Unclear Whether Immigrants Can Get Social Security Number with Work Permit

USCIS has not confirmed that immigrants can still request a Social Security number (SSN) card with a work permit through Form I-765. A claim dated November 10, 2026, says the combined option remains available, but the current form description conflicts with that account.

The 08/21/25 edition asks for an existing SSN “if known” and does not include a card-request option. The agency has not confirmed whether the combined process is operating, or when it decided to keep it.

An undated Social Security Administration (SSA) document describes the combined request. It does not establish whether applicants can use it now.

The agency’s interim final rule, published August 11, 2026, addresses electronic filing for certain benefit requests. It does not require every request to be filed electronically, and people unable to file electronically may seek a waiver. The rule does not confirm the SSN-card option.

Applicants cannot rely on a combined request until the agency clarifies the form

The November claim described the option for people filing Form I-765 who meet both employment-authorization and SSN requirements. It named refugees, people granted asylum, qualifying asylum applicants, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries, certain parole categories, DACA recipients and F-1 students in authorized OPT or STEM OPT.

Those categories describe the claim, not a confirmed current eligibility list. Whether any applicant can use a combined request remains unclear while the form and SSA guidance point to different procedures.

A work permit is not a requirement for every eligible worker to seek an SSN. Practitioner guidance says some people authorized to work incident to status, including asylees, refugees and U and T nonimmigrants, may apply without an EAD. The particular status and supporting documents matter; the guidance also notes there is no universal manual rule for every category.

SSA suspended its Enumeration Beyond Entry program for 90 days beginning March 19, 2025, while it reviewed its policies. At that time, the agency had not committed to restoring it after the review. That earlier pause does not settle the present form question.

The earlier process paired an SSN-card request with an employment application

Under the process described in SSA’s document, an applicant could ask for an original or replacement card while filing Form I-765. If the application was approved and included the request, the agency would send information to SSA to issue the card.

The two documents were mailed separately. The EAD, Form I-766, went to the address on the I-765, and the SSN card arrived in another envelope. A card request is not an application for Social Security benefits, and an SSN itself does not provide work authorization.

The November claim also described fields for prior SSNs and parent information. But those details should not be treated as current filing instructions: the edition listed by the agency asks only for an existing number, and no current combined request has been confirmed.

Check the filed application before asking SSA to issue a card

The next step depends on whether the applicant already made a card request:

1. Review the submitted I-765. Do not assume an SSN card was requested simply because an EAD arrived. Check the actual edition and what was submitted.
2. Trace an earlier request with SSA. If the application included a card request, contact SSA about its status rather than assuming the card will arrive automatically. SSA's guidance describing the combined process is undated, and its current availability for new applications is unconfirmed.
3. Apply separately if no request was made. Arrange an appointment at a local SSA office or Card Center, complete Form SS-5 and bring the required original documents or copies certified by the issuing authority. Applying for an SSN and card is free. SSA requires at least two documents for an original-card application.

Some people may begin authorized employment while an SSN application is pending. SSA says an SSN is not required before work starts when immigration documents establish authorization. Employees must still meet employment-verification requirements; Form I-9 instructions say to leave the SSN field blank until the number arrives, then update it.

Applicants can call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to ask about a pending request or a separate application, or use the agency’s office locator to find a local location.