Hi,
I have a question here:
We have applied for my wife’s COS from H4 to H1B (under premium processing) last week. The consultant said that it may take a couple of weeks before we get a confirmation from USCIS. Her petition is a cap exempt petition.
What my consultant told me is that once COS is approved, it may take a month to receive SSN. Does it really take a month? When I came on H1B and applied for SSN, my SSN came in a 5-6 working days.
It would be nice if someone can throw some light on this.
Harsh
You need to apply for SSN after the petition is approved. Look at SSN website for processing timelines
Harsh,
Timeline is technically 2-3 weeks but it takes less than 10 days to get an SSN once the change of status approval document is in your hand and is used to apply for SSN.
Best wishes
Dr. Sandeep Shankar, Colorado Heights University, www.chu.edu. sshankarATchu.edu
Thanks for your information.
So does it mean that my spouse can work only once she gets a SSN in hand, or can she start working with the approval from USCIS, along with the client offer letter that she will have in hand?
Sorry I am asking the same thing again due to my lack of knowledge on the subject matter.
Employer is supposed to submit an I-9 document which verifies that your wife is eligible to work in the US. Simultaneously the SSN is needed to activate payroll. Employers usually do not wait for SSN to get a new employee started but will get nervous if it takes too long as it is illegal to make someone work without paying them.