Hello,

I am a Canadian and my company is planning on transferring me to US for work. They will file the required paper work through their lawyers however I had a question:

When I was young my family went to US and applied for SSN's and they received it as well. They were never used since those were not authorized to work in the United States.

Now on my L1 application form, there is a field for SSN. Is it mandatory to fill that? Should I even bother trying to figure out what my number was or will a new one be issued to me with work authorization? Also what are the consequences of not providing it (I don't even know what it is).

Any help would be appreciated..

How old were you when you were issued this SSN and how long were you in the US at that time?

I was 10 years old and we were there for 3 months.

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Originally Posted by confusedcan

Hello,

I am a Canadian and my company is planning on transferring me to US for work. They will file the required paper work through their lawyers however I had a question:

When i was young my family went to US and applied for SSN's and they received it as well. They were never used since those were not authorized to work in the United States.

Now on my L1 application form, there is a field for SSN. Is it mandatory to fill that? Should I even bother trying to figure out what my number was or will a new one be issued to me with work authorization? Also what are the consequences of not providing it (i don't even know what it is).

Any help would be appreciated..

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For now you can leave it blank... you must get your visa approved first and then apply for SSN when you enter US on new visa. The numbers issued to you and your family were for non-US citizen and not for employment. Though your current status is non-US citizen but standard protocol calls for proofs of legal status. So you need to have a visa first and then contact the nearest SSA office and simply tell them you had one before. Normally the number is issued only once but employment conditions can be lifted.

Check this link: Documentation for a Replacement Social Security Card for Noncitizen Adult

Thank you very much for this information.

So according to this, DHS has nothing to do with SSN while processing L1 applications? That is; if I don't provide this information, I am not jeapordizing my visa status? Is it safe to assume that?

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Originally Posted by confusedcan

thank you very much for this information.

So according to this, DHS has nothing to do with SSN while processing L1 applications? That is; if i don't provide this information, i am not jeapordizing my visa status? Is it safe to assume that?

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The form asks this question because for some applicants it is not the first time they apply for this visa... you will be fine. :)

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Originally Posted by lawanwadee

The form asks this question because for some applicants it is not the first time they apply for this visa..... you will be fine. :)

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Lawanwadee,

Thanks for all your help on this. On another forum someone posted the following, please don't take it the wrong way as I was trying to gather information from any means possible. Would you be able to comment on the following?

"There are ways to get SSN. You can either consult the Embassy via e-mail and see if it works. A 2nd option is to write an e-mail to Social Security Online - The Official Website of the U.S. Social Security Administration. A 3rd option is to directly call Social Security. In all 3 options, you will have to provide your passport details.

If you were previously issued an SSN #, you will have to mention it. There could be an option of stating "DO NOT REMEMBER", but please try options presented above.

The SSN# is used for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to, background check, in order to determine if the beneficiary is free of any criminal history. So, yes, from that perspective, it is quite important.

You can consult an immigration lawyer and see if there are alternatives available."

You can either contact US embassy in your country or write to SSA direct BUT in order to obtain a new replacement card, you must submit proofs of legal status. So you can request for one as soon as you have a valid visa.

Here is some update on this:

I spoke to two different lawyers, one based out of TX and the other based out of LA. I was advised completely two separate things by these lawyers.

One suggested that I don't mention anything unless asked for at the border, same as lawanwadee recommend. The other lawyer recommended that I use the old SSN on the form; that is if they start digging and find out it might be taken negatively.

Now I am really confused... time to find a third lawyer..

This is not a big issue... why make it complicated.

You don't have to have SSN for now... but you may inform the consulate that you've had one before but it's not the one issued to US citizen.

The fact is you cannot obtain one, or replace the old card without proof of legal status which means you must have the visa approved first.

End of story... Go have a martini and relax... :)