Social Security Numbers for F-1 Student Visa Holders

Social Security Numbers for F-1 Student Visa Holders

The Social Security Administration (SSA) published a final ruleregarding regulations for F-1 Students to Obtain Social Security Numbers (SSNs).

Effective October 13, 2004, F-1 students who are applying for SSNs willbe required to provide additional information. An F-1 student mustprovide the SSA with evidence of age, identity, immigration status, andwork authorization (these are required of all applicants for SSNs).

Additionally, "unless the F-1 student has an employment authorizationdocument (EAD) from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or isauthorized by the F-1 student's school for curricular practical training(CPT), the F-1 student must provide evidence that he or she has beenauthorized by the school to work and has secured employment or a promiseof employment before we will assign an SSN." The reason for this newrule is to ensure that SSNs are used only for work purposes, "therebydecreasing the potential for SSN fraud and misuse."

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