If you have never worked in the U.S. before, you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN). You need an SSN if you have been offered on-campus employment (such as a graduate assistantship). You do not need an SSN and you are not eligible to apply for one if you do not have an on-campus job offer.
If you are a new F-1 student eligible for an SSN, do the following:
- Gather the necessary documents:
- SSN Form for On-Campus Employment, completed and printed on letterhead by your hiring department and then signed by an international student advisor at the CGE. The signature can be electronic and you or your department should email the form to your CGE advisor, or send it to you to submit to your advisor Note: Do not apply until the advisor confirms that you are registered in SEVIS.
- A completed Application for a Social Security Card (Form SS-5).
- Your passport.
- A printout of your I-94, retrieved from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/, or your I-94 Card (if you entered the U.S. by land/sea or were approved to change status to F-1).
- Your current I-20 Form.
- Take all the above documents and apply for an SSN at the Social Security Administration office:
Social Security Administration
2002 Old St. Augustine Rd
Building B, Suite 12
1.866.248.2088
More information can be found in the CGE SSN brochure.
- Show your SSN application receipt to your employing department's Human Resources (HR) representative.
- After you receive your SSN card in the mail (in 2 – 4 weeks) show it to your department's HR representative.
