United States: USCIS Ends the Option to Request a Social Security Number When Applying for an EAD
January 6, 2026
Country / Territory
Share
At a glance
- A new edition of Form I-765, the application for an employment authorization document (EAD), removes the option to request a U.S. Social Security Number on the form, ending a processing efficiency for foreign nationals.
- Though the Social Security Administration reportedly stopped fulfilling requests for Social Security Numbers made on Form I-765 in March 2025, the new form edition formally ends the option.
- Foreign nationals seeking a Social Security Number or replacement Social Security card must generally appear in person at a local Social Security Administration office.
The issue
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stopped allowing applicants for an employment authorization document (EAD) to request a Social Security Number (SSN) on their Form I-765 EAD application, ending a processing efficiency that had been in place for a number of years.
In 2017, USCIS began allowing EAD applicants to request an SSN or a replacement Social Security card on Form I-765, pursuant to a Social Security Administration (SSA) program known as Enumeration Beyond Entry. This saved EAD applicants an in-person appointment at a local SSA office. If an EAD applicant used this option and their Form I-765 was approved, USCIS would send the foreign national’s data to SSA for processing. The foreign national would receive two documents – their USCIS EAD and, in a separate mailing, an SSN card, which was typically issued a few weeks after the EAD.
SSA reportedly suspended automatically producing SSNs based on Form I-765 requests in Spring 2025. Though there appears to have been no agency announcement of the suspension at that time, the new edition of Form I-765 marks an official end to the option for EAD applicants. Foreign nationals seeking a Social Security Number are required to submit an application with the SSA and typically appear in person at a local SSA office.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
