US Homeland Security revised its rules-getting tougher for international students

New York, Sep.18, 2004
Jagdish Pande
NRI Press

The US Homeland Security has revised its rules on assigning social security numbers (SSN) to international students. As of October 13, F-1 visa holders will have to, like all other applicants, submit evidence of age, identity, immigration status, and work authorisation. The purpose for such stringent requirements: security.

The F-1 student must have an employment authorisation document (EAD) from DHS or be authorised by the educational institution for curricular practical training. Otherwise, the international student must provide evidence that he or she has been authorised by the institution to work and has secured employment or a promise of employment before a social security number is assigned.

• F-1 student visa:

Educational institutions have expressed reservations about the effectiveness of these changes. Instead, it is felt that the changes will result in unnecessary additional burden and hardships on certain F-1 students and the universities in which they are enrolled. The new rule limits issuing social security numbers to F-1 student visa holders who have secured employment.

• The rule will pose a problem to students on fellowships and those unable to secure employment. A social security number is crucial for life in the US.
• Without it, it becomes nearly impossible to rent apartments, open bank accounts, apply for credit cards and loans, and obtain driver's licences.

• It would make studying in the US a difficult proposition for most international students.

  To make matters worse, because international students are technically eligible for a social security number, they can't be issued the alternative individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs).

In other words, international students will find it difficult to obtain any one of the crucial identifications required for a functioning existence. Universities and educational institutes also find that the new rule runs counter to the existing on-campus employment regulations.

Besides this, institutions feel that additional resources will now have to be allocated to assist those F-1 students who are denied social security numbers.

For its part, the social security administration believes that the new rule will restrict misuse of social security numbers "further enhance the integrity of SSA's enumeration processes for assigning SSNs by reducing the proliferation of SSNs used for purposes that are not related to work".