Social Security Number
A Social Security number’s primary purpose is to report your wages or earning to the government for tax purposes. If you work in the U.S. you need a Social Security Number in order to get paid. The Social Security card you receive will include your name and identification number. The number assigned is designated only for you and is highly confidential. It should be given only to authorized individuals such as your employer. You should keep in a safe place.
Before you can apply for a Social Security card our office has to register you in SEVIS. This is usually done two weeks after classes start. After you are registered in SEVIS it can take up to 10 days before your information is accessible by the Social Security Office.
How to apply
- First you need to find employment on campus.
- Once you find a job we will give you a form to be completed by your employer. Once this form is returned to our office we will approve it and send it to Financial Services to be signed.
- After we get the form back we will create a work authorization letter for you.
- You now have two options:
- Someone can drive you to the Social Security Office in El Dorado any time after your SEVIS record has been processed.
- Wait until we arrange transportation to El Dorado, about a month and a half after classes begin.
- List of items to bring to the Social Security Office:
- Passport
- Visa
- I-94
- I-20
- Letters from ISO office
Normally, it takes about three weeks for your Social Security card to be processed, but sometimes it may take longer.
