I'm Canadian, I am marrying an American girl, how/when can I apply for a Social Security Number?

Misis ni KC

You are allowed to apply for SSN if you are on a K-1 visa.You can apply before or after you got married.However, it will be a SSN card with conditions.You can have it amended to without conditions after you get your green card or when you become a permanent resident.

ZCT

It's not that simple. Just marrying an American doesn't automatically open a bunch of doors like it used to.

You'd have to apply to immigration and go through the long and tedious process of getting a green card.

JaT

You get a SSN when you are a citizen, permanent resident. Temporary residents can get it too, but this is quite hard.
You are marrying her, does that mean you will move to the US and live together with her?
Check for more info about the case: SSA.gov

Adam L.

I went through the exact same scenario 7 years ago. Canadian citizen marrying an an American girls.

If you are currently in the US, then after your legal marriage
Your wife does a petition for Alien Relative. I130
You can them apply for AED (I believe it is I-765, application for employment authorization) to be able to work in the United States. You do not need to have a job offer. This took about 10 days. Once you have this, then you can get your SSN. I have attached a link for the fees.

Also, for certain professions, you fall under NAFTA - TN permit. For example I am an Engineer, and once I secured a job in the US, before starting, I flew back to Canada, and applied for TN-permit at the boarder crossing. It took $50 and 2 hours, and I had a stamp in my passport that allowed me to live and work in the US for 1 year (the usually renew up to 3 years although there is no legal limit). The process has changed after the PATRIOT act, so now I think it takes about 2 week now. The TN permit will allow you to apply for SSN.

<This does not constitute as legal advice, so you should consult a lawyer if you have any questions.>

chuckles951

If you have a university degree that qualifies for a TN visa, you can start to look for a job in the USA. Once you get an offer and accept it, you can apply for an SSN. This is how I first moved from Canada to the USA.

Otherwise, the US citizen has to apply for a K1 or K3 visa for you. This will cost about $3000 and can take up to 8 months. She has to prove she can support you until the paperwork is through.

I suggest she use an immigration consultant for this as the process can be tricky at times.

ssadviceonline

You must be legally admitted to the US and have authorization to work before you can get a Social Security number.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: