1.

If you are age 18 or older, you can apply for a social security number in your home country
when you apply for an immigrant visa with the U.S. Department of State. The U.S. government will use
the same information that you give to apply for an immigrant visa to apply for an SSN.3

Your social security card will arrive at your mailing address about three weeks after you arrive in
the U.S. If you apply for the Social Security number outside of the U.S., you do not have to visit an
American Social Security office after entry into the United States.

The Social Security Administration recommends that you wait ten days after arriving in the
country to "make it easier for us to verify your Department of Homeland Security documents online,
which will speed processing of your Social Security number application." Applying for a Social Security
number is free.