what is wrong with social security idiots???

[eagles24 0]

Hey fellas, I am really angry, just got on mail from the local social security office (suburb of Philly) about my wife's ss number

"Before we can issue you a ss number card, we must verify the document you gave us to show your Citizenship Alien with the Federal, State...

This is the second time they declined her a SSN!!!

First time we went there, we provided the Visa fiancee, and then certificate marriage, then we applied, they waited long after 30 days then said "your visa is expiring"

so we waited, my wife got the Employment authorization number, we went back to the local SS office, applied for a new one, we provided her employment authorization ID, our certificate of marriage, and my driver's license. And yet today we got that letter...

damn what do we do???

Freaking social security they should disappear now rather than after 2025

[Darnell 8,478]

You are really relying on a competent person across the window, and in your case (and many others) , yer just not hooking up with a competent human.

I'm sorry it's worked out that way for you, cause it's my tax monies at work, to pay their salaries.

In the mean time, lets see, ah ?

1. first application - apply in Passport Name (only) , regardless of marital status, between 13 to 74 days of POE entry date. If trying to apply in married name, will be big f*cking problem (ya, I'm cursing here) as 'that name' will never be found in the SAVE database.

2. second application - whoops - still can't find 'that name' in SAVE database, so must 'eye-ball verify' the documents she has, then run some other electronic verification after 'seeing' the documents. That doesn't take 30 days - it takes about 20 minutes - but -

3. go back to the SSA office that is giving you so much grief, get a supervisor, and have them electronically verify you whilst you are waiting. Insist, politely, on waiting. Then.

4. Go back the next day, check on status. If no status, repeat #4 until the application is 'cleared' to be 'assigned' a SSN. and.

5. Forget any contact via phone to the National Help Desk. It's staffed mostly by incompetent humans, also.

[eagles24 0]

I wish we applied for her before marriage if I knew it would be that easy

I don't think they want to give her a social security number.

Should I go to the downtown Philadelphia social security and apply over there? Or should I make an appointment to that local office where we went to, or should I just go back there and talk to a supervisor? I really hate them morons seriously.

[Darnell 8,478]

I say go back to the 'last office' and talk to a supervisor.

If she is NOT allowed to 'apply' - ie - if they do NOT accept her application - get the #### outta there, go to another office, apply again.

Be sure you talk to them nicely, about SAVE and electronic verification. If the new person seems idiotic or moronish, get the supervisor.

[VanessaTony 3,567]

I say go back to the 'last office' and talk to a supervisor.

If she is NOT allowed to 'apply' - ie - if they do NOT accept her application - get the #### outta there, go to another office, apply again.

Be sure you talk to them nicely, about SAVE and electronic verification. If the new person seems idiotic or moronish, get the supervisor.

Agreed.

Also, take everything you can. I would take her passport showing K1 entry, I would take the NOA1 from applying for AOS, her EAD, your marriage certificate and a completed application form.

If they don't accept that then definitely speak to a supervisor.

The only other issue is if her EAD isn't in her married name and you're trying to get the SSN in her married name... otherwise... obviously the person you're talking to needs to go back and do some more training.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Vanessa&Tony

[I'm Gone 60]

Hey fellas, I am really angry, just got on mail from the local social security office (suburb of Philly) about my wife's ss number

"Before we can issue you a ss number card, we must verify the document you gave us to show your Citizenship Alien with the Federal, State...

This is the second time they declined her a SSN!!!

First time we went there, we provided the Visa fiancee, and then certificate marriage, then we applied, they waited long after 30 days then said "your visa is expiring"

so we waited, my wife got the Employment authorization number, we went back to the local SS office, applied for a new one, we provided her employment authorization ID, our certificate of marriage, and my driver's license. And yet today we got that letter...

damn what do we do???

Freaking social security they should disappear now rather than after 2025

What did they say when you were in the office the second time to apply with the EAD card? Normally, they would tell you that her status didn't verify. Sometimes when you have a pending AOS and the EAD card is issued the immigration database SSA checks to verify status doesn't update with the EAD info.

The next step in the verification process is a secondary electronic verification request and the SSA office normally receives a response in a week. If that verifies the application can be cleared and the SSN is assigned. However, sometimes the response is that immigration wants to see a copy of the front and back pf the immigration. Those are mailing along with Form G-845. Figure on that taking another month.

I would go back to the office to find out if they were in fact unable to verify her status with the initial verification request while you were in the office and if yes have they moved on to the next step of sending the secondary request and have they received a response.

One other thing that I feel is going to cause people problems is that SSA offices are switching over to a new system called SSNAP to process SSN applications, so there might be bugs in the system they are unaware of and you have people that are a bit shaky processing alien SSN applications in the first place using a system they aren't that familiar with.

Edited February 14, 2010 by I Quit

[I'm Gone 60]

I wish we applied for her before marriage if I knew it would be that easy

People need to put this in the memory bank for when someone asks for the millionth time "should I apply before or after getting married."

[Kathryn41 3,205]

The biggest problem is that many SSA staff fail to recognize the marriage certficate as a legal name document. They should be verifying the status under the name in which she entered the country - her maiden name and the name that is in the passport. Then, after that is verified, they apply the legal name change document - which is issued after the verification from SAVE with the maiden name - and issue the SSN. This is what they are failing to do. It is because they are totally untrained and incompetent in understanding how the SAVE system and a legal name change document work.

So, while technically you should be able to apply after marriage with the marriage certificate, it is a far better idea to apply before marriage or at least using the maiden name - the same name that is listed in the SAVE system - and then going back with the marriage certificate and changing the name. They seem to recognize the marriage certificate as a legal document when it is presented on its own - it is the two step process that they don't seem to understand.

If you still have problems, get your Senator or Representative involved. There needs to be some sort of wake up call that SSA staff need training in how to use the SAVE system properly.

[Otto 83]

People need to put this in the memory bank for when someone asks for the millionth time "should I apply before or after getting married."

Exactly - I suspect (in many cases) that some folks end up putting a lot of emphasis (too much emphasis in my opinion) on 'getting the card in the new married name' and less on what is actually practical (which is getting the card ASAP and worrying about the name printed on it later). Some just do it because they think they should or may be skipping a step, but it doesn't always work out that way.

[I'm Gone 60]

The biggest problem is that many SSA staff fail to recognize the marriage certficate as a legal name document. They should be verifying the status under the name in which she entered the country - her maiden name and the name that is in the passport. Then, after that is verified, they apply the legal name change document - which is issued after the verification from SAVE with the maiden name - and issue the SSN. This is what they are failing to do. It is because they are totally untrained and incompetent in understanding how the SAVE system and a legal name change document work.

So, while technically you should be able to apply after marriage with the marriage certificate, it is a far better idea to apply before marriage or at least using the maiden name - the same name that is listed in the SAVE system - and then going back with the marriage certificate and changing the name. They seem to recognize the marriage certificate as a legal document when it is presented on its own - it is the two step process that they don't seem to understand.

If you still have problems, get your Senator or Representative involved. There needs to be some sort of wake up call that SSA staff need training in how to use the SAVE system properly.

The procedure is to verify the name that you put on the application, so verifing with the married name is the correct thing to do. Where I think the SSA offices screw up is not accepting the verification in SAVE of the maiden name when a person applies with the married name. POMS procedure says if a person applies with the married name and presents a valid name change document (marriage certificate) that was issued after the immigration document (I-94) the person's status is considered verified if the maiden name verifies.

You can also try sending an e-mail to SSA:

http://www.ssa.gov/feedback/

Be sure to include that you have K-1 status, the SSN application reference number and your phone number. Your I-94 number is also helpful. This would probably be better than contacting a Senator or Congressman, since SSA is just going to say there are trying to verify your immigration status.

[I'm Gone 60]

The POMS section number has changed, but the information is still the same. The is an archived copy before SSA pulled it off their Web site.

http://web.archive.org/web/20051002025945/.../lnx/0100203735

RM 00203.735 Requesting Online (Primary) Verification By SAVE

E. PROCEDURE—ONLINE SAVE QUERY RESPONSE INFORMATION DOES NOT AGREE WITH IMMIGRATION DOCUMENT

1. Name

e. Applicant Has Changed His/Her Name But SAVE Query Response Shows Old Name

In some cases, the applicant may have changed his/her name after DHS issued the immigration document (e.g., he/she has married and is now using the spouse’s last name) but does not present an immigration document showing the new name. In these cases, the DHS system reflects the new name only when the person provided the name change information to DHS and requested to have his/her immigration record changed to show the new name. When the SAVE query response shows the old name that is shown on the immigration document presented and not the new name on the identity document presented, do not consider this a name discrepancy for enumeration purposes.

See RM 00203.200 when the applicant presents an identity document in the new name that is more recent than the immigration document to determine if the identity document is acceptable.

[M.O 6]

everybody has different requirements...

[Gaynto 0]

everybody has different requirements...

Anyone ever had to go to an Infopass before getting an SSN? My fiance and I went to SS when he had been in the country 10 days. Today he received a call from SS that we needed to contact DHS and give some data before they could release a SS card. We called DHS, and the rep didn't ask our case number or Alien number she just told us that we had to do an INFOPASS appt to give Homeland security what they needed. ERRRR! My closest office is Charleston, SC a good 2 hour drive away, so I have to take a vacation day in order to do it.

I even tried calling back to reach someone else that may give me better news, and I got the same exact rep!

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I'd look at the SS office kinda like a car salesman. If your applying between two weeks after arrival and two weeks before expiration know that you can get an SSN immediately. With that knowledge go into the office like your buying a car. If they won't give you one upfront don't let them do anything else. Get up, leave and find another office who understands the rules.

[Gaynto 0]

I'd look at the SS office kinda like a car salesman. If your applying between two weeks after arrival and two weeks before expiration know that you can get an SSN immediately. With that knowledge go into the office like your buying a car. If they won't give you one upfront don't let them do anything else. Get up, leave and find another office who understands the rules.

I guess we should have waited a few days longer?? The woman that helped us at SS was knowledgable and helpful, she told us "no problem" we would receive it in about 4 weeks. I was surprised to receive the call today that Homeland Security needed something more.