This picture was taken on October 28, 2010-- the day we first applied for Leo's Social Security number.
We left that day so full of hope, so excited that in just a few short days, he'd have his card and be on his way... The SS# should have been the easiest part of the entire immigration process. But for some reason, for us, it was anything but. We were that unlucky 1 in a 1,000 who got the run-around from day one.
After the typical waiting period of 2 weeks had come and gone, we started calling on a weekly basis to check the status. Each time hearing: "It's pending. Everything is fine." This went on for a couple of months... We would call once a week, and be told there was nothing we could do.
And then one day in December, Leo got a call. The voice on the other end of the phone said something along the lines of: "Mr. Rangira- your application will be expiring in 2 weeks, and if it expires you will never be issued a card." I remember calling straight from work, and asking for supervisor after supervisor until I got the head manager of the office. She seemed to have good intentions, and even apologized for the threatening call Leo had just received. But alas- she had no real authority and ultimately couldn't help. It turns out the original app (back in October!) had actually been sent without Leo's birth certificate. A huge error on their part.
After filing the application once again (through the aforementioned supervisor), and waiting another month- hearing the whole "it's pending" thing the entire way through- that's when things started getting interesting. We got both of our state Senators involved, started calling the center at least once a day, contacted the national social security office to file formal complaints and even wrote an email directly to the oval office. That's right ladies & gents- OBAMA.
Even with the senators and the national office involved, it still seemed hopeless. We were told that because his initial visa had now expired, we would have to wait until his green card was issued (another month or two) to finally get his SS#.
Do you know what you can do in the state of Texas without a SS#?? NOTHING. The correct answer is NOTHING. Can't set up a bank account, can't get your driver's license, can't start working (even with a work permit), can't file taxes... We would sometimes stop and wonder: what do non-international newlyweds worry about? They've both got SS#'s, they can both work and drive cars, they can both come and go from the US as desired... Not that we are whining, but seriously. We really are curious.
So after hearing back from a very nice woman at the national office, and getting some information (frustrating information, but at least information)- we settled on the idea that it'd be another couple of months. So we basically put it out of our minds. Formal complaints had been filed, Obama had been informed, our pictures were most likely posted on the wall of the local office... there was nothing else to do.
Until this week.
Monday night, I got a text from Leo saying he had a surprise for me. So I hurried home from work, all excited about what it might be. First, he tried to lead me astray by presenting a Victoria's Secret coupon that had arrived in the mail. And as, um, great as that was- honestly, I was a little disappointed. But then he had me sit on the couch and close my eyes. And when I opened them, he was holding up an envelope from the Social Security Administration. At first, I was completely speechless. I took out the contents and saw that it was HIS CARD! Still speechless... I looked at him, and back at the card, and back at him, and back at the card. Then I read every single word on the enclosed paper because I seriously couldn't believe it was real. And after reading it all, and realizing that it really was his actual card-- that's when the screaming, and jumping, and likely scaring of neighbors came about. I couldn't sit down for a good half an hour. Even Keebler got in on the happy dances.
Leo had opened it up 3 hours earlier- ripping the envelope apart with a key, thinking it was some rejection notice- and by the time I got home, he already had it memorized! Neither one of us can figure out how it came to be in our mailbox... as Leo hasn't received a green card yet, and that's what they claimed to be waiting on. But mistake or not, we'll take it!
We still have some major obstacles to conquer... Including the fact that Leo went to take his driver's test 2 days ago and was informed he could not test until he was issued a work permit. (I had a laughing attack right there at the counter- not knowing how else to react.) But the SS# is one HUGE STEP in the right direction.
We never did hear back from Obama, but I like to believe that he secretly went over the Social Security Administration, rattled a few cages, and made it happen.
We left that day so full of hope, so excited that in just a few short days, he'd have his card and be on his way... The SS# should have been the easiest part of the entire immigration process. But for some reason, for us, it was anything but. We were that unlucky 1 in a 1,000 who got the run-around from day one.
After the typical waiting period of 2 weeks had come and gone, we started calling on a weekly basis to check the status. Each time hearing: "It's pending. Everything is fine." This went on for a couple of months... We would call once a week, and be told there was nothing we could do.
And then one day in December, Leo got a call. The voice on the other end of the phone said something along the lines of: "Mr. Rangira- your application will be expiring in 2 weeks, and if it expires you will never be issued a card." I remember calling straight from work, and asking for supervisor after supervisor until I got the head manager of the office. She seemed to have good intentions, and even apologized for the threatening call Leo had just received. But alas- she had no real authority and ultimately couldn't help. It turns out the original app (back in October!) had actually been sent without Leo's birth certificate. A huge error on their part.
After filing the application once again (through the aforementioned supervisor), and waiting another month- hearing the whole "it's pending" thing the entire way through- that's when things started getting interesting. We got both of our state Senators involved, started calling the center at least once a day, contacted the national social security office to file formal complaints and even wrote an email directly to the oval office. That's right ladies & gents- OBAMA.
Even with the senators and the national office involved, it still seemed hopeless. We were told that because his initial visa had now expired, we would have to wait until his green card was issued (another month or two) to finally get his SS#.
Do you know what you can do in the state of Texas without a SS#?? NOTHING. The correct answer is NOTHING. Can't set up a bank account, can't get your driver's license, can't start working (even with a work permit), can't file taxes... We would sometimes stop and wonder: what do non-international newlyweds worry about? They've both got SS#'s, they can both work and drive cars, they can both come and go from the US as desired... Not that we are whining, but seriously. We really are curious.
So after hearing back from a very nice woman at the national office, and getting some information (frustrating information, but at least information)- we settled on the idea that it'd be another couple of months. So we basically put it out of our minds. Formal complaints had been filed, Obama had been informed, our pictures were most likely posted on the wall of the local office... there was nothing else to do.
Until this week.
Monday night, I got a text from Leo saying he had a surprise for me. So I hurried home from work, all excited about what it might be. First, he tried to lead me astray by presenting a Victoria's Secret coupon that had arrived in the mail. And as, um, great as that was- honestly, I was a little disappointed. But then he had me sit on the couch and close my eyes. And when I opened them, he was holding up an envelope from the Social Security Administration. At first, I was completely speechless. I took out the contents and saw that it was HIS CARD! Still speechless... I looked at him, and back at the card, and back at him, and back at the card. Then I read every single word on the enclosed paper because I seriously couldn't believe it was real. And after reading it all, and realizing that it really was his actual card-- that's when the screaming, and jumping, and likely scaring of neighbors came about. I couldn't sit down for a good half an hour. Even Keebler got in on the happy dances.
Leo had opened it up 3 hours earlier- ripping the envelope apart with a key, thinking it was some rejection notice- and by the time I got home, he already had it memorized! Neither one of us can figure out how it came to be in our mailbox... as Leo hasn't received a green card yet, and that's what they claimed to be waiting on. But mistake or not, we'll take it!
We still have some major obstacles to conquer... Including the fact that Leo went to take his driver's test 2 days ago and was informed he could not test until he was issued a work permit. (I had a laughing attack right there at the counter- not knowing how else to react.) But the SS# is one HUGE STEP in the right direction.
We never did hear back from Obama, but I like to believe that he secretly went over the Social Security Administration, rattled a few cages, and made it happen.
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