Effective October 1, 2017, the USCitizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and the Social SecurityAdministration (SSA) have instituted a newinformation-sharing partnership allowing foreign nationals to apply for anEAD (Employment Authorization Document) and a SSN (Social Security Number) atone time and on one form.
This should be helpful for thoselawfully in the US and who are eligible for work authorization via an EAD, butwho have previously not had social security numbers. H-4/EAD, L-1/EADs, and spouses and children applyingfor I-485/EADs are some examples of people who will benefit from this newprocess.
EADs are documentation of theindividual’s work authorization and can be shown to employers to satisfy theI-9 and e-verify tests. EADs permit theforeign national to work for a finite period of time, listed on the EADcard. SSNs are used to report wages tothe government and to determine the individual’s eligibility for certaingovernment benefits.
Under the previous system, foreignnationals had to first obtain an EAD and then go to their local SSA Office andapply for an SSN separately. The revisedEAD Application (Form I-765) allowsapplicants to apply for an SSN or a replacement SSN card without visiting theSSA Office. The USCIS will now transmitthe SSN data to the SSA for processing. Applicants will receive their EAD from the USCIS and their SSN card fromthe SSA within two weeks.