Are you temporarily in the United States to attend college, language, vocational, or non-academic school, with a non-immigrant F-1, or J-1 student classification? If so, your school may ask you for your Social Security number. Some colleges, and professional schools, use Social Security numbers as student identification numbers. If you do not have a Social Security number, the college or school which you are attending should be able to give you another kind of identification number. Social Security numbers are generally assigned to people who are authorized to work in the United States. Social Security numbers are used to report your wages to the U.S. Government, and to determine your eligibility for Social Security benefits. Social Security will not assign you a number to just enroll in a college or school.

Do you plan to work?

If you want to get a job on the campus where you are a student, you should contact your school’s designated official for international students. This official can tell you if you are eligible to work on campus, and give you information about available jobs there. Also, your school may approve certain limited off-campus employment, as permitted under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations. If your school has authorized you to work either on or off campus, and you meet Social Security’s eligibility requirements described in the next section, you can obtain a Social Security number.

Apply for a Social Security Number:

Applying for a Social Security number, and a Social Security card, is free of charge. When you apply for a Social Security number at a Social Security office, you must complete Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, and provide the necessary supporting documents. All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. Photocopies and notarized copies of documents are not accepted. Here are some examples of the documents you must bring with you.

Age

A passport, or a document issued by DHS, to prove your age, must be presented.

Identity

You must provide a document, other than your passport, which shows the name you want on your Social Security card. A recently issued document with a photograph is preferred.

Immigration Status

You must provide the DHS document, I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, issued to you when you arrived in the United States, showing your lawful immigration status. If you are an F-1 student, you also need your I-20A-B, Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status. If you are a J-1 student, you need to bring your DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status.

Eligibility to work

If you are an F-1 student, and eligible to work on campus, you must provide a letter from your designated school official that identifies your employer and the type of work you are, or will be, doing. You must provide evidence of that employment, such as a contract or letter from your employer. Such a letter must describe your job, your employment start date, the number of hours you are, or will be, working, and your supervisor’s name and telephone number. The letter must be signed by your supervisor and dated.

If you are an F-1 student authorized to work in curricular practical training, you must provide your Form I-20A-B with the employment page (page 3) completed and signed by your school’s designated school official.

If you are an F-1 student, and are authorized to work off campus, you must provide the Employment Authorization Document you received from DHS.

If you are a J-1 student, you must provide a letter from your sponsor. The letter should be on sponsor letterhead, with an original signature that authorizes your employment.

How long will it take to get a Social Security number?

Your documents must be verified with DHS before a Social Security number is assigned to you. A Social Security number, and a card, will be issued to you within two weeks of the Social Security Office’s receiving the verification from DHS. Most of the time, your documents can be verified quickly online with DHS. If your documents cannot be verified online, it may take DHS several weeks to respond to your request.

Do I need a Social Security number before I start working?

You do not need a Social Security number before you start to work, but the Internal Revenue Service requires employers to report wages using the Social Security number. While you wait for your Social Security number, your employer can use a letter from the Social Security Office stating that you have applied for a number. You can also give your employer a copy of the fact sheet, Employer Responsibilities When Hiring Foreign Workers.

Contacting Social Security

For more information, and to find copies of Social Security publications, visit www.socialsecurity.gov, or call toll-free, 1-800-772-1213 (for the deaf or hard of hearing, call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778). Social Security representatives can answer specific questions, and provide information, by automated phone service, 24 hours a day. All calls are treated as confidential.