If you do not already have one, upon arrival in the United States, you are required to apply for a Social Security number (SSN). The SSN is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents.

Its primary purpose is to track individuals for taxation purposes. It is also used to as an individual identifier for the purpose of credit and financial transactions. You will need this for your paycheck, any credit application, etc. so it’s best to make this a priority.

Visa Holders: You must see Sue Henderson-Kendrick at your earliest convenience upon arriving in the United States. You must sign a form, which is forwarded to ECFMG, and from there sent to SEVIS to provide the appropriate clearance in the system, which will allow SSN to process a SSN application on your behalf. Without this clearance, you can not apply for your SSN.

Once you have received clearance, or if you are not required to wait for clearance, please follow the process for applying for a Social Security Number.

• Get a New or Replacement Card
• Application for a Social Security Card
• Local Office Search Enter the zip code 13210 in the form and click the Locate button. The resulting page will provide a map of Downtown Syracuse and show exactly where the Federal Building is located.