Answered September 2026

USCIS mails your after the welcome notice, and SSA should mail your SSN card separately no later than 14 days after the Green Card arrives; a separately approved is no longer needed to prove your permanent-resident work authorization.

“I just got my I-485 approved and requested an SSN on the application. How long does it usually take for the SSN and the physical green card to arrive? Does the EAD still come as a separate card, and what else should I update or do after approval?”

Summary

Your approval already makes you a permanent resident; you do not need to wait for an EAD to gain that status. The two deliveries are sequential enough that SSA measures its deadline from the day you receive the Green Card, so a later SSN card is not automatically a problem.

When the Green Card arrives, your next immigration filing depends on whether it is an ordinary card or a two-year conditional card.

Not a two-year conditional cardno filing now

The special I-751/I-829 condition-removal rule does not apply. Keep the card and approval notice secure; there is no condition-removal petition to file now under this rule [USCIS, “Conditional Permanent Residence,” Apr. 24, 2025].

Two-year marriage cardI-751

You are a marriage-based and must file Form I-751 during the 90-day period before the card expires [USCIS, “Conditional Permanent Residence,” Apr. 24, 2025].

Two-year investor cardI-829

You are an entrepreneur and must file Form I-829 during the 90-day period before the card expires [USCIS, “Conditional Permanent Residence,” Apr. 24, 2025].

For a conditional card, the filing window is measured backward from the expiration date printed on the card—not from the I-485 approval date.

Read the full explanation

Watch out for

Start the SSN clock after the Green Card arrivesSSA’s 14-day period runs from receipt of your physical Green Card—not from the I-485 approval date. If the SSN card is still missing 14 days after the Green Card arrives, use SSA’s online SSN-card service to make an appointment (SSA, “Social Security Numbers and Immigrant Visas”).
Thirty days is an escalation point, not a promiseUSCIS does not publish a fixed average for cards produced after adjustment approval. Submit an if no welcome notice arrives within 30 days after you became a permanent resident, or if the Green Card has not arrived within 30 days after the welcome notice (USCIS, “After Receiving a Decision,” updated Feb. 27, 2023).
The immigrant-visa timeline is not yoursThe USCIS “up to 90 days” delivery table applies to people who entered the United States using an immigrant visa and paid the immigrant fee. You adjusted status through Form I-485, so do not use that table to calculate your card’s arrival.
USPS forwarding is not enoughIf you move, report the address change to USCIS within 10 days through the online Enterprise Change of Address tool and update USPS separately; USCIS says USPS does not update your USCIS address or forward USCIS mail (USCIS, “How to Change Your Address,” updated Aug. 4, 2026).
A two-year card has a hard deadlineA must petition during the 90 days before the two-year card expires. Marriage-based residents use Form I-751; entrepreneurs use Form I-829. Failure to remove the conditions can end permanent-resident status (USCIS, “Conditional Permanent Residence,” updated Apr. 24, 2025).
Selective Service may applyIf you are male and age 18 through 25, USCIS says you are required to register with Selective Service. Do not wait for the physical Green Card to treat this as an obligation (USCIS, “Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder,” updated Sept. 12, 2025).

Next steps

These steps protect delivery of both cards and help you begin using your permanent-resident status without waiting for an unnecessary EAD.

Starting now

Track the welcome notice and Green Card

Use USCIS Case Status Online at https://egov.uscis.gov/ to follow card production and mailing. USCIS mails the welcome notice first and the Green Card afterward. Submit an at https://egov.uscis.gov/e-request if 30 days pass after you became a permanent resident without a welcome notice, or 30 days pass after the welcome notice without the card; if the status says the card was mailed, use the displayed USPS tracking number.

Requirements

I-485 approval notice
USCIS receipt number
Current mailing address

Within 10 days of moving

Report any move to USCIS

Use the Enterprise Change of Address tool inside your USCIS online account at https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange. Update USPS separately because USPS forwarding neither changes your USCIS address nor forwards USCIS mail.

Requirements

New physical and mailing addresses
USCIS online account

Through day 14 after Green Card delivery

Wait for the automatic SSN mailing

Because you requested the SSN on Form I-485, do not submit a duplicate application now: SSA should mail the original or replacement card to the I-485 address no later than 14 days after your Green Card arrives. If it does not, start at https://secure.ssa.gov/ossnap/public/landingOSsnap and make an SSA appointment; bring your original Green Card and original birth certificate, not photocopies or notarized copies. If your old Social Security card has a work restriction, a replacement card is the way SSA changes that status.

Requirements

Physical Green Card once received
Original Green Card and birth certificate if an SSA appointment becomes necessary

As soon as proof is needed

Use I-551 evidence for employment

If USCIS approved Form I-765 before the I-485, the and SSN card are separate mailings. Do not wait for that EAD after becoming a permanent resident: for Form I-9 you may choose the Green Card alone as a List A document, or an acceptable List B plus List C combination. An employer should not reverify an ordinary Green Card later, although temporary I-551 evidence does require reverification when the temporary evidence expires.

Requirements

Physical Green Card, or unexpired
Employer’s Form I-9 only if documentation is requested or reverification is due

When the Green Card arrives

Read the card and calendar your obligations

Verify the card’s information and expiration date. If it is a two-year marriage-based conditional card, calendar Form I-751 for the 90 days before expiration; if it is a two-year entrepreneur card, calendar Form I-829 for that same window. File applicable federal and state income-tax returns, register with Selective Service if you are male and 18 through 25, and obtain a Form I-131 reentry permit before departure if planning to remain outside the United States for longer than one year.

Requirements

Physical Green Card
I-485 approval notice

Others who faced this

You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.

I485, APPROVED! + SSN arrived 10 days later too!

u/Ok-Following9926r/USCISJul 30, 2026

I asked them interviewer regarding the SSN, since I requested the information to be shared with the SSA, from USCIS, (I-485 form, part3, item 14,15) He said it will be processed! That my conditional greencard is granted! About a week later I get my card in the mail! And my SSN arrived 10 days later!!

Legal sources

This answer is based on current USCIS Green Card, Form I-765, Form I-9 and address guidance, plus SSA’s Enumeration Beyond Entry instructions.

USCIS After Receiving a Decision

USCIS mails a welcome notice and then the Green Card, with specific 30-day points for reporting non-delivery.

USCIS After Receiving a Decision

If You Recently Became a Permanent Resident

After you become a permanent resident, we mail you a welcome notice. Then we mail your new Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). You should also submit an e-Request if any of the following occur: It has been more than 30 days since you became a permanent resident, and you have not received your welcome notice. It has been more than 30 days since you received your welcome notice but you have not received your new card.

Read the full text

SSA Enumeration Beyond Entry

SSA automatically processes the requested original or replacement SSN card and measures its delivery period from receipt of the Green Card.

SSA Enumeration Beyond Entry

Apply For Your Social Security Card While Applying For Your Lawful Permanent Residency

If you apply for an SSN card using Form I-485, you do not have to contact a Social Security office to apply for an SSN card. If USCIS approves your application for LPR status, we will mail your SSN card or replacement card to the address listed on your application. You should receive your SSN card no later than 14 days after you receive your Permanent Resident Card/Form I-551/ “Green Card” from USCIS.

Read the full text

Form I-765 Instructions

Form I-765 produces the separate EAD, and adjustment-category eligibility is documented through a pending I-485.

Form I-765 Instructions

Pages 1 and 13; category (c)(9)

Certain foreign nationals who are in the United States may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to request employment authorization and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). File Form I-765 together with Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or if filing separately, submit a copy of your Form I-485 receipt notice or other evidence that your Form I-485 is pending.

Read the full text

USCIS M-274 §7.1

A Green Card is List A proof for Form I-9, employees choose acceptable documents, and ordinary LPR evidence is not reverified.

USCIS M-274 §7.1

7.1

You must allow employees to choose which document(s) they will present from the Lists of Acceptable Documents. In Section 2, an LPR may choose to present a List A document (such as Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, commonly referred to as a Green Card) or a List B and C document combination (such as a state-issued driver’s license and unrestricted Social Security card). You are not required to reverify the employment eligibility of a lawful permanent resident who presented these documents and you should not reverify their employment authorization.

Read the full text

USCIS Change of Address

Permanent residents must report a move to USCIS within 10 days, separately from USPS.

USCIS Change of Address

Additionally, all aliens in the United States must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving. Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will not change your address with USCIS and USPS will not forward your mail from USCIS. Please update your information with both USCIS and USPS.

Read the full text

USCIS Conditional Permanent Residence

A two-year conditional resident must timely file I-751 or I-829 to preserve permanent-resident status.

USCIS Conditional Permanent Residence

A conditional permanent resident receives a Green Card valid for two years. To remove the conditions on your permanent resident status, you must file a petition within the 90-day period before your conditional Green Card expires. To remove the conditions on a Green Card based on marriage, you must file Form I-751, Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence . To remove conditions on a Green Card for entrepreneurs, you must file Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions . If your conditions are not removed, you will lose your permanent resident status and you will become removable from the United States.

Read the full text

USCIS International Travel as a Permanent Resident

The Green Card is used for return from temporary travel, and a trip planned for more than one year calls for a reentry permit before departure.

USCIS International Travel as a Permanent Resident

If seeking to enter the United States after temporary travel abroad, you will need to present a valid, unexpired “Green Card” (Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card). If you plan on being absent from the United States for longer than a year, it is advisable to first apply for a reentry permit on Form I-131.

Read the full text

USCIS Green Card Holder Responsibilities

USCIS identifies tax filing and age-limited Selective Service registration as permanent-resident responsibilities.

USCIS Green Card Holder Responsibilities

Your Responsibilities as a Permanent Resident

Required to file your income tax returns and report your income to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities; Required to register with the Selective Service, if you are a male age 18 through 25.

Read the full text

USCIS When to Expect Your Green Card

The frequently quoted 90-day delivery period belongs to the immigrant-visa process, not domestic I-485 adjustment.

USCIS When to Expect Your Green Card

|You entered the U.S. using your immigrant visa, |You paid the immigrant visa fee AFTER you entered, |It may take up to 90 days from the date you made your payment to receive your permanent resident card. |

Read the full text

These are the official USCIS and SSA rules as published on the cited dates; agency rules and procedures can change.

This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.

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