chengzpwn

Hello there,

Are the international student not eligible to get social security # ? Is the employment offer letter needed to apply for it?

Thanks

limnieng

you need to be employed by the school as a TA, RA or in some work-study plan to be considered employed before you get a SS#

chengzpwn

But a friend of mine got the SSN without a job offer. His International student director helped him to get it without job letter and he said full-time international students are eligible to get SSN.

b@r!um

Full-time students are eligible for a SSN because they are eligible to work, and in order to get a SSN you will need a letter from an employer. Is that a problem?

At my college all international students get that letter from the international student office before they actually find a job on campus elsewhere, but they need such a letter nonetheless. What do you need a SSN for anyway if not to work? You do realize that SSNs are used to identify and track tax payers, right?

happymomof1

I don't know if international students regularly apply for social security numbers any more, but Happydad got one soon after he arrived in the mid '80s. It was stamped with something like "Not valid for employment without work authorization". That meant he couldn't just get a job wherever he felt like. He had to receive documents verifying the work authorization first.

The SSN made life easier when he wanted to open a bank account, and eventually when he started paying taxes after we'd got married.

b@r!um

According to the director of the international student office at my school, it used to be very easy to get a SSN until just a few years ago. Now international students need a concrete employment offer before they may apply for a SSN.

I opened a bank account before I applied for a SSN and the bank didn't seem to mind at all. However, they insisted on seeing my visa documents and they set my ATM/debit card up to expire on the expiration date of my visa. Some students have a hard time getting a cell phone contract without a SSN, but there are ways to work around it. Some stores will take a security deposit instead, and if everything else works one can always get a prepaid plan.

limnieng

I got my bank account and cell phone contract 2 years ago without a SSN. A SSN is not really necessary for everyday life, but it does provide some convenience later on for things like renting apartments, paying taxes, credit cards etc.

chengzpwn

why is the policy changed?

I need SSN in order to apply for the international student financial aid & loan.

b@r!um

Most immigration policies have become stricter in recent years...

I can see how you might need a SSN for a loan (do you need a cosigner, btw?) but I am surprised to hear that you need a SSN to apply for international financial aid, given that most international students do not have a SSN. Where are you applying for financial aid? If the application is online, can you post a link to it? I would love to take a look at it.

lolinho

Imageshack - ssn

my screenshot

I'm getting this message with almost all schools I apply to via Common App.
Does anyone have an answer to this problem?

PS: After you click "OK", it doesn't remove your tick on the "Yes" box, and stimm saves your answer to the Fin Aid question as "Yes".

talha_adnan

lolinho, I remember not putting in any SSN last year when I applied. Nothing like that showed up for me.

Otherwise, once you're in the US, just contact your university's international student office and they would tell you how to get a SSN. For example, my university requires an employer's letter to get the SSN.

lolinho

So you reckon me not putting a SSN won't impair my fin aid chances? That'd be a great relief.