and since I needed the number ASAP, I went back to the SSO 13 days after opening the SAVE-case (I hadn't received any letter by then) and asked about my case. They confirmed a number was created for me and they let me copy it from their screen so I could use it to fill out the necessary forms for the wedding license. A couple days later I received my actual SS card in the mail.

And in the mean time, we're married.

Moral of the story: If social security office tells you they have an immigration status mismatch and can't give you a SSN, tell them to open a SAVE-case, even though they might tell you it'll take a long time (it doesn't), and that it might clear up on its own (it doesn't).

The info in the SSN guide seems to be dated, it looks like you have to open a case by default, and it doesn't take that much time to resolve. (@ mods, maybe update this guide)

Thanks everyone for the help!

4 minutes ago, PaulMac said:

There is a employee pamphlet somewhere, where it shows that K-1 is eligible for SSN. If they start arguing, pull that one out, and that should make them think again or call supervisor. i didn't have issues in two different offices and no one said a thing, but i heard stories that for some, they give really hard time. Yes, it really depends on SSO and his knowledge and level of his willingness to genuinely help you out.

They all knew I was eligible, and didn't make a problem about that. They just had no clue why their computer gave an error and what to do next. 1 of them even asked a colleague and also came back with "just wait". So some extra training for the officers and some luck in getting the right person with some more experience wouldn't hurt.

Update:

I went back for the 3rd time to the local SSO, 11 days after entering the country, and it looks like I had more luck this time. I got a different person that confirmed to me that the previous 2 people that gave me the advice to "just wait" were wrong, and that they should just have filed a SAVE-case or a SAVE-verify right away. Just like some people mentioned in this thread.

USCIS told me a SAVE-case takes 3 to 5 days, SSO told me it can take up to 30 days, but is usually shorter. So I'm calling them in a week to see if SSO got an answer and if they made me a SSN.

Thanks for the help everyone.

On 1/22/2019 at 7:31 AM, PaulMac said:

No wait time after entry needed. My wife came in, next day we went in to SSA, applied, gave i-94, SS5 and passport, 4 weeks later we got the card. They have to send the application to DHS for confirmation on your/your SO status, and to confirm that you're here legally, and what are the limitations for your SSN. Apart that, there shouldn't be anything in Your way.

 

Mismatch they getting might be the thing we're talking about. It throws them and error that card cannot be issued now and then, and they aren't sure what to do with it. I went to two different offices and had no problem, but each case is different so i can't be to insistent that my words are correct, and Social Security Agent's isn't.

 

Both offices i went to always dropped in "You should apply/edit name for social security card with the EAD application". In a way they were trying to tell me to gtfo and stop wasting their time lol

Thanks for sharing your experience. It does look like the wait time mentioned in the guide isn't really valid anymore. You're in the SAVE database/system the moment you can pull up your digital I-94.

Getting the right person at SSO to know what to do to get you a SSN is a different story.

@C90 The extra week of wait time is mainly to convince the SSO officer, I'm not very hopeful their system will give a different result. But if that's what I need to do to convince them, I'll have to wait.

I'm guessing what they filed in your case was a G-845 mentioned in the guide here. But it also says that adds weeks to the verification process, so I'm just hoping that's not the route I have to go down.

1 minute ago, C90 said:

I had the same thing in August 2018. I went in 2 days after I arrived in the states to get a replacement SSN (I already obtained one via another visa years ago) SSO has to send an inquiry to USCIS and they have to verify your immigration status. It's weird that the officer tells you to wait, cause waiting is not likely going to change anything. Go back to the SSO, tell them to send an inquiry and you should be able to get your SSN in about 3-4 weeks. 

Like Missileman said, most states allow people to obtain a marriage license without SSN. Did you check with your marriage office? If they're giving you a really hard time, you could get married in another state if you're close to a border. 

Thx for the extra info. This would mean that for every single K1 immigrant the SSO has to send an inquiry to USCIS, I would assume they would know how to do that after more than half a year then. Could it be that yours was a special case since you already had a SSN at one point? (I had a different visa before, B1/2, but never an SSN).

I might give it another week and then ask that they send the inquiry, if the same mismatch keeps coming up.

2 minutes ago, Lil bear said:

Search out how far you have to go to get to a county or state that doesn’t need a SSN.. get your licence there and marry .. Vegas is always a possibility at least for the legal part ! 

Hehe, also an option, but I'd like to limit the extra traveling for now.

12 minutes ago, HonoraryCitizen said:

There is really no option to go around the Social Security people in the short term. They are the alpha and omega in this situation and you have to go through them.In any case I think the two weeks is not unreasonable. After it passes, you have ammunition to go there and insist they address the issue.  Did you ask for a supervisor? If you go after two weeks and they are giving you the runaround ask for a supervisor. And be documenting everything.

Didn't try the supervisor yet, the people at SSA were very friendly and genuinely were trying to help me, so didn't want to step on too many toes yet. They also seemed like they handled K1 SSN applications before. If issue persists I'll need to get a little firmer.

3 minutes ago, missileman said:

You could get a marriage license by signing the affidavit that you are not eligible for a SSN......because you aren't until the mismatch issue is resolved......

That's an option, but a last resort, I do need the SSN for plenty of other things.

I arrived under a K1 visa about 5 days ago and I'm trying to get a SSN asap (In wake County NC you need an SSN to get married, if you're eligible).

I printed out my I-94 from here, everything seems to be correct and it states I entered under a K1.

When going to the local SSA with just pasport, I-94 and the SS-5 form, they're telling me they're getting an "immigration status mismatch" from their system. They know about the wait-time before my entry record shows up in the SAVE database, but the odd thing is that my entry is there (they showed me on their screen what they're getting back from the SAVE database). I verified together with them that there are no mismatches in name or DOB or passport number, it even says in the SAVE database I entered the country on a K1 visa, which matches with the info SSA tries to put in.

They have no clue what the "immigration status mismatch" is referring to, and advice me to just wait.

I called USCIS and they tell me that if the info is in the SAVE database, then it's there. But SSA is telling me that "the data in the system takes a while to update" even though all my info is there when they request it.

USCIS also told me SSA can open a SAVE-case to try to get it resolved (which takes 3 to 5 days according to USCIS), SSA doesn't seem very receptive to that.

I already went to SSA twice, and had the same result with both people I talked to.

- Is the 2 weeks wait time still valid advice? Seeing that my entry record is apparently available in the SAVE database (and I can access this myself at SAVECheck, though there's no info there except that it's send to SSA).

- A different topic mentioned a new system, since a couple months, where SSA needs to send a request for confirmation by default. Is this the case, and does SSA know this?

- What's my best option to get my SSN as soon as possible. Just wait as they suggest (and risking getting the same "immigration status mismatch" later) or demanding that they open a "SAVE-case" which they didn't seem very eager about.