New brit in USA

I moved to Las Vegas two weeks ago via a marriage based visa. My immigration seems complete. As part of the immigration process back in the UK I applied for a social security number. I tried calling the immigration people here and they said they were nothing to do with social security. So I called social security and they said they don't deal with immigration cases! Does anyone have experience of this? Also, what else do I need to work? I've heard about tax payer ID? Do I need this in addition to the SSN and if so how do I get it? Hope someone can help, I'm going nuts.

Ray

Fill in this form and take it to your local Social security office
http://www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.html

Noorah101

If you checked the appropriate box to receive a SSN upon entry to the USA using an Immigrant Visa, then you don't really need to do anything. The SS card *should* show up on the mail within a few weeks after your arrival.

If you're curious, I would go in person to your SS office and see if they have your SSN ready yet. They can give this to you in person while you wait for the card to show up. They might also give you a letter saying you've applied for one, which you can show to your employer to prove you've got a SSN in the works.

To be eligible to work, you need your green card and your SS card. You do not need a taxpayer ID number. By the way, if your green card has not shown up yet, your endorsed visa serves as temporary proof of your PR status.

Rene

New brit in USA

Thanks, that was a really good answer. I will go the Social Security office as you suggest.

BritishGuy36

a) It usually takes 3 or 4 weeks to get your SSN in the post. If you are desperate, you can go to the SS office with your visa (which is now actually the legal equivalent of a green card, as it was endorsed at the POE) and your A number and they will likely be able to print out a sheet with your details and SSN on it. It usually takes about 10 days for your info to get from immigration into the SS system so it should be in there by now if you have been there two weeks.

b) Nothing. Green card (visa) and SSN is it.

c) That's only for people who don't have SSNs.

Rete

A taxpyer ID is only for people who do not qualify for a social security number. You qualify for one so it is not applicable.

meauxna

It's not necessary to go in yet, unless you are gagging for the number for some specific reason.
The program you applied for your Social Security number under is called Enumeration At Entry, which might ring a bell for someone at SSA.. you just reached people unfamiliar with that part of the DS-230 II you completed.

This program works well for the vast majority of applicants and you should receive your card in the mail about 3 weeks after entering. If it gets to the 4th week and/or you receive your Green Card in the mail but no SS card, then you should follow up at the SSA office.

You don't need the actual card or number to begin working; let us know if that is your situation.

pinkcat

I'm a little confused by some of the replies to this question.

My son, a Brit, got married in May to an American citizen. He needed an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to apply for his social security number. The whole process took only a few weeks and he was able to work immediately.

Similarly, my husband has to have an EAD (renewable every two years) as well as his social security number to work. I am the prinicpal E2 visa holder and he and our children are my dependents.

My advice would be to consult an immigration attorney and get him/her to submit the application for EAD ASAP.

Hope this is helpful.

Noorah101

No....the two scenarios you mentioned are completely different from the OP's, who is entering the USA with an Immigrant Visa.

The two scenarios you describe need an employment authorization document. The OP will not need one of those.

Rene

meauxna

There are several different ways to become employment authorized; each visa & status has different permissions.
This poster entered the US with an Immigrant Visa, making her a Permanent Resident (green card) at entry.

You & husband are here on a temporary non-immigrant status that requires that he have aa separate employment authorization application & document (the EAD). (got mangled in an edit, fixed now)

Your son is applying for Permanent Residence via Adjusting Status; he needs the EAD as his temporary work permit until his marriage-based in-country application is adjudicated.

An EAD application for this original poster would be an expensive disaster.

Gingerert

Hi New Brit,

When I immigrated on a marriage visa in February, my SSN took FOREVER to come through (see my first BE post here: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...33#post6050933) and it turned out there were much bigger problems than I first thought.

My intention here is not to scare you, incidentally, but rather to let you know if things stop progressing and you don't get your green card or SSN fairly soon, contact your local congressional office and get them involved. They will kick some arse on your behalf and it speeds things up no end. I truly believe I would still be in the same mess if I hadn't called them as USCIS, the DHS and the SSA were all as much use on their own as chocolate teapots.

Hopefully this advice is completely redundent and your SSN is but days away...

New brit in USA

Ok, I am now confused. In the last line of text posted by meauxna it is stated that I don't need a social security number to work? Is this true?

meauxna

If you are eligible for a Social Security number, and have applied for one, you do not need the card/number to be hired, begin working and get paid.
WHEN the card arrives, you update your employer.

If this is the situation you are in (you've been hired or nearly so for a job) let me know and I'll look the stuff up for you that you'll need.

(more) The Social Security number is a tax reporting number that has recently been restricted to be available only to those who have permission to work in the US. However, having one is not the same as being authorized to work.

meauxna

oh what the heck, it's been a while since I posted it.

Permanent Residents who have applied for, but not received, their Social Security cards may be hired, work and be paid. If you fall into this situation, please see here:

Do legal aliens need a Social Security number to work?

Question
My company hires legal aliens, who often do not have Social Security numbers. Do they need a number to work or just a work permit?

Answer
Everyone who works needs a Social Security number. As an employer, you are required to get each worker's name and Social Security number and to enter them on the employee's Form W-2. Use the Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS), an online service that allows registered employers and third-party submitters to verify employee names and Social Security numbers (SSN) against Social Security's records for wage reporting purposes. You can use SSNVS without leaving your office or having your employees take time off from work to go to a Social Security office. Another option is for employees to show you their Social Security card.


If your employee applied for a Social Security number but does not yet have it, indicate the number has been "Applied for" on the employee's Form W-2. When the employee receives his number, file Form W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement.


An employee who does not have a Social Security number may apply for one by completing the Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. Workers can get the form by downloading it from the Web, calling 1-800-772-1213 or by visiting the local Social Security office. Noncitizen workers can find more information in Social Security Numbers For Noncitizens (Publication No. 05-10096) and Foreign Workers and Social Security Numbers (Publication No. 05-10107).

Gingerert

When you sent me that link six months ago Meauxna, it helped me get a job! It obviously makes sense to employers, or they wouldn't have hired me.

In case I forgot to thank you back then: thank you! You rock.