Green Card Applicants can apply for a Social Security Number during I-485 process

On Aug. 9, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that “applicants filing for lawful permanent resident status are now able to apply for a Social Security number (SSN) or replacement card as part of the adjustment of status application process”.

Previously, Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) applicants were required to submit a separate application for an SSN at a Social Security office. USCIS has updated Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to append the additional questions required to apply for a Social Security Card at the same time.

After approval of I-485 for the Green Card applicant, USCIS will electronically furnish the data to the SSA. Upon receiving the data, Social Security Administration (SSA) will issue automatically an original SSN card.

USCIS Partnership with SSA will not increase the fee for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. USCIS receives about 576,000 Forms I-485 annually.

USCIS Updated I-485 Form

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-485.pdf