Am I eligible to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN)? Government Releases New Social Security Regulations for F-1 Students On December 16, 2003, the Social Security Administration (SSA) released a proposed regulation changing the Social Security Number (SSN) issuance procedures for international students in F-1 immigration status. The changes are not actually new. Rather, they are the codification of long-standing local SSA practices. Under the new proposed regulations, without a valid employment authorization document issued by the USCIS, SSA now requires an F-1 student to prove that he or she has secured a job before the agency will issue a Social Security number . According to the SSA, this increased evidentiary requirement is being proposed to reduce the opportunity for fraud and to prevent the misuse of SSNs. In the past, the fact that an F-1 student was eligible for on-campus employment was sufficient for SSN issuance. Nevertheless, despite the lack of authority in the regulations, many local SSA offices were insisting on evidence of a secured position, or at least a pending job offer, before accepting SSN applications from F-1 students. The proposed rule codifies this longstanding, but controversial requirement. According to SSA regulation 20 CFR 422.107, in order to apply for a SSN, a non-citizen must prove that he or she was admitted to the United States by USCIS in a status that is authorized for employment. Because they are not (and cannot be) authorized to work, SSA consistently denied SSNs to non-immigrants in the B, F-2, H-4, etc. statuses due to this regulation. Because F-1 students are authorized to work on-campus incident to their status, the SSA in the past required only proof of their valid F-1 status before issuing a SSN. Nevertheless, some local SSA offices were requiring either an authorization from the designated school official (DSO) of the student, authorizing the student for on-campus employment, or proof of a secured on-campus position or a pending job offer before issuing the number . According to the new rules, an F-1 student, in addition to proving his or her lawful F status, must also demonstrate:
To meet the second requirement, the F-1 student must submit a letter from his/her DSO and employer. According to the proposed language of 20 CFR 422.107(e)(2), an F-1 student first must offer evidence from his/her DSO that he/she is authorized for employment. Then the student must offer documentation from the DSO that states:
In addition to A letter from the DSO, the student must also offer evidence of employment. The student must provide documentation proving that he/she is engaging in, or has secured employment (e.g., a statement from the student's employer). The SSA states that the increased evidentiary burden is necessary for fraud prevention purposes and to protect the "integrity of the social security number system." Also, the SSA stated that they are trying to prevent the misuse of the SSNs by refusing to issue numbers to students without secured employment since "they do not intend to work but need an SSN to obtain goods or services in the community." Even though in practice Social Security numbers are an essential requirement and an integral part of our daily lives, the SSA has always emphasized that SSNs are for employment purposes only, and all of the other uses are incidental to their primary purpose. The proposed regulations were published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2003. What documentation do I need to bring to the Social Security office? You will need the following items:
Where is the Social Security office in Rome, Ga., located? Social Security Office Room 104 Federal Building 600 East 1st Street Rome, GA 30161 (below the downtown post office) Phone: (706) 291-5660 General phone line: (800) 772-1213 Office Hours: Mon. - Fri., 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. All international students are required to file taxes before April 15 every year. Before April 15, 2005, Philip E. Hawkins, Assistant Vice President, StudentFinancial Services, and Pat DeWitt, Director of Institutional Planning and Research lead two workshops to help international students to file their taxes. Many countries have tax treaties with the United States. That is why there were two workshops: one for non-treaty students and another for treaty students. We will continue to provide this service to international students. Non-treaty Students: Copy of the Revised 2005 Presentation Important information about tax workshops will be released in early 2006.
Click here for information on Health Services at Shorter. All international students must have medical insurance. If you do not have a current healthcare provider, Shorter College will provide you with one. This is a mandatory requirement. If you have medical insurance, the Director of Health Services must confirm that your insurance covers all of the mandatory requisites for Shorter College international students. For more information, contact Health Services at (706) 233-7278. Do I need a Georgia's Driver License? The Department of Motor Vehicle Services (DMVS), formerly known as the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has once again changed names. The new name is the Department of Driver Services (DDS). DDS has published a new set of documentary requirements for the issuance of a Georgia driver's license.. In short, a letter from the school will no longer be acceptable to prove address in Georgia. The good news is that international students may not need to get a Georgia driver's license at all. The specific provision can be found on page 147 of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) at http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/GaCode/Title40.pdf 40-5-21(b) O.C.G.A. (b) Notwithstanding any contrary provisions of Code Section 40-5-20 or subsection (a) of this Code section, a nonresident of this state who is attending a school in this state shall be exempt from the driver's licensing requirements of this chapter if and only if: (1) He or she is at least 16 years of age and has in his or her immediate possession a valid license issued to him or her in his or her home state or country; provided, however, that any restrictions which would apply to a Georgia driver's license as a matter of law would apply to the privilege afforded to the out-of-state license; and (2) He or she is currently enrolled in a school in this state, has paid for the current period of enrollment the tuition charged by the school to nonresidents of Georgia, and has in his or her possession proof of payment of such tuition for such current period of enrollment. In short, an international student DOES NOT NEED TO GET A GEORGIA DRIVER'S LICENSE as long as he/she is registered as a student in a school in Georgia, and has paid his/her tuition for that semester/term. If the student has a driver's license of a classification that would allow him/her to drive the particular vehicle in question, and does not have a valid Georgia Driver's License, then he/she should while driving have in his/her possession: 1) The foreign driver's license Of course, students would probably benefit from getting a Georgia ID card (opening a bank account, getting a Blockbuster card, etc.) . Info on how to obtain one can be found at http://www.dds.ga.gov/drivers/DLdata.aspx?con=1747740603&ty=dl |
Mary Shotwell Smith