■ How to Obtain a Social Security Number

Social Security Administration Regulations Affecting International Students

International students with the F-1 or J-1 student visa status, who will be employed while studying, are required to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN) for employment purposes. Students who do not plan to work while studying are not eligible to receive a SSN.

Effective October 13, 2004, there are new procedures to apply for a SSN:

For F-1 Students ONLY:

1. Prior to applying for a SSN, the F-1 student must document current or prospective employment. The F-1 student must obtain a letter of employment on employer letterhead with original signature of employer and Designated School Official (DSO) in the International Student Services. Please use the F-1 Student Template for SSN Employment Letter posted on the ISS web site. This template indicates required employer/employee information and has been approved by the Social Security Administration.
   • For graduate teaching and research assistants -the hiring unit will sign as employer (i.e., if an international student majoring in Electrical Engineering (EE) will be employed as a GA in EE, the employment letter needs to appear on EE letterhead and be signed by EE’s employer designee and a DSO in the ISS; however if the same student is employed by the Pacific Biomedical Research Center (PBRC), the employment letter needs to appear on PBRC letterhead, and signed by both the PBRC employer designee and a DSO in the ISS).
   • For students assistants hired through the Student Employment & Cooperative Education Office (SECE), the director of SECE will sign as employer.
   • For all other student hires (i.e., lecturer, APT, casual hire, emergency hire, etc.), a designee in the hiring unit will sign as employer.
2. F-1 student must report to the ISS, located in room 206 of the Queen Lili’uokalani Center for Student Services, to obtain the original signature of a DSO on the “On-Campus Employment Verification Used by F-1 Students to Apply for a Social Security Number” (employment letter). Student must present the following documentation to the ISS to obtain DSO signature:
   • employment letter signed by the employer designee
   • passport
   • I-20 form
   • I-94 card and
   • copy of student’s registration schedule of full-time coursework.
3. The ISS will stamp an on-campus work permit on page 3 of student’s I-20 form.
4. To apply for the SSN, F-1 student must present the following documents in person, along with an application for a SSN, to the Social Security Administration office in the Federal Building, located at Punchbowl Street at Ala Moana Blvd.:
   • “On-Campus Employment Verification Used by F-1 Students to Apply for a Social Security Number”
   • passport
   • I-20 and
   • I-94.
5. Additional general information for both F-1 and J-1 students follows below.

For J-1 Students ONLY:

1. J-1 students do not have to document current or prospective employment to apply for a SSN ? documentation of eligibility to work per J-1 regulations and sponsor approval is satisfactory.
2. For sponsor approval to work during one’s studies, please see one’s appropriate sponsor (i.e., East West Center, Institute for International Education, University of Hawaii at Manoa, LASPAU, CONACYT, US-AID, African American Institute, etc.).
3. Student must report to International Student Services (ISS), Queen Lili’uokalani Center for Student Services, Room 206, with passport, I-20 form, I-94 card and current registration schedule showing full-time coursework. NOTE: If sponsor is other than the University of Hawaii, then student must also present an employment authorization letter from the J-1 sponsor. The ISS will then issue a letter to the Social Security Administration verifying the student’s full-time enrollment and eligibility for on-campus employment.
4. To apply for the SSN, J-1 student must present the following documents in person, along with an application for a SSN, to the Social Security Administration office in the Federal Building, located at Punchbowl Street at Ala Moana Blvd.:
   • ISS letter used to apply for a SSN
   • Passport
   • I-20 and
   • I-94.
5. Additional general information for both F-1 and J-1 students follows below.

General Information For Both F-1 and J-1 Students:

1. For access to the SECE job database, the ISS will issue the student a verification of eligibility to work.
2. Please note that the Social Security Administration is required to verify identity and visa information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) before the SSN can be issued, a process that may take several weeks. Delays in obtaining the SSN are beyond the student’s or employer’s control. But should they occur, the student should anticipate parallel delays in processing UH Manoa employment documents and salary payments.
3. Students new to the U.S. should wait 10 days after arrival to the U.S. before applying for a SSN. This is to allow required identity and visa information collected at the port-of-entry to be entered into a DHS database, which is cross-referenced by the SSA.
4. Once the SSN is issued, the student will receive the SSN card by mail. As soon as possible, the student should present the social security card to the Admissions & Records Office (QLCSS Rm. 001) for entry of the SSN into the student record system. The SS card is noted “Not Valid for Employment”; however, the student may legally be employed as long as he/she has been issued a work permit by the ISS or the DHS and can present proper documents for I-9 form verification.
5. Identification and employment documents for I-9 purposes for an F-1 or J-1 student are typically the foreign passport, valid I-20 form (F-1) or valid DS-2019 (J-1) form with the ISS on-campus work permit, and the I-94 form indicating a student has been admitted into the U.S. for duration of status (D/S).

It is important that students follow the above procedures completely, as a failure to do so prevents the University from complying with U.S. Internal Revenue Service regulations and may result in financial penalties to the University.

Additional information on the Social Security Administration procedures and regulations is available at the ISS. Please note that a major reason for the changes is the prevalence of identity fraud, including stolen social security numbers.