The immigration and social security offices now permit applicants to obtain both an Employment Card and their Social Security Number at the same time. This is great news, as in the past, applicants had to wait for the Employment Card then present themselves in person to apply for a social security number. Following their appointment they had to patiently wait until the official social security number was issued. This took considerable amounts of time. The new streamlined process will be time saving to applicants and save the Social Security Administration resources needed for this process.
In order to work in the United States, foreign nationals are required to have both the Employment Authorization Document and a Social Security Number. This new process whereby applicants will first receive their approved EAD by mail followed by their new Social Security Card within a few weeks of the EAD’s issuance. This is a great example of how two governmental agencies can work together toward a common goal and streamline processes for incoming immigrants.