Graduate Studies

Applying for a Social Security Number

International students who have a job must apply for a Social Security Number (SSN).  If you do not have a job, you are not eligible to apply for one.

Once a semester, an SSN representative will visit the Macomb campus and students are able to apply without travelling to Quincy, IL (where the nearest SSN office is located).  Information about the visit will be emailed to all students at the beginning of the semester.

If a representative is unable to travel to Macomb, the Office of Global Studies will arrange transportation to Quincy several times during the semester.

Documents needed to apply:

  • Original Employment Verification Form signed by the Immigration Specialist and your supervisor (you must complete the Google Form mentioned in the email on how to apply for an SSN)
  • SS-5 application - please use the Payroll Office, Sherman Hall 221 for the mailing address and make sure to answer the question about your birth mother's name.
  • Passport
  • I-94 (print from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/)
  • I-20

*Students who have been hired by Sodexo will also need to take their Sodexo paperwork to the appointment.