Using Form I-94 as Required Document for Evidence of Migration Status

When non-citizen adults need to obtain a Social Security card, it is federal law that the applicants show up, in person, at a local Social Security Administration office and bring original documents that show four things: immigration status, work eligibility, age and identity.

For the particular purpose of showing evidence of immigration status, applicants can show their original Form I-94, formally known as an “arrival/departure record,” or they can show a current admission stamp in their unexpired non-U.S. passport.

People who are non-citizens and who wish to streamline the process of obtaining a SS card can use companies like Application-Filling-Service.com to make the entire process move quickly. It helps immensely to know, before traveling to the Social Security office, exactly what forms you need, what you might encounter in terms of interview questions from the Social Security agents, and how to fill out the required SS-5 form.

The SS-5 is the so-called “cover sheet” that SSA requires for all card applications, from U.S.-born citizens, foreign-born citizens or non-citizens.

Among the four categories that a non-citizen must bring documentation for, the Form I-94 can satisfy several of them. For example, to prove Immigration status, or “migration status,” the applicant can produce his or her I-94 to meet that requirement in full. Likewise, when it comes time to prove work eligibility, the same document, the I-94, will satisfy the SSA for that purpose.

The same can be said for proving age, but only when the applicant is unable to provide an original birth certificate, or can’t get one within ten days. In that case, SSA will accept any DHS document you have that shows your age. Finally, to prove identity, the SSA will accept the I-94 along with your unexpired foreign passport.

As noted above, one of the key requirements for all Social Security card applicants is the cover sheet, also known as Form SS-5. The Social Security Administration is very particular about this document. It must be filled out completely, with all pertinent boxes and lines filled in.

In addition, the information on the form must be correct and truthful in all cases. If anything is incorrect, in the wrong space, or left blank, the SSA will reject the form and make the applicant start all over by filling out a new one. Application-Filing-Service.com has helped thousands of people, citizens and non-citizens alike, fill out their SS-5 forms perfectly.

That way, when the applicant goes to the SS office with their original documents to prove work eligibility, age, identity and migration status, there’s no reason to worry about the SS-5 because it will already be filled in and checked for accuracy.

A professional filing service can also help applicants gather the correct documents, all of which must be originals, before making the trip to the SS office. It helps to remember that a mistake on the SS-5 or a missing document will force the hand of the SSA and they will reject the application for a Social Security card.