I arrived last week on a IR-1 visa with a I-551 stamp for one year. I don't have the 10 year green card yet. POE told me it would be sent in 6-8 weeks. What will I need to bring to the SS office to apply for a SS card? Thank you in advance for your help.

Take your Passport with the I-551 stamp.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has entered into agreements with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS) for those agencies to assist SSA by collecting as part of the immigration process the information SSA needs to assign Social Security numbers and issue SSN cards. DHS electronically forwards the data to SSA once the person is admitted to the United States (U.S.), to assign Social Security numbers and issue SSN cards. SSA calls this data sharing process Enumeration at Entry (EAE).

RM 00202.315 Enumeration At Entry:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100202315

Individuals age 18 or older applying at a foreign service post for an immigrant visa and alien registration, i.e., completes the Form DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration, should answer “yes” to the questions 33a and 33b on the form if he or she wants an SSN assigned or replacement card issued.

The individual should receive his or her original or replacement SSN card within 3 weeks after arriving in the United States. The SSN card will be mailed to the same United States mailing address that is used to mail the Permanent Resident card (I-551).

If you answered “yes” to being assigned an SSN on Form DS-230 when applying for an immigrant visa and have not received your SSN card within 3 weeks of being admitted to the United States, suggest that you go into your local Social Security office.

If you have been assigned an SSN, the office can provide you with the number. However, if you have not received your card within 14 days of your SSN being assigned, normally you will need to apply for a replacement SSN card.

If no SSN has been assigned after 3 weeks or application is found pending, you will need to submit an SSN application at one of our offices.

Only aliens age 18 and over will be processed by EAE. Children under age 18 must apply for Social Security numbers at a Social Security office after admission to the U.S. This is so SSA may collect their parents' Social Security numbers to provide to Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

You can obtain the address and directions to Social Security offices from the Social Security Office Locator, which is available on the Internet at:

http://www.ssa.gov/locator

Note: People who live or receive mail in the Brooklyn, NY, Queens, NY, Phoenix, AZ, Orlando, FL or Las Vegas, NV area MUST apply in person at one of the Social Security Card Centers, regardless of age.

Card Center Information:

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cf...hp?p_faqid=1412

Be sure to take proof of age, identity and work authorization when going into a Social Security office to inquiry about the status of your SSN or to submit an application.

Applicants need to provide at least two documents as evidence to establish age, identity and work authorization. Proof of age is not required when applying for a replacement SSN card.

When requesting an SSN card, the documents presented, as evidence must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. SSA cannot accept uncertified or notarized photocopies as evidence.

If a foreign-born person has the foreign birth certificate (BC) in his/her possession or can easily obtain a copy, he or she must submit it as proof of age. When a person is foreign-born, a BC may not exist, may not have been recorded shortly after birth, or the probative value of the document may not be high. In these situations, we can accept alternative evidence of age in order of probative value. The alternative evidence of age may be less than a year old, e.g., a DHS document or passport.

You can find detailed information regarding evidence that
establishes age on the SSA Website at:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203110

The documents acceptable as evidence of identity are now based on three factors: (1) the applicant’s age, (2) the applicant’s citizenship/alien status, and (3) the relative probative value of documents.

Primary Identity Evidence for an alien:

-- Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (includes temporary I-551
stamp/machine readable immigrant visa (MRIV) in combination with an
unexpired foreign passport when the I-551 Permanent Resident Card
has not yet been issued)

You can find detailed information regarding evidence that
establishes identity on the SSA Website at:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203200

Employment Authorization Documents:

-- I-551 (stamp or card)
-- MRIV with temporary I-551 language

Note: The MRIV shows the alien's identification number (“A” number) as the “Registration Number” in the upper right-hand corner of the MRIV.

The MRIV in an unexpired foreign passport that shows the statement “UPON ENDORSEMENT SERVES AS TEMPORARY I-551 EVIDENCING PERMANENT RESIDENCE FOR 1 YEAR and is endorsed with an admission stamp is the same as a valid Temporary I-551 stamp and is valid for one year from the date of endorsement by the admission stamp.

Example:

If the admission stamp shows a date of entry into the U.S. as January 4, 2008, the expiration of the temporary I-551 status will be January 3, 2009. The expiration date on the MRIV should not be used to determine when the temporary I-551 status expires. The expiration date on the MRIV only shows how long the MRIV is valid not how long the alien's temporary I-551 status is valid.

RM 00203.410 Evidence of Alien Status for an SSN Card for an Alien Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100203410

An SSN card should be received card in the mail within two weeks after the application and documents have been received and verified when applying within the United States.

However, when an alien requests an SSN or replacement card, SSA must verify his or her documents/current status with the appropriate Bureau of the Department of Homeland Security. If the initial online verification is not possible through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system, SSA may need to send a Form G-845 to the appropriate Bureau of the Department of Homeland Security for manual verification.

Since 01/06/2007 Social Security field offices can submit an additional electronic online verification, which in the majority of applications eliminates the need to send a Form G-845 along with copies of the applicant’s immigration documents.

However, some applications still require a copy of the immigration document(s) being verified to be sent at the request of the Department of Homeland Security along with the Form G-845 for manual verification.

SSA offices can also assist applicants by issuing a notice acknowledging the SSN application while documents are being verified.

RM 00202.307 Acknowledgement for Form SS-5:

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0100202307

All cards are mailed from Social Security Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.

When am I legally required to provide my Social Security number:

http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cf....php?p_faqid=78

Links to State Driver’s Licensing Agencies:

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Motor_Vehicles.shtml

Thank you for your replys. I applyed at SS office today and the only thing they needed was my visa and passport.