Noortje

Hello all,

I have a question regarding renting an apartment in the US.
My fiancé will move to a new place May 21st because this new place will be lots better for us to live in when I move to the US after we get married in July and apply for a visa for me.
So... the company that he rents the apartment from wanted my passport number because I'll be living there in the future. I don't have to sign any papers yet though. For now, I don't have anything to do with it. I think they told my boyfriend that he can just add me when I move in with him.

My questions is... when the US Immigration Service does a background check on me... could this be a problem? Because the company that lets out the apartment has my passport number and all... and that means I'll probably be listed with them.

Thanks in advance.

LucyMO

so, what kind of problems do you mean?? your question is confusing. Unless you are planning to sneak into the country or stay here illegally. And even then, who is going to know that the apartment lease office has your passport number? What's the big deal?

Noortje

Hi,

I guess it does sound a bit confusing, eh?

Well, actually, I have no intention of sneaking into the country to stay there illegally at all (even if I wanted to, I'm too much of a worrier to just do that and my ex-professors at law school here in Belgium would just spank me! )... I'll just wait until I get my immigration visa here after doing DCF.

I guess I just wonder if the immigration service would have any problems with me being "preventively" registered with the apartment renting company without having a visa yet.
But yeah, you're right... How would they get to know that in the first place...
Anyway, thanks.

Just Jenney

This shouldn't have any effect on your immigration efforts. I'm just wondering why the rental company would want your information when you're not even there yet. They shouldn't have a problem with getting your information only after you've moved to the US.

Just my opinion...

~ Jenney

vinnic

I had the same thoughts too Jenney. I've heard of apartment companies asking potential tenants for social security numbers to run credit checks, but I've never heard of them asking for passport numbers though. Anyone had this experience before? If not, I would question them as to why they need this info just out of curiosity - I'm sure it's nothing to worry about but I'd sure be curious as to how they use passport info. Good luck to you.

Mrtravelkay

Jenney & Mark wrote:

    > Originally posted by Noortje
    >
    >>So... the company that
    >
    > he rents the apartment from wanted my passport number because I'll be
    > living there in the future.

I am curious about what the need the passport number for. It won't get
them any information.

Noortje

OK, next time my boyfriend has a meeting with them to sign the lease, I'll make him ask why exactly they needed my passport number.

Just a thought here from myself though: since I'm not American and have nothing in America (like SSN or something), the (foreign) passport number is the only thing they CAN have of me together with my name... as a reference?

SecretGarden

Hi,
When I applied for health insurance for my K1 husband, my employer asked for his passport number as a means to identify him before he obtained a SSN. Perhaps this is the case with the rental company?

~SecretGarden

Marjeta

I don't see how that can be of their concern. I doubt they're gonna be contacting Belgium to find out more about you. Maybe because you aren't married yet, and they just NEED to have some kind of info for their record (?). They never asked me for anything, but then again I was never asked whether I was a citizen or not.

Rete

If you went in person they were able to "eye ball" you. Surprised you weren't asked to show some type of photo identification. I never had to here in NY but I know from my daughters who have over the years lived in Florida, Nevada, Virginia and Mississippi that every apartment they had rented the rental agency photocopied their driver's licenses.

Just off the top of my head, I would assume that the need for the passport number is not to investigate you (although some rental agencies will do a credit check) but as a means of having a record showing you are the person named on the lease. Don't be surprised if they were to ask to see the actual passport when you arrive and take up residency in the rental unit. All in all it sounds logical to me. But then you have to remember I have lived in the same apartment for 28 years ;-)

Rete

Ap

In article <[email protected]>, member19691
@british_expats.com says...
    >
    > Originally posted by Mrtravelkay
    > > Jenney & Mark wrote:
    > >
    >
    > > > Originally posted by Noortje
    > > >
    > > >>So...
    > the company that
    > > >
    > > > he rents the apartment from
    > wanted my passport number because I'll be
    > > > living there in
    > the future.
    > >
    > > I am curious about what the need the passport
    > number for. It won't get
    > > them any information.
    >
    >
    > OK, next
    > time my boyfriend has a meeting with them to sign the lease, I'll make
    > him ask why exactly they needed my passport number.
    >
    > Just a thought here
    > from myself though: since I'm not American and have nothing in America
    > (like SSN or something), the (foreign) passport number is the only thing
    > they CAN have of me together with my name... as a reference?
    >
    >
    >

The appratment complex on lease agreement had checkmark if you are US
citizen or alien


AP

Ap

In article <[email protected]>, member167
@british_expats.com says...
    >
    > Originally posted by Marjeta
    > > I don't see how that can
    > be of their concern. I doubt they're gonna be contacting Belgium to find
    > out more about you. Maybe because you aren't married yet, and they just
    > NEED to have some kind of info for their record (?). They never asked me
    > for anything, but then again I was never asked whether I was a citizen
    > or not.
    >
    >
    > If you went in person they were able to "eye ball"
    > you. Surprised you weren't asked to show some type of photo
    > identification. I never had to here in NY but I know from my daughters
    > who have over the years lived in Florida, Nevada, Virginia and
    > Mississippi that every apartment they had rented the rental agency
    > photocopied their driver's licenses.
    >
    > Just off the top of my head, I
    > would assume that the need for the passport number is not to investigate
    > you (although some rental agencies will do a credit check) but as a
    > means of having a record showing you are the person named on the lease.
    > Don't be surprised if they were to ask to see the actual passport when
    > you arrive and take up residency in the rental unit. All in all it
    > sounds logical to me. But then you have to remember I have lived in the
    > same apartment for 28 years ;-)
    >
    > Rete
    >
    >
    >
Well..... so why every year I have checkmark on my lease asking if Im US
citizen or alien?


AP

Mrtravelkay

AP wrote:

    > Well..... so why every year I have checkmark on my lease asking if Im US
    > citizen or alien?

Do you answer?
I don't see how it would be any of their business, just as employers
can't generally ask (except for certain jobs)

Noortje

Hey all,

Thanks for all these replies. They were insightful, although I'm not really concerned about WHY the lease company wanted my passport number. I don't really care... I'm just going to be living with my soon-to-be husband there. Nothing more.

What I was just wondering is that whether the immigration service could be finding out that some lease company already has me on their list and would be wondering why my name is on the list of some American lease company without me having a visa yet! But I guess I'm overly worried.

Nothing more.

WretchedMidget

My husband did the same thing, and is moving in on Saturday. They needed all of my information about previous places of residence, Canadian social insurance number (our equivalent of the SSN), etc. Apparently this is because after just moving in, my husband wouldn't be able to add me as a resident to his apartment for 6 months - and we assume I'll be down there sometime before 6 months is up.

They didn't ask for my passport number or anything, but I went in person too, so that might've been why. Anyway, I had the same questions as you.. about whether it'd affect anything with the petitions. I'm going to assume it won't, and if, for some reason, they find out about it and it comes up at the interview, I'll just tell them the reason they asked for it. Easy enough, hopefully.