Applying for a Social Security Number and Directions to Anderson, SC
All employees in the United States are required to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN). If you need
to apply for the SS card, there are two options available. Option #1 is recommended for early arriving
international faculty, staff, and students if they have been in the United States for more than 10 business
days. You may obtain a copy of the SSN application from the Office of International Affairs (OIA). After
the application process has been completed and approved by the Social Security Administration (SSA),
the SSN card will be issued from Baltimore, MD. This normally takes between two and four week’s time.
The card will be returned to OIA and you will be notified by e-mail (via your Clemson e-mail account) to
pick it up. Please read over the options carefully and act accordingly.
The following documents are needed to apply for a Social Security card:
(A) Foreign national faculty, researchers, or staff such as H1B, TN, or O need:
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Official job offer letter from the university.
Original valid passport with U.S. entry visa.
I-94 departure card and a properly completed SSN application form.
(B) F-1 Visa student’s need:
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To check in with OIS once they have arrived on campus.
Employment verification letter approved by the hiring department and signed by Mack
Howard in OIS.
Original valid passport containing your entry visa, I-94 card, and form I-20.
Photocopies of your passport, I-94 card, and form I-20 are to be given to the SSA
representative only if you apply on campus.
Completed SSN application form.
(C) J-1 Visa students/scholars need:
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To check in with the Office of International Services.
Original valid passport containing your entry visa, I-94 card and form DS-2019.
Photocopies of your passport, I-94 card, and form DS-2019 are to be given to the SSA
representative (only if you apply on campus).
Completed SSN application form.
Students and International Visitors need a letter from OIA stating they are eligible to
work.
J2 visa holders also need a valid Employment Authorization Card.
***IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS LISTED ABOVE FOR YOUR VISA TYPE, YOU
WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
When you apply for the SS card, you must request a “receipt letter” from the SSA office. Bring
the “receipt letter” directly to Mack Howard or Pablo Unda in the Administrative Services Building
located on Pearman and Perimeter Roads.
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When filling out the Social Security application form, it is important that you do the following:
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Fill out the SSN application form completely and sign the document in the appropriate space.
Print clearly so that your information will be entered into the system accurately and correctly.
In Box #2, make sure to put your current, local mailing address.
In Box #3, mark the box entitled “Legal Alien Allowed to Work”.
Options to obtain a Social Security card:
1. International faculty, staff, and students may go to the SSA office in Anderson, SC directly and
apply for their SSN card. Students who have been awarded an assistantship and have arrived
early, before the beginning of the semester, are encouraged to exercise this option to obtain your
SSN card as quickly as possible.
NOTE: You must have been in the U.S. for at least 10 business days and have reported to OIA
prior to applying.
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Office Address: 3420 North Main Street, Anderson, SC 29621
Located in the Market Place Shopping Center behind the Red Lobster Restaurant on
Clemson Boulevard (Highway US 76).
Hours of service: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Bus Transportation: Take the free CAT Bus to Anderson. This is the purple and orange
bus that picks up at East Library Circle and Hendrix Center on campus. The sign on the
front of the bus says “Anderson, SC.” The bus operates from Central to Clemson to
Pendleton to Anderson. The CAT bus will take you as far as the Wal-Mart in Anderson.
Get a transfer pass on the CAT Bus and take the Anderson Electric City Bus to the
Market Place Shopping Center. Be cautious and alert for busy highway traffic in this
area.
Driving Instructions: take Highway US 76 to Anderson. On Clemson Boulevard, pass the
Red Lobster Restaurant that will be on your left and turn left at the first traffic light you
come to that will be at Miracle Mile Drive. Go one block; turn left into the Market Place
Shopping Center. The Social Security Office is next door to the U.S. Post Office.
2. The SSA office will send a representative to campus for a half day at the beginning of the fall and
spring terms so that you may apply on campus for your SSN card. You will be notified at the
International Student Orientation as to the day, hours, and location of this on-campus
registration. You may also learn of the date and time arranged by the SSA office at OIS. Receipt
letters will be mailed from the Anderson SSA office directly to IA within 7 days for those who
apply on campus.
This procedure has been established and agreed to by the Office of International Services,
Clemson University and by Mr. Mike Walsh of the Social Security Administration, Anderson, SC.
Last updated: March 2014
Office of International Services
Clemson University
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