Indeed, a quote from the The Prisoner - a truly rubbish, existential (in the mind of the writers maybe), 60s trippy tosh that seems somehow to have gained a cult reputation as brilliant, Erm...why? Now, if it were The Saint, or The Persuaders, or Department S, or The Champions...that'd be completely different.
Of course, in the US I am a number. In fact, I'm a social security number (SSN), which I assume is the equivalent of my UK National Insurance Number. Overlooking my previous posting and the hideous circular argument that is not being able to get credit cards in the US because I don't have any credit history in the US, I do at least have an SSN. Hurrah...
Our problem. Steph and the kids, but most importantly Steph. When we go to apply for SSNs for Steph, Joe & Hannah we'll be declined and we'll have to get a big piece of paper saying that they don't qualify. This is because we're actually in the US as a consequence of my work visa i.e. it applies only to me. Steph and the kids are in the country on derivative visas, and in Steph's case she cannot work. Steph's real cut up about that :-)
There is something you can get instead of an SSN. It's a Tax Identification Number (TIN). Unfortunately, Steph won't be able to get one of these until I file my first US tax returns; that's about March 2009.
This may not be a problem per se, except that banks, where I'll want to add Steph as a joint name probably won't do so without an SSN or number of some kind.
And don't even get me thinking about the hideousness we're going to endure when we try to buy & license a car: I don't have a license and won't have until the year is up on my being seizure free, but I do have an SSN, etc.; Steph has a license and can switch to a US State license, but I think she'll struggle because of no SSN, insufficient identification and so on.
It's not that I like being a number, but in this instance I'd love us to be numbers that exist somewhere in the colossal machine that is the US. Trouble is I have a horrible suspicion that it's just not going to be that easy.
Ho hum...
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3 comments:
Hiya,
Can she apply for her ITIN by filling out form W-7 (downloadable from the IRS website) and sending it to them? When my husband did this he didn't need to wait until we were filing a tax return, but who knows what the rules are now!
I checked out the W7 before this posting to see that I had everything right. It's a beautiful form, if you like that kind of thing! One page to complete, with 5 pages of explanation, etc. on how to complete it. Ugh !
I was hoping this would do the job but it states quite categorically that it must be submitted with a tax return, unless you qualify as an exception. Looking at the list attached to the W7 it appears we're not.
It seems my wife and children will need to remain numberless, non-existent entities in the mysterious world of US bureaucracy. At least until I file a tax return. On the surface this seems OK but I just know it's going to cause all sorts of problems elsewhere. The whole thing is a bureaucratic nightmare; madness.
Thanks for the suggestion though :-)
You should write a book - sort of Bill Bryson settling in America type thing, very humourous although I'm sure it's a nightmare for you x.
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