SSN received!

So, I had a good feeling this morning as I went to check the mailbox. Lo and behold, there was something for me from the SSA! Came all the way from Baltimore, Maryland. There was only one thing inside the envelope:

(front with SSN card)

(back)

So, after one month and one day from entering the USA, I finally have my SSN! *dances*

Going to my bank after Ben gets off work and I'm going to apply for a credit card. Hope I get accepted! As soon as I have a credit card, I'll be buying my computer parts off NewEgg, so I can finally, finally have a desktop again! *super excited*

I'll be applying for school probably tomorrow and getting my transcripts gathered and such.

I'll also have to pay a visit to the DMV (*shudder*) to get a South Dakota driver's license.

And then finally, try to get a job somewhere, so I can start getting money again after one year of unemployment.

~Lindsay

Applied for SSN

Well, yesterday marked 3 weeks since my POE. I read on VJ a lot that if you checked off on the DS-230/DS-260 for an SSN and don't receive it after 3 weeks from POE that you should go to a local SSA office and apply in person. So that's what I did today.

After lunch, Ben drove me to the SSA office here in town. I explained to the lady there that I had to come to the USA on an immigrant visa and still hadn't received an SSN, after 3 weeks of waiting. So she asked for my visa, so I gave her my passport. A few moments later, she requested for my birth certificate, which I brought with me as well. She then asked me some questions, like my address, if I ever had a US driver's license before, if I had applied for college in the US, if I ever had a checking or savings account in the US, if I had ever filed taxes, if I had ever been registered to vote, etc etc. After she finished asking all the questions, she printed out a form with just my basic info on it (name, date of birth, parents' names, address, phone number) and asked me to verify if everything was correct. It was. She took the paper back and printed something else out. She told me that I should receive my SSN in the mail within 10 days. If I didn't receive it in 2 weeks, she told me to call the number that was listed on the paper she gave me. All in all, it took about 15 minutes.

So, back to the waiting game. I'm hoping the card arrives next week sometime. I really want to apply to school for the fall semester and then apply for a credit card, so I can finally buy a computer. And then of course, find a job.

~Lindsay

POE, GC, and SSN explained

*Reference link to abbreviations/terms post*

Today's blog entry is going to be about what happens after receiving the visa.

The first part is POE. At the border, whether at an airport or the land border, there is a process that gets done at customs. Along with getting the visa in the mail, there's also a large envelope containing important documents about the intending immigrant. This envelope is NOT to be opened under any circumstances. It is handed over at customs and they open it. Once everything is checked out, the beneficiary can continue on their way, either by car or plane. Since I haven't personally gotten to this point yet, nor have I read that many in-depth reviews about this step, I can't say exactly what they do at customs. I also can't say how long it takes. It all depends on which airport/land border and whether or not it's busy. If taking an airplane though, I would ensure to have minimum an hour in between flights (if there's a connection), preferably a bit more.

Once a beneficiary has actually landed in the USA, they are now considered a resident. At customs, a stamp will be put in the passport and this can be proof that you're a resident as one waits for their GC and SSN. The green card and welcome letter usually arrives in the mail within a few weeks after going through customs. The green card will be needed at any POE if they decide to leave the USA as it is proof that they are an LPR.

The SSN is either really simple or not. On the DS-230, there's a section on SSN and whether or not the immigrant would like to automatically file for an SSN. Now, there can be problems with this. Some people who checked yes for getting SSN don't end up receiving it in the mail. They have to go to a local SSN office and apply for it there. There are people though that check yes and do receive it in the mail. If one does check yes and still hasn't received it in like a month or so, a visit to an SSN office is most likely needed.

With an IR-1/CR-1 visa, the beneficiary can work immediately. They can start working the very next day if they wish. The stamp in their passport is proof of the visa and don't need their green card or SSN to start work. This is a real benefit of this visa (compared to the K-1 or K-3) since no adjustment of status is needed like the other fiance/spouse visas.

~Lindsay