SSN: what the Social Security Number is and who gets one

Who needs an SSN. Practically everyone who moved on a talent visa or a green card: without the number, payroll onboarding, a bank account, a credit card and a driver license all stall - the community calls it the first document to chase after entry. The right to work, though, comes from your status, not from the card: employers usually accept the status documents and take the number later.

How to get it. Three typical routes. On an immigrant visa - check the "issue an SSN" box on the DS-260: by member reports, the card arrives roughly ten days to three weeks after entry, separately from the green card; the most common delay is an address error recorded by the officer at the border. On a work permit - the SSN boxes on Form I-765: by reports, the card comes one to two weeks after the EAD approval. Without the boxes - visit the local SSA office in person with your passport, visa, I-94 or EAD card.

If the card never came after four to six weeks, members go to the local SSA office: the number often already exists, and a duplicate card fixes it on the spot. A card issued on a work visa or an EAD carries the line "valid for work only with DHS authorization" - that is normal; after the green card you swap it at the SSA for an unrestricted one. The number itself is issued once and never changes.

SSN and ITIN are different things. The SSN is tied to work authorization; the ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) only to a tax obligation: it is requested via Form W-7, usually together with the first tax return, and grants no right to work. That is how a spouse and children without an SSN get an identifier for a joint return; children without an SSN cost the family part of its tax credits, so the question is settled in the first tax season.

How it relates to the talent visa. On an O-1 you get the number based on your status; on adjustment to a green card (EB-1A, EB-2 NIW) the SSN is usually requested together with the EAD on Form I-765 - by community observations, in that bundle it arrives in about 2.5-3 months, and about 10 days after the I-765 approval. A child needs the number too: for tax credits, insurance and school. Offices and rules are on ssa.gov; your own timing may differ.

What the SSA itself says. Its Russian-language leaflet Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens (publication 05-10096-RU, February 2026; read Oct 11, 2026) gives three routes. First, together with the immigrant visa application to the State Department: you usually do not need to visit an SSA office in the US, and the card is mailed to the address on the visa application. Second, together with the I-485 when adjusting status inside the US: USCIS collects the data for SSA, and if the card has not come within 14 days of the green card, SSA asks you to contact it. Third, on your own: an online application on ssa.gov and a visit with documents to an SSA office or card center within 45 days; SSA advises new arrivals to wait 10 days after entry so the DHS document check goes faster. Bring your passport and current immigration documents - the I-551, I-94, an EAD card (I-766) or an admission stamp; F-1 students need the I-20, J-1 participants the DS-2019. Only originals or copies certified by the issuing agency are accepted: notarized copies and filing receipts are not, and at least two separate documents are needed. Applying and the card are free. Without work authorization a number is issued only for a benefit that requires it by law; for taxes you get an ITIN from the IRS on Form W-7 instead.