It depends on the form you filed: an accepted older I-765 could have requested an SSN card mailed separately, but the I-765 required from March 5, 2026 cannot—and an I-485 “Yes” does not send a card with your EAD.
“I entered the US on a B2 visa in March 2026 and just got my I-765 (C09) standalone approval. I checked 'Yes' on the form to indicate that I need an SSN. Do I still need to apply for it separately, or will it be sent automatically with my EAD card?”
Resumen
Your answer is manageable once you identify which form and edition had the “Yes.” If you need to apply directly, SSA’s card application is free; if you made a valid older request, SSA can look for it before starting another.
The deciding question is which application contained your “Yes” and when you filed the I-765.
USCIS required the 08/21/25 edition from March 5, 2026, and that edition asks for an existing rather than offering a new-SSN “Yes” request. Once your physical arrives, apply directly to SSA if you do not already have an SSN. [USCIS transition](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-updates?items_per_page=25&page=1); [Form I-765](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-765.pdf); [SSA noncitizen instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf)
If you used the accepted 01/20/25 edition, answered “Yes” to *both* SSN questions, and your USCIS receipt records the request, SSA’s published instructions describe mailing a separate card within 14 days after the EAD arrives. Because processing of such requests was reported paused in 2025 and its present status is unresolved, contact SSA after those 14 days if no card arrives; SSA should look for an assigned number or pending application before taking a new one. [Older I-765 instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/I765instr.pdf); [SSA guidance](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/ebe.html); [SSA POMS](https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205700)
That is a separate request linked to approval of your , not approval of your standalone EAD. SSA says an I-485-requested card should arrive within 14 days *after your green card arrives*; if you need an SSN while the I-485 remains pending, use your EAD to apply directly to SSA. [Form I-485](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-485.pdf); [SSA I-485 instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/ebe.html); [SSA noncitizen instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf)
An SSN card, if issued through an immigration application, is mailed separately—not inside the EAD envelope. [SSA](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/ebe.html)
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Watch out for
Próximos pasos
These steps establish whether an SSN request was actually made, then get you a card without assuming it will come with the EAD.
Before expecting an automatic card
Identify the form and filing date
Read the edition date at the bottom of your submitted I-765 and its filing date. An I-765 filed before March 5, 2026 could use the 01/20/25 edition: an SSN request required “Yes” to both Items 14 and 15, and SSA’s instructions say the USCIS receipt indicates whether the request was made. The 08/21/25 edition required from March 5 instead asks for an existing SSN in Item 13; an SSN “Yes” may have been on your I-485. [USCIS edition dates](https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-updates?items_per_page=25&page=1); [older instructions](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/I765instr.pdf); [SSA receipt rule](https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205700)
Requisitos
After the card arrives
Have your EAD and identity documents ready
Use the physical EAD, not just the I-765 approval notice, as your work-authorization document for SSA. SSA asks noncitizens for current immigration documents and an unexpired foreign passport; it may use the EAD as identity and work-authorization proof. Bring original documents or certified copies to the SSA appointment. [SSA noncitizen instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf); [Form SS-5](https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf)
Requisitos
Immediately with the newer form; after 14 days without a card for a valid older request
Apply through SSA—or follow up on the older request
If you have no SSN and your I-765 did not make a valid SSN request, start the first-time application at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/request-number-first-time, arrange the SSA office or Card Center visit, and bring the documents within 45 days of starting online; the SSA card application costs $0. If your older I-765 receipt confirms a request, SSA’s published follow-up point is 14 days after you receive the EAD: if no separate SSN card arrives, use https://secure.ssa.gov/ossnap/public/landingOSsnap to arrange SSA help and tell staff about the earlier request so they search for an assigned number or pending application before starting a new one. An I-485 “Yes” alone is not a reason to wait for an SSN with this EAD; its automatic-card timetable follows green-card approval. [SSA first-time instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf); [Form SS-5](https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf); [SSA EBE instructions](https://www.ssa.gov/ssnvisa/ebe.html); [SSA POMS](https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205700)
Requisitos
Fuentes legales
This answer draws on USCIS’s I-765 and I-485 forms and updates, and the Social Security Administration’s published instructions and operating manual.
USCIS Forms Updates — Form I-765
The old I-765 could still be filed during the first four days of March 2026, but the newer edition became mandatory on March 5.
January 5, 2026 Form I-765 update
Edition Date: 08/21/25. Starting March 5, 2026, we will accept only the 08/21/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/20/25 edition.
USCIS Form I-765 page
A later court-order update left the 08/21/25 I-765 edition in use as of this answer.
Alert concerning the September 14, 2026 order
Pursuant to the Sept. 14, 2026, order, USCIS continues to accept the 08/28/24 edition of Form I-539 and 08/21/25 edition of Form I-765 and is not accepting the 09/15/26 edition of Forms I-539 and I-765.
Form I-765, edition 08/21/25
The accepted newer I-765 asks for a number the applicant already knows; this is not a request for SSA to issue one.
Part 2, Item 13, page 2
Provide your Social Security number (SSN) (if known).
Form I-765 Instructions, edition 01/20/25
The previously accepted I-765 instructions explain what counted as an SSN request on the older edition.
Items 13.a.–17.b.
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.**
USCIS Form I-765, (c)(9) instructions
C09 is the work-permit category for someone with a pending adjustment application, including a separately filed work-permit application.
Special Instructions, (c)(9)
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 I-485 receipt notice or other evidence to show that your Form I-485 is pending.
Form I-485, edition 09/18/26
Form I-485 itself contains a “Yes” question about requesting a Social Security card.
Part 1, Social Security Card, page 5
Do you want the SSA to issue you a Social Security card?
SSA, Apply for Your Social Security Card While Applying for Your Work Permit
SSA’s published guidance describes a card mailed separately after an I-765 SSN request, with a 14-day follow-up point measured from receipt of the EAD.
Form I-765
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.
SSA, Apply for Your Social Security Card While Applying for Lawful Permanent Residency
The I-485 automatic-card timeline is measured from permanent-residence approval and receipt of the green card, not EAD approval.
Form I-485
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.
SSA, Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens
SSA’s February 2026 instructions set a 45-day window to bring documents to an office after starting the first-time application online.
Applying for an SSN
To complete the application process, you must visit your local Social Security office or Card Center with the required documents within **45 days of starting the process**.
SSA, Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens
The applicant should bring the EAD and an unexpired foreign passport as evidence for SSA.
What documents must I provide?
To prove your identity and work-authorized immigration status, you will need to show us your current U.S. immigration documents and your unexpired foreign passport.
SSA, Social Security Numbers for Noncitizens
SSA recognizes the EAD as evidence of identity and permission to work.
What documents must I provide?
For example, we may use your DHS EAD as proof of both your identity and work-authorized immigration status.
Form SS-5
There is no SSA application fee for a Social Security card.
page 1
Applying for a Social Security Card is free!
SSA POMS RM 10205.700
SSA staff should look for an older pending request before beginning a new application.
E, applicant does not have an existing SSN
If you do not find a pending record in SSNAP that you determine belongs to the applicant, start a new application, and have the applicant submit all necessary evidence.
University of Pittsburgh Office of International Services advisory
A university advisory reported a 2025 pause, but it is not an SSA-issued statement establishing the pause’s status in October 2026.
On March 18, 2025, the Social Security Administration paused Enumeration-Beyond-Entry (EBE) transactions for noncitizens granted work authorization via USCIS’ Form I-765.
These are the official rules as published on the cited dates; forms, procedures, and rules can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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