Help Please

S

soleil3012

Registered Users (C)
Hi friends,
I will be entering the US at the end of July, I won the 2008 DV-Lottery.
I am still trying to get my plane ticket but I have a question.
Even though I will stay/live and give an address in NYC if I enter through Miami since I might have to stay there for a few days, after the paperwork at the airport, how does the procedure follow?
I think I then have to go to the Social Security office right? can I do it in Miami even if I won't be living there.
How is the whole thing and the steps after I enter through the airport?
This information will be very helpful to me since I do not have a clue and I need to decide on my ticket (housing problems) and I might have to stay in Miami for a few days but want to go ahead with the paperwork if possible.
Any information on how is the procedure after you set feet in the US airport will be very helpful to get familiarized and know what to expect.
Thanks so much!!!
 
Ss

It is OK to give your NYC address. If the officer asks you about it (they generally don't), tell him that you are spending some time in Miami with friends and then will live in NYC.

Spend time in Miami and go to the SS office in NYC, wherever you are likely to live permanently so that you can get your card in the mail. Here is info on how to apply.

There is no reason to worry about the SS card. If you are in a big hurry, though, simply mail the documents from Miami.
 
del0175 said:
Spend time in Miami and go to the SS office in NYC, wherever you are likely to live permanently so that you can get your card in the mail. Here is info on how to apply.
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If he is getting an immigrant visa overseas then CBP will forward the application to SSA right from the POE. No need to visit the SSA.
 
Thank you!
So after the paperwork at the airport the next step is to visit the SS oficce to get the social security card and for that you suggest that I do it once I get to NY.
But it's at the airport that I provide my NY address wich is where they will mail me the green card right?

In other words: The green card is mailed to NY by the USCIS (I provide the address at the POE) and the SS card is mailed by SS oficce to my address but for that I should go to the branch in NY (wich is where I will live) I cannot save time by doing it in Miami since I will be there for a few days?

Sorry about these "dumb" questions for most of you but I need to get the idea of how are all the steps.

Thanks again for your help!
 
soleil3012 said:
Thank you!
So after the paperwork at the airport the next step is to visit the SS oficce to get the social security card and for that you suggest that I do it once I get to NY.
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Perhaps you didn't understand what TheRealCanadian just said, due to the various acronyms.

To paraphrase and expound on what he said:
You don't need to visit the Social Security office. A Social Security card will be automatically created in your name and sent to you, as a result of the type of process you followed to get your green card and enter the US. Some who got their green card through other routes may have to visit the SS office, but not you.
 
Wow, thanks jack!!! that's really good news!!! so because I got my greencard through the DV_lottery program they will also send me the SS card after the paper work at the airport?
My sister got it thorough the same program years a go but she did go to the SS oficce I remember her telling me...
 
soleil3012 said:
Wow, thanks jack!!! that's really good news!!! so because I got my greencard through the DV_lottery program they will also send me the SS card after the paper work at the airport?
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It is because you interviewed for the green card outside the US and entered with an immigrant visa. Nothing to do with DV. If you got your green card via adjustment of status within the US, you would have had to visit the SS office yourself. But with AOS you usually would have received the SSN long before the GC approval.
My sister got it thorough the same program years a go but she did go to the SS oficce I remember her telling me...
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Whatever she did years ago isn't necessarily relevant now, as immigration procedures have changed in recent years.
 
Thanks for clarifying all this stuff!
So, basically everything regarding paperwork is done at the airport, they will then mail me the green card and the SS card, in the meantime I am guessing they will give me a temporary SS card so I can get work right away??? can you confirm that??? because I need to work as soon as I set feet in the US.
And then... I am on my own!!!

I really appreciate the existence of this forum and you kind people who put your input to help, otherwise many of us would be in the dark.
 
soleil3012 said:
I am guessing they will give me a temporary SS card so I can get work right away??? can you confirm that??? because I need to work as soon as I set feet in the US.
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They will give you a stamp in your passport that serves as evidence of your Permanent Resident status, and your eligibility to work.
 
soleil3012 said:
So, basically everything regarding paperwork is done at the airport, they will then mail me the green card and the SS card, in the meantime I am guessing they will give me a temporary SS card so I can get work right away??? can you confirm that???
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Do you know your SS number? If not, you can call or visit an SS office to find out what it is before they actual card is delivered. Once you know the number you can use that to fill out the employment paperwork when hired. They generally don't ask you to produce the actual card, as they have other ways of verifying that the number belongs to you.
 
mmed said:
Neither SS number nor SS card is required for employment. Immigrant visa OP has and valid passport are more than enough to start job.
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That's enough to start the job, but the SSN is still required to get paid.

If you are work-eligible without an SSN, they'll generally still let you start working, but if you don't get the SSN by payday they won't pay you yet ... they'll keep the money until you get the SSN and tell them.
 
TheRealCanadian said:
No it's not. Without an SSN, taxes need to be withheld at the highest marginal rate.
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You know of employers that will pay you without even a TIN? (other than those who hire illegal aliens or other workers under the table) The SSN or TIN is still a requirement to get paid, in the sense that employers won't pay you without it.
 
Jackolantern said:
The SSN or TIN is still a requirement to get paid, in the sense that employers won't pay you without it.
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While I am unsure if payroll companies like ADP will do it (although I suspect they would, their job is to know the law) I was paid before I got my SSN. It was actually done as an advance on pay and after six weeks when I got my SSN we needed to unroll it out and run it normally, I did get paid.

It all comes down to whether the company values you enough to deviate even an inch from their standard procedures. Good places will do so. Lousy places will not.
 
Even our company wanted SSN to get paid.

When my friend came, it took 5 weeks for SSN. No pay until then and no advance. After SSN, he got the money for those weeks.
 
TheRealCanadian said:
It all comes down to whether the company values you enough to deviate even an inch from their standard procedures. Good places will do so. Lousy places will not.
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Or if they are really sensible, they'll incorporate something into their standard procedures to handle it.

A salary advance is a loan, and the lack of SSN doesn't stop anybody from giving you a loan if they want to give it to you. The company that did my first H1 had a relocation assistance policy whereby they would give you an interest-free loan that was repayable via a series of automatic payroll deductions. So those who were entering the country fresh without an SSN could use that money to help them last the 3-6 weeks while they waited for an SSN. This was in addition to reimbursement for direct relocation expenses.

In my case, I already had an SSN from when I was studying long before arriving with my first H1, so I was able to get paid normally right away. But I took advantage of that loan anyway, and used it to buy a car without financing from the dealer or bank. Americans who relocated to work for them also took the loan, using it for things like buying new furniture or making a down payment on a house.
 
So... Basically, in my case it can all be solved by calling the SS office and ask for number if my employer ask me provide one? or maybe they require that I actually go there
 
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