New Social Security card after getting I-485 approved

D

dhlunar

Registered Users (C)
My wife had her I-485 approved two weeks ago and received her GC in the mail yesterday. She already has a social security number, but the card has the notation about employment only with INS authorization. (Yes, INS since the card was issued in 2000 when she first came as a student.)

Anyway, my wife has time tomorrow to go to the social security office so she can request a new card without the notation and to update the SSA. Does she need her passport (it doesn't have the temp I-551 stamp) tomorrow when she goes to the SSA office or would the green card and her state issued drivers license be ok?
 
Thanks guys.

My wife and I went to SSA yesterday. She told the agent that she needed a new card. The agent asked if she lost it and my wife replied no, she had a change of status. The agent then took her GC and drivers license and typed some things in her computer and verified the address. She then gave my wife back her GC and drivers license and also a receipt and said that she should have the card within 2 weeks.
 
Question on new SSN card

Guys,

I have received my GC two and half years ago. Since I came on H1, My SSN card still has the thing stamped on it. In short, I did not go for a new card. Is it really necessary to have a new SSN card? What are the disadvantages of having old card still.

Appreciate your help.
 
anandsbr said:
Guys,

I have received my GC two and half years ago. Since I came on H1, My SSN card still has the thing stamped on it. In short, I did not go for a new card. Is it really necessary to have a new SSN card? What are the disadvantages of having old card still.

Appreciate your help.
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You need to inform Social Security that you are now a legal resident. Your SS benefits are tied to your being a legal resident. It is a requirement, not something you do if you feel like it.

See the following from Social Security website:

Question: When I first applied for a Social Security card, I was issued a card that says, "Not Valid for Employment". I now have permission to work from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Will I be issued a different number, or will I have to apply to adjust my current number?

Answer: If your work eligibility has changed or if you have become a U.S. citizen, you must apply for a replacement card. Your replacement card will no longer read “Not Valid for Employment,” but you will retain the same Social Security number.

To get a replacement card:

* Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5); and
* Show us documents proving your:
o Immigration status;
o Work eligibility; and
o Identity.
* Take (or mail) your completed application and documents to your local Social Security office.
 
I had the old "Valid for work ..." SS card all five years that I have been a PR. The only disadvantage was that I had to show my GC every time I got a new job. I got the new SS card after becoming a citizen though. Not a big deal.
 
anandsbr said:
I have received my GC two and half years ago. Since I came on H1, My SSN card still has the thing stamped on it. In short, I did not go for a new card. Is it really necessary to have a new SSN card? What are the disadvantages of having old card still.
Click to expand...
One advantage of getting the unrestricted SS card is that it can be combined with a driver's license or state ID for employment (I-9) purposes, without having to show the GC. So it could be useful if your GC is lost or stolen or expires.

Showing the SS card + DL instead of the GC could also help you to avoid hassles with uninformed employers if your GC is close to expiration when you get a new job. Some of them might give you a hard time if the GC expires in the next 2 or 3 months, thinking that you can't work for them for more than 2 or 3 months.
 
nkm-oct23 said:
You need to inform Social Security that you are now a legal resident. Your SS benefits are tied to your being a legal resident. It is a requirement, not something you do if you feel like it.
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He's been a legal resident. He's now a permanent resident. And SS benefits are not contingent on US legal residency.
 
Do not forget that if an employer is checking your employment eligibility through E-Verify, then you *have* to make sure your status is updated with the SSA.

One might say ... not a big deal... but how can you forsee when that SSA status is checked and how that may affect you?!... it is a 1 hour simple thing!
 
Do not forget that if an employer is checking your employment eligibility through E-Verify, then you *have* to make sure your status is updated with the SSA.
Click to expand...

Not quite true. Unless you are a citizen, E-verify requires that SSA verify your status with DHS. They would need to do this whether or not you have an SS card with the "...DHS..."

So, until yo uare citizen, there is little point getting your card changed.
 
nelsona said:
Not quite true. Unless you are a citizen, E-verify requires that SSA verify your status with DHS. They would need to do this whether or not you have an SS card with the "...DHS..."

So, until yo uare citizen, there is little point getting your card changed.
Click to expand...

Where eVerify is concerned, the importance of updating the SSA record with your citizenship status is not about having the Social Security card without the employment restriction. It is because eVerify sometimes returns wrong results for naturalized citizens who have not updated their citizenship status with the SSA. Naturalized citizens who don't update SSA is the #1 reason for eVerify not being able to give the employers a confirmation of their citizenship.
 
Upon obtaining the GC, the main benefit of updating the SS card is to be able to use the unrestricted SS card if the GC is lost or expired.
 
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