Depending on your visa status, certain eligibility requirements, timelines, and options apply. Please be sure to read the information thoroughly and contact the office of multicultural and international student services with any questions.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
You need a Social Security number in order to get paid for employment. You cannot start employment until you have a Social Security number (or a receipt of application). In order for students to receive paid employment, they are required by law to obtain a Social Security number. F-1 students must secure a job before they can apply for a Social Security number. J-1 students do not need to have a job secured, but must receive work authorization from the global education office first.

There are two ways to apply:

1.     The University of Massachusetts will have the Social Security office on their campus to take applications:

Date: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Hours: 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Location: International Programs Office
467 Hills South, 4th Floor in their Advising Center room

Directions to the University of Massachusetts: http://www.umass.edu/visitorsctr/Campus_Map/

By PVTA bus: http://pvta.com/: Plan your trip using the “Google Trip Planner”

By car: limited meter parking

Note: We highly recommend that you attend one of these sessions, since it is early in the school year and may be the least “waiting in line time.”

2.     Apply on your own at the Holyoke Social Security Administration (SSA) office:

Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Address:   200 High Street
                   Second Floor
                   Holyoke, MA 01040

By PVTA bus: From the Music/Dance Building in Northampton, take the PVTA Blue #48 (B48) bus towards Veteran’s Park/Holyoke Mall. Take the bus to the last stop in Holyoke, Veteran's Park. Walk down Hampden Street toward High Street. You will pass Maple Street on your left, and High Street will be on your right. Go onto High Street; the SSA office is 200 High Street.
Note: On weekdays, the B48 bus leaves every hour, on the hour. Be prepared to pay a bus fare (approx $1-$2 each way). 
For additional information on bus routes/schedules, trip planner, and bus fares, please visit the PVTA website and contact them directly as needed.

By car: Take 91 (south) and get off at exit 17. Take a left onto the exit onto Route 41. At the second traffic light on 141, you will see a 7-11 store on the left. At this point, bear right at a 45-degree angle, and continue onto Route 141. Route 141 is now called Appleton Street. Drive down Appleton Street until you reach the third light, then take a left onto High Street. The SSA office is located at 200 High Street.

Note: Wait times vary and can sometimes take up to two hours.

Students must bring the following documents (bring originals AND photocopies of each document) with them in order to apply:

• Completed Form SS-5.
• Valid passport with your F-1 OR J-1 visa stamp
• Form I-20 (for F-1 visa holders) OR Form DS-2019 (for J-1 visa holders)
• Form I-94
• If you are on an F-1 visa, employer letter PRINTED ON HAMPSHIRE LETTERHEAD, signed by BOTH your employer and MISS international student advisor. You can ask your employer to print this on their office letterhead and complete the top portion. Then bring the form to the MISS office for signature.
• If you are on a J-1 visa, letter from the global education office or your sponsor.
• IF APPLYING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS SESSION: SSN Application Receipt: You MUST ask the SSA officer at the University of Massachusetts session to sign and date the receipt in lieu of the printed receipt that’s usually provided at the SSA office in Holyoke. If you apply at the Holyoke SSA office, they will provide a printed receipt upon request; make sure you ask for one.

Important: When you apply for your Social Security number, you must ask the SSA officer to give you a receipt for your application. IMMEDIATELY following, you'll need to give that receipt to the Hampshire student employment office, located on the first floor of Blair Hall. This will allow you to get paid while you wait for your Social Security card to arrive in the mail.