I am on an H4 EAD and applied for my SSN nearly three months ago. The SAVE portal shows my case as 'Returned to Agency', but the SSA says they cannot do anything until USCIS verification is cleared and that they will initiate third-level verification. How does the SAVE verification process work in this situation, and what can I do to resolve this delay and get my SSN?
Your SAVE CaseCheck status indicates that SAVE has sent a response back to the Social Security Administration (SSA). The official guidance for this status is to contact the SSA about your application.
You can cross this worry off your list: USCIS has finished its SAVE review and sent the response back to the Social Security Administration, so they have what they need from the verification system.
The SSA is required to verify your immigration status through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program before issuing a Social Security Number.
SAVE provides an initial verification response within seconds. If it cannot verify your status immediately, the case requires additional verification, which takes approximately 14 federal workdays as of June 2026.
When you use the SAVE CaseCheck tool and receive the message that a SAVE response was returned to the agency, it means SAVE has completed its review. The official instruction for this status is to contact the agency (the SSA) about the status of your application.
