Can SSA keep my wife's passport?

July 1, 2009 8:36 PM

Can the Social Security Authority keep my wife's passport in this particular situation?

Long story.

My wife came to the U.S. in November in an L-2 visa. Everything was fine til she applied for an SSN, which was denied because her name on the I-94 was different than the one in the passport and Visa (she has a big name).

She got the I-94 correct and went to apply again for the SSN. After doing all the requested procedures, she was informed that she would have to wait another 4 weeks for document evaluation and update, so USCIS and SSA would know what the correct name is now. She leaves in a hurry.

Hours later she calls me and says she can't find her passport. She doesn't recall whether the SSA agent kept it or not.

Question: would be normal in this situation that the agent would keep her passport to finish evaluation of her documents, including the change of name on the I-94?

posted by dcrocha to law & government (2 comments total)

Sometimes, although I don't know much about that particular situation. Whenever I've gotten a new SSN, they had to hold documents to process them, but that was usually through the mail.

You'd probably be best off calling the SSA desk she went to and asking this question; they'd be much more able to tell you what their particular policies are.
posted by koeselitz at 2:10 AM on July 2

Social Security Administration Field Office employees usually do not keep important documents like passports or birth certificates except to make copies of them. Their operations manual tells them not to keep passports here.
posted by pasici at 4:12 AM on July 2