No—you do not need to remove your SSN card’s restriction to use your valid as proof that you can work.
“I just got my EAD approved, but I already have an SSN from when I was on a student visa. Do I need to get the conditions removed from my SSN, and what do I need to show future employers to prove I am able to work?”
Summary
Keep your existing SSN—you do not need a new number. For a future employer’s Form I-9, your valid EAD covers both identity and permission to work, so an unrestricted Social Security card is not a prerequisite. [1, 6]
Whether SSA can remove the wording from your card depends on your current immigration status—not simply on your EAD being approved.
Keep the “VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION” wording. SSA issues this type of card to people admitted temporarily who have DHS permission to work; an EAD does not by itself make you eligible for an . The restriction does not prevent you from proving your work authorization with your valid EAD. [1, 2]
If you are now a lawful permanent resident, a refugee, or have been granted asylum, you qualify for an unrestricted card and can request a replacement reflecting that status. Granted asylum is different from a pending asylum application: an asylum-application EAD alone does not establish that asylum was granted. [3–5]
In either case, keep your existing SSN; you can use a valid EAD for employment verification without waiting for a replacement Social Security card. [1, 6]
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Watch out for
Next steps
Use your EAD for hiring, and treat any qualifying SSA card update as a separate process.
When you accept a job
Present your valid EAD for the new job
For , choose your EAD as your List A document: it proves both identity and work authorization, without an additional SSN card or passport. Complete and sign Section 1 no later than your first day of employment. Your employer must complete Section 2 within three business days after that first day; if the job will last fewer than three business days, Section 2 is due on the first day. If you later obtain an unrestricted SSN card, another option is that card plus an acceptable identity document, such as an unexpired state driver’s license. [1, 9, 11]
Requirements
If you are now a permanent resident, refugee, or granted asylee
Request an SSA replacement if your status qualifies
If you already requested a replacement Social Security card through Form I-765, DHS sends the approved request information to SSA. Otherwise, complete Form SS-5 at https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf and call 1-800-772-1213 for an appointment to submit the application and evidence. The application is free. Ask SSA to update your immigration record and issue the card appropriate to your status; the replacement keeps your existing number. This update is not something you must finish before using your valid EAD for Form I-9. [1, 3–8]
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer draws on Social Security Administration card rules and instructions, and USCIS Form I-9 requirements.
[1] USCIS Form I-9 Acceptable Documents
Your EAD is a List A document that covers both checks, while a restricted SSN card cannot serve as List C.
List A, item 4; List C, Social Security card
The documents on List A show both identity and employment authorization. Employees presenting an acceptable List A document should not be asked to present any other document. Restricted Social Security cards are not acceptable as List C documents.
[2] SSA Types of Social Security Cards
Temporary work authorization normally goes with a Social Security card that retains the DHS-work-authorization restriction.
Type 2: VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION
We issue it to people lawfully admitted to the United States on a temporary basis who have DHS authorization to work.
[3] SSA POMS RM 10211.025
Lawful permanent residents qualify for unrestricted Social Security cards.
A. Policy for evidence of lawful permanent resident status
Aliens who submit evidence of LPR status are issued unrestricted Social Security Number (SSN) cards (without a legend) provided the evidence requirements for an SSN are met.
[4] SSA POMS RM 10211.205
Granted asylum qualifies you for an unrestricted card, but a pending asylum application does not.
A. Definition; C. Policy; B. Evidence of asylee status
The Social Security Administration (SSA) issues asylees unrestricted SSN cards (cards without a legend). SSN applicants who have applied for asylum but have not yet been granted asylum are NOT asylees.
[5] SSA POMS RM 10211.185
Refugees qualify for unrestricted Social Security cards.
A. Policy for evidence of refugee status; B. Acceptable evidence
We issue refugees unrestricted SSN cards (cards without a legend).
[6] SSA Publication 05-10002
You keep your existing number when replacing the card, and SSA provides a telephone appointment route.
Immigration-status changes; replacement cards; appointments
Your replacement card will have the same name and number as your previous card if you have not legally changed your name. Call **1-800-772-1213** to make an appointment to complete your application.
[7] Form SS-5 Instructions
An SSA replacement application is free and requires acceptable identity and immigration documents.
Instructions: evidence requirements and immigration status
Applying for a Social Security Card is free! We can only accept original documents or documents certified by the custodian of the original record. If you are not a U.S. citizen, we must see your current U.S. immigration document(s) and your foreign passport with biographical information or photograph. You must provide a current unexpired document issued to you by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) showing your immigration status, such as Form I-551, I-94, or I-766.
[8] SSA: Change Work Status on a Social Security Card
SSA can process a replacement requested through Form I-765, or you can apply separately with the required evidence.
You will need to apply for a replacement Social Security card to change the status shown on your Social Security card. Once the DHS approves your application, they will send us information to process your request for a replacement Social Security card that reflects your updated employment status. You will need to provide proof of your identity, DHS employment authorization, and immigration status to request a replacement card.
[9] Form I-9
You choose your acceptable I-9 documents and complete your part by the first day of work.
Page 1, anti-discrimination notice and Section 1; page 2, acceptable documents
All employees can choose which acceptable documentation to present for Form I-9. Employees must complete and sign Section 1 of Form I-9 no later than the **first day of employment** , but not before accepting a job offer. Employees may present one selection from List A or a combination of one selection from List B and one selection from List C.
[10] USCIS Optional Practical Training for F-1 Students
If this is OPT, you must receive the EAD before starting and your work must relate to your major.
Types of OPT; When to apply
Optional practical training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. You may not begin your pre- or post-completion OPT until after we approve your Form I-765 and you receive your Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
[11] Form I-9 Instructions
Your employer has a document-review deadline, with a shorter deadline for jobs lasting fewer than three business days.
Completing Section 2
You or your authorized representative must complete **Section 2** by physically examining evidence of the employee's identity and employment authorization within three business days after the employee's first day of employment. However, if the individual will work for less than three business days, **Section 2** must be completed no later than the first day of employment.
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates and reviewed for this answer on October 21, 2026; rules can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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