“I recently got my I-765 EAD approved and the card was produced. Since I checked the box to apply for an SSN on my EAD application, will my SSN arrive shortly after the EAD?”
A “card produced” update does not mean your SSN card is late—the SSA period begins when the EAD reaches you. If the SSN card is still missing after 14 days, there is a clear SSA follow-up route.
Your next move depends on whether 14 days have passed since your EAD was delivered and whether you completed the full SSN-request section.
If fewer than 14 days have passed since you received your and you completed the section, no separate SSA application is needed yet. says it will mail the card separately to your application address no later than 14 days after EAD receipt (SSA Enumeration Beyond Entry guidance).
Once 14 full days have passed without the card, call at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. local time, or locate your office at https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp (SSA contact guidance).
If your I-765 SSN section was incomplete or SSA confirms it has no automatic request, start a free first-time SSN-card application at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card and schedule the required office appointment (SSA Publication 05-10107).
The clock starts on the date you physically receive the EAD—not the USCIS approval or card-production date.
These steps let the automatic I-765 request run first and give you a precise fallback if the card does not arrive.
Before relying on automatic issuance
Confirm that you completed the SSN section
On the 01/20/25 edition, a complete request meant answering “Yes” to both Items 14 and 15 and supplying the parent-name information in Items 16.a–17.b. SSA’s automatic route applies when you completed the SSN-request section.
Requirements
When the work permit arrives
Record the EAD delivery date
Use the date you physically receive the EAD. SSA’s 14-day period runs from EAD receipt, not from USCIS approval or the “card produced” update.
Requirements
Days 0–14 after EAD receipt
Watch for the separate SSA envelope
No second application is needed during this period if the I-765 request was complete. SSA mails the SSN card separately to the application address and says it should arrive no later than 14 days after your EAD.
Requirements
After 14 full days
Contact SSA once 14 days have passed
Call 1-800-772-1213 between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday, or find your local office at https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp. Tell SSA that you requested the SSN through Form I-765 and that 14 days have passed since EAD delivery; have the EAD and flyer available.
Requirements
Fallback if SSA has no I-765 request
Apply directly only if the automatic request is missing
Start the first-time SSN-card application at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card and self-schedule an SSA office or Card Center appointment. The fee is $0; SSA requires proof of identity, age, and work-authorized status, and an in-person interview is required for first-time applicants age 12 or older unless they applied through the automatic EAE/EBE process.
Requirements
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
u/Express_Grab763r/USCISFeb 6, 2026
u/kjung87r/f1visaDec 12, 2025
The answer comes from SSA’s Enumeration Beyond Entry and contact guidance, USCIS Form I-765 instructions, and the agencies’ official publications.
SSA Enumeration Beyond Entry guidance
A completed I-765 SSN request is transmitted to SSA, which mails the card separately and gives a 14-day delivery and follow-up period.
If you apply for work authorization using DHS’s Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization and you completed the section on the application to request an SSN card, then USCIS will send us the data we need to issue your SSN card. If you apply for an SSN card using Form I-765, you do not have to contact a Social Security office to apply for an SSN card. We will mail your SSN card separately to the address you listed on your application. You should receive your SSN card no later than 14 days after receiving your EAD. You can contact us if you do not receive an SSN card 14 days after receiving your EAD, "Green Card", or Certificate of Naturalization.
Form I-765 Instructions, edition 01/20/25
This identifies what constituted a complete SSN-card request on the 01/20/25 I-765 edition.
Part 2, Items 13.a–17.b, page 18
If your request for employment authorization is approved, the SSA may assign you an SSN and issue you a Social Security card, or issue you a replacement card. If you want the SSA to assign you a Social Security number and issue you a Social Security card, or issue you a new or replacement Social Security card, then answer “Yes” to both Item Number 14. and Item Number 15. You must also provide your father’s and mother’s family and given names at birth in Item Numbers 16.a. - 17.b. SSA will use Item Numbers 16.a. -17.b. in issuing you a Social Security card.
SSA Contact by Phone
This provides SSA’s national number, operating hours, and local-office locator route.
If you cannot use our online services, we can help you by phone when you call your local Social Security office or our toll-free National 800 Number. You can find the phone number for your local office by using our Office Locator. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213 between 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday.
USCIS EBE Flyer
This undated USCIS flyer contains the older 7-business-day instruction that differs from SSA’s current 14-day page.
pages 1–2
If USCIS approves your application, you will receive two documents – your Employment Authorization Document (EAD), also known as the “USCIS I-766 card” or “work permit”, and in another envelope your SSN card. We will mail your SSN card to the address you listed on your I-765 application. You should receive your SSN card no later than 7 business days after you receive your EAD from USCIS. Please call or visit an SSA office if you do not receive your SSN card within 7 business days after receiving your EAD. Please bring this flyer and your EAD as it may help us answer your questions.
SSA Publication 05-10107
SSA explains how an employer uses the SSN after the card arrives.
A Social Security number (SSN) is used to report a person's wages to the government and to determine a person's eligibility for Social Security benefits. You need an SSN to get a job, collect Social Security benefits, and receive certain government services. Your employer will ask for your SSN to report your wages.
SSA Publication 05-10107
SSA provides the free direct-application fallback and its document rules.
Applying for an SSN card is free. If you are unable or choose not to file for an SSN using EAE or EBE to apply for a work-authorized SSN, visit our Request a Social Security number for the first time page at www.ssa.gov/number-card. You will need to: • Start the application online. • Self-schedule an appointment to visit a local Social Security office or Card Center. To complete the application, bring us original documents (we cannot accept notarized copies) proving your: • Identity. • Age. • Work-authorized immigration status. You must provide at least 2 separate documents.
SSA POMS RM 10201.065
SSA says the physical SSN card is not everyday identification and generally need not be carried.
RM 10201.065(A)
The SSN card is not an identification document (ID) and an individual is only required to show the card when requested by a new employer.
These are the official SSA and USCIS instructions available on 2026-09-24; agency instructions can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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