Applying for a SSN in LA

How to Apply for a Social Security Number for Your Semester at BULA

All BULA student employees and students working at paid internships through the BULA Program must have a valid Social Security Number (SSN). You can be hired and begin working without an SSN, but you must apply for one from the Social Security Administration (SSA) immediately upon starting. (Students working at unpaid internships are also eligible and advised to apply for an SSN as well. Getting one now may save you a future headache when you start interviewing for paid jobs after graduation, which will require you to have one.)

Please note you can only apply for an SSN after you have authorization to work in the U.S. For purposes of obtaining one for the BULA Program, you will not do it through the ISSO on the main campus before you leave for Los Angeles. You will do it through BULA after you arrive here for the program, and need to follow the below instructions:

  1. Wait until 1) you have been offered an on-campus job with BULA or accepted your internship, 2) you have arrived in LA and 3) have been granted CPT authorization for your internship and have received the CPT authorization letter and new I-20. (ISSO will process it and mail it to the BULA office and you will be notified by BULA when it is ready for pick-up).
  2. Review the ISSO website for a general overview of the process of applying for an SSN at this address: http://www.bu.edu/isso/employment-internships/social-security-cards/ and go to the “Applying for a Social Security Card” and “Receiving Your Social Security Card and Number” sections. Please note that since you are applying for a SSN while in Los Angeles, instead of ISSO completing a “Certification of F-1 student On-Campus Employment for Social Security Number Application,” you will use your CPT authorization letter on your new I-20, along with other documents, all detailed below. Also, if you have any questions, please contact the BULA Program Manager instead of ISSO.
  3. Request a letter from BULA with proof of student status and employment (which is either BULA employment or your internship) and address (if you are living on campus) by filling out this form.
  4. If you are not a BULA employee and need the SSN for your internship, you will also need additional documentation. You may either: 1) Submit the CPT authorization letter you received from ISSO (which lists your internship provider) or 2) Ask your employer/supervisor to write and sign a letter which states: the name of the company, the type of work you will do in the company, your start date, how many hours you will work, and the name and phone number of the supervisor and address of the company, and submit this letter instead.
  5. Go to the closest Social Security Administration Office at: 4000 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. The office is open Monday-Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. (The wait time here tends to be shorter on Thursdays and Fridays and right when they open in the morning.)
  6. Bring the following required documents with you:
    – SSN Application Form (www.ssa.gov/online/ss-5.pdf)
    – Passport (unexpired, and with U.S. visa stamped inside)
    – Current I-20 (you must show your “work authorization” on Page 3)
    – All previous I-20s
    – I-94 (print it out here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov. Select “Get Most Recent I-94”).
    – Proof of Student Status: The BULA letter
    – Proof of Address: The BULA letter if you live on campus, or if you are off-campus, bring a bank statement, rental lease agreement, insurance papers, or a utility bill that includes your Los Angeles address.
    – Proof of Employment: The BULA letter, CPT authorization letter, or letter from your internship supervisor.
  7. Also, consider bringing these items, if you have them:
    – U.S. Driver’s License
    – Birth Certificate    : If you do not have this with you, and are not able to get it within 10 days, the SSN representative may accept your passport as a replacement.
    – Any other CPT related documents handed to you by the ISSO (W9 form, etc.)
    **Note:  All of these documents must be the originals – no copies or receipts will be accepted.**
  8. Be prepared to answer questions. The SSN representative may also ask if you’ve applied for any school funds or federal money (i.e., Medicare).  They may ask if you have committed a crime.
  9. Once approved, you should receive your Social Security Card in the mail within two weeks. If you are a student employee, please notify the Program Manager once you receive it so that your student employment paperwork may be completed. Please provide your internship with your SSN as soon as possible.