Social Security Card
SOCIAL SECURITY CARD
Upon arrival in the United States, all students must apply for a Social Security Card. This is necessary to legally work in the United States. To find the nearest local office, students can visit the Social Security Administration website at www.ssa.gov.
You should apply for the Social Security Card 10 days after you validate your visa. In some cases, you might need to apply for your card before you arrive to your site, or your site may assist you to apply for the card in the first few days.
You need this number to:
• To provide to your work and travel site so they can correctly report your income and tax withholding to the government.
• To open a bank account to ensure your money is safe during your time here.
• To complete the tax reports that you are responsible for completing at the end of the tax year.
If you already have a Social Security Number from a previous stay in the United States, you do not need a new one. If you do not remember the number, contact the local Social Security office and they can research the number for you. Do not apply for a new number.
• When you go to apply remember to take your:
• Passport
• DS-2019 form
• Program sponsor letter provided on the last page of the manual
• Job offer form
Helpful guidelines:
• You should validate your visa at least 48 hours before you go to the SSA office to apply.
• You should be in the U.S. for more than ten days before applying for the SS number. This allows your arrival data to be entered into the system that the SSA administration uses to authorize your validation.
• Before arriving at the Social Security office, you will need to complete your name and number of your DS-2019 form in the two blanks provided in the sponsor letter.
• When filling out the application forms, you will need to fill in your name exactly as it is printed in your passport.
• You will need to know your mother's family name (Maiden Name).
• Mark that you are a 'Legal Alien Allowed to Work' (which means that you are not a student).
• Remember that dates in the United States are normally written month/day/year.
You should have the Social Security Card mailed to the Human Resources Department at your work and travel site in order to ensure that they receive the number for payroll purposes in a timely manner. You will need to have training site address with you when you apply.
The process of applying for the card is relatively short; however, there can be delays due to many people at the office. You will be issued a receipt at the time of the application which you should keep, as it proves that you have applied for a card. The normal time to receive the card is 2-3 weeks. If you have not received your card within 3 weeks of your application date you should contact the Social Security office to request that they research the delay and provide you with the number assigned to you.
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