How to get a social security number

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As a permanent resident of the United States, you are entitled to a Social Security number, which is the number assigned to you by the US government. It helps the government keep track of your earnings and benefits. This number is also used by financial institutions and other institutions, such as schools, to identify you. You may be asked for a social security number when you want to rent an apartment or buy a house.

The Social Security Fund is a government program that provides benefits to certain categories of retired workers and their families; certain categories of disabled workers and their families, as well as some family members who have lost their breadwinner.

The government agency in charge of the social insurance system is called the Social Security Administration.

You can find out where the social insurance department nearest you is as follows:

1. View their addresses on the Social Security Administration's website, www.socialsecurity.gov. The website also has a limited amount of information available in several other languages.

2. Call 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (for the hearing impaired) from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening. Free translation services are available.

If you do not speak English

The Social Security Department will provide you with a translator who can help you apply for a social security number for free.

When you call the social security office, tell the person who answered the call that you do not speak English. You will find a translator who will help you. You can also get the help of a translator when you visit the social security office.

The Social Security Administration website has useful information for new arrivals in the United States of America. The “Other Languages” section of the website contains information about the social security system in several languages. You will find this website at: www.socialsecurity.gov.

You do not have to apply or report to the social security office in person to get a social security number, if you answer all of the following conditions:

• when applying for an immigration visa, you were asked to provide you with a social security number or card;
• You applied for an immigration visa no earlier than October 2002;
• at the time of arrival in the United States you are 18 years old.

In this case, the information required to assign you a social security number was sent by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to the Social Security Administration.

The social security administration will assign you a social security number and mail you a social security number to the same address in the US to which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will send your permanent resident card.

You will receive your Social Security Number card within three weeks of your arrival in the United States. If you have not received this card within three weeks, report it to the Social Security Administration. Also inform the Social Security Administration if you change your mailing address after arriving in the US, but before you receive your Social Security Number card.

You are obliged to visit the social insurance office to obtain a social security number if you qualify for one of the following conditions:

• When applying for an immigration visa, you were not asked to provide you with a social security number or card;
• You applied for an immigration visa by October 2002;
• at the time of arrival in the United States you are under the age of 18.

A social security officer can help you apply for a social security number.

When you visit the social insurance office, you must have the following documents with you:

• birth certificate or other document - for example, a passport, which indicates the place and date of your birth.
• A document confirming your immigration status, including a work permit in the United States of America. Such a document can be a permanent resident card or a passport with a stamp on immigration or a pasted-in visa.

The Social Security Administration will mail your Social Security number to you. You should receive your social security number approximately two weeks after the Social Security Administration has received all the documents required to process your application. If the Social Security Administration finds it necessary to verify any of the documents, the time period for your receipt of a social security number may be extended.

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