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 Social Security number (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 applying for an immigrant visa and completing Form DS-230 “Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration,” should answer “yes” to questions 43a and 43b on the form if he or she wants to be assigned an SSN or issued a replacement card.
The individual should receive his or her 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 (Form 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 an SSA 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.
After 3 weeks, you will need to submit an SSN application at one of our offices, if no SSN has been assigned or application is found pending.
You can obtain the address and directions to Social Security offices from the Social Security Office Locator, which is available on the Internet:
http://www.ssa.gov/locator
Applicants who live or receive mail in the Brooklyn, NY, Queens, NY, Phoenix, AZ, Orlando, FL, Sacramento, CA, or Las Vegas, NV area should apply at their local Social Security Card Center.
Individuals residing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN area should apply at the Twin Cities Card Center.
Card Center Information:
http://www.ssa.gov/cardcenters/cardcenterinfo.html
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.
Example: If the immigration document, for example, I-551, is used to establish work authorization and identity, the alien must provide another document to establish age.
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 an acceptable evidence document is in a language other than English and no other acceptable document is available, SSA will have the foreign language document translated by an authorized translator.
SSA translators comprise two groups:
-- Field office and Payment Center employees who volunteer their
services as translators
-- Central Translation Section translators who hold actual translator
positions.
GN 00301.340 Authorized Translators Defined:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0200301340
If a foreign-born person has the foreign birth certificate in his/her possession or can easily obtain a copy, he or she must submit it as proof of age. In some situations SSA can accept alternative evidence of age. The alternative evidence of age may be less than a year old, for example, a foreign passport.
You can find detailed information regarding evidence that
establishes age on the SSA Web site:
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 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 Web site:
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, 2010, the expiration of the temporary I-551 status will be January 3, 2011. 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 (DHS). 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 DHS Status Verification Office (SVO) for manual verification.
Social Security field offices can submit an additional electronic online verification, which with the majority of applications eliminates the need to send a Form G-845 along with a copy of the applicant’s immigration documents.
However, some applications still require a copy of the immigration document(s) to be mailed to the appropriate DHS SVO along with 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 10205.215 Acknowledgement Requested for an Application for an SSN Card:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205215
All cards are mailed from Social Security Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland.
You may also wish to review “Employer Responsibilities When Hiring Foreign Workers,” that can be found on our Web site:
http://www.ssa.gov/employer/hiring.htm
You may find additional SSN and employment information on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Web site:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=129227,00.html
When am I legally required to provide my Social Security number:
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=78
Links to State Driver’s Licensing Agencies:
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Motor_Vehicles.shtml
