Social Security Number Application Information for International Students,
Scholars, Faculty, and Dependents:
Eligible visa types:
Dartmouth College wishes all students, scholars and faculty who are eligible
to have U.S. social security numbers (SSN). Any individual allowed to
work in the U.S. according to their immigration status is eligible to apply for
an SSN. J-1, H-1B, TN and O-1 status individuals are all eligible to
apply for SSN’s. Individuals in J-2 status who have applied for and
received an Employment Authorization Document (card) may also apply for a
social security number. F-1 students may apply for an SSN if they have
one of the following:
- Evidence of a job on campus, and a letter confirming this from the
supervisor and the International Advisor
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT) work authorization endorsement on page
3 of the I-20 form.
- Valid Employment Authorization Card, with current start date, for Optional
Practical Training (OPT), International Organization Training, or Economic
Hardship Employment
Ineligible visa types:
Individuals in F-2, H-4, TD or O-3 status will not be issued social security
numbers. F-1 students who are not working on or off
campus are also not eligible for a U.S. social security number. For tax
form filing purposes, these individuals will need to apply for Individual
Taxpayer ID Numbers (ITIN’s), issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You
may access the following website to download the ITIN application form and
instructions (form W-7): http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-fill/fw7.pdf
How to apply for a Social Security Card:
Please be advised that the Social Security Office must verify a foreign
national’s immigration status with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration
Services (CIS) before issuing a social security number. We recommend that
non-U.S. citizens wait ten days following their entry to the U.S., before going
to the Social Security Office to apply for the SSN. When you apply be sure to
get a receipt from the office, verifying that you have applied. We have
verified with the Dartmouth Payroll Office that they will continue to put
people on Payroll, even before the ten day waiting period is over.
You must submit originals and complete copies of the
following documents, to a Social Security Office in person (locations and
directions are listed below):
- All I-20 forms issued (for F-1 students),
all DS-2019 forms issued (for J-1 or J-2 visa holders), valid
I-797 (for H-1B workers or O-1 visa holders), or passport/I-94 endorsement (for
TN status holders)
- Valid passport (copy of passport ID page and renewal page if
appropriate)
- Valid or Expired visa, if you have one – (Canadians are visa exempt)
- Valid I-94 card (front and back copies)
- Social security card application form – available at the Social Security
Office, or online: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ss-5.pdf
Information on the SSN application is available at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online/ss-5.html
Additional documents needed depending on status:
- For J-1’s: Letter of authorization verifying eligibility for on-campus or
off-campus employment, and the job currently offered or held, from the
International Office.
- For F-1 students, a letter from your immediate supervisor, on their
letterhead, verifying your on campus employment, signed by both your employment
supervisor and your International Advisor.
This F-1 student letter template is
available online at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~intl/docs/ssa-app-letter.doc.
Please have your supervisor download it, print it out on department
letterhead, and complete and sign it in blue ink. You must then
bring it to the International Office for certification by your International
Advisor.
F and J students: you may not work
more than 20 hours per week during enrolled terms. Please make certain
that your letter does not indicate more than 20 hours per week on your
letter.
- For J-2 dependents: Employment Authorization Document (temporary work
card)
- For H-1B, TN and O-1 status holders: Letter of appointment or employment
offer
If you are employed at or receiving funding from Dartmouth College,
you should not need to go to the payroll office until after you have waited for
ten days, applied for the SSN, and gotten the receipt notice proving that you
have applied from the Social Security Office. You will still be paid from
your first date of hire, as long as the other department paperwork has been
correctly filed (Payroll Authorization (PA) form, I-9 form).
When to apply for a Social Security Card:
Any individual allowed to work in the U.S. according to their immigration
status is eligible to apply for a SSN.
F-1 students need to apply in accordance with the following
regulations:
F-1 students working on-campus and students working on CPT (Curricular
Practical Training) can apply for a SSN 30 days before the start date of their
job. If they apply earlier than that, their applications will not be processed
by the Social Security Administration.
F-1 students on OPT (Optional Practical Training), working off-campus,
cannot apply for a SSN until the start date on their EAD card. If they apply
for a SSN earlier than the start date on their EAD card, their applications
will not be processed by the Social Security Administration.
Where to apply for a Social Security Card:
Representatives from the Social Security Office in Littleton, New Hampshire
visit the Dartmouth campus once each year, usually in the third week of
September. Please monitor the International Blitz Bulletin in early September
for the exact date. If you miss their visit, you will need to go in person to
one of the following offices:
Concord, NH
Two Corporate Center at Horseshoe Pond, 70 Commercial Street, Concord, NH
03301 603-224-1939
Driving Directions: From the Hanover Inn corner (Main Street/Wheelock
Street) take Wheelock Street west towards Norwich, Vermont. After crossing the
bridge, follow the signs to Interstate 91 South. Take 1-91 South to I-89 South.
Proceed to Concord (about an hour's drive...) Take I-93 North to I-393 / route
4 to Commercial St. At the first light east of Main St., go past the Marriott
Hotel. The Social Security Office is on the first floor of the office building
on the right, just next to the Marriott. There is a sign on the door that
you can see from the parking lot.
Littleton, NH
177 Main Street, Littleton, NH 03561
(603) 444-2945 or (800) 772-1213
Driving Directions: From the Hanover Inn corner (Main Street/Wheelock
Street) take Wheelock Street west towards Norwich, Vermont. After crossing the
bridge, follow the signs to Interstate 91 North. Take I-91 north to exit 17.
Take New Hampshire State Route 302 into the town of Littleton. The Social
Security Administration is located on Main Street (Route 302) in Littleton. The
office is in a one-story, brick building with a flat roof. The building is
across the street (though not directly) from Dunkin' Donuts.
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