Changes Made:. Application For A Social Security Card: Fill & Download for Free

The current Social Security card consists of specially designed pre-printed banknote paper bearing the words, "Social Security," and the official seal of SSA. The statement, "This number has been established for" is printed across the official seal, in the middle of the card. During the card issuance process, the SSN and the number holder's name are impact printed above and below this statement on card printing equipment operated by SSA.A signature line and the word "Signature" are preprinted across the bottom of the card, and there is blank space above the signature line for the number holder's signature. Social Security cards issued to certain noncitizens bear the legend, "Valid For Work Only With INS Authorization." Some other noncitizens have cards with the legend, "Not Valid for Employment." When applicable to a particular Social Security card, these legends also are impact printed during the card issuance process.The back of the card contains information about the SSN and the card itself, including where to mail found cards, where and how to obtain information from SSA, a card stock sequence number, and the card's official form number.SECURITY FEATURESSection 205(c)(2)(G) of the Social Security Act (as amended by section 345 of P.L. 98-21)required prospectively that new and replacement Social Security cards be made of banknote paper and (to the maximum extent practicable) be a card which cannot be counterfeited. SSA consulted with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Government Printing Office, and the Secret Service regarding the anti-counterfeiting features to be incorporated in the new card. Since October 1983, the current card incorporates these and a number of other security features appropriate to a paper card format, such as:The stock is a blue tint marbleized random pattern. Any attempt to erase or remove data is easily detectable because the tint is erasable. The words "Social Security" are printed in white.Planchettes (small multi-colored discs) are randomly placed on the paper stock and can be seen with the naked eye. These yellow, pink, and blue discs can appear anywhere on the card, including the area on the card that contains the seal and identifying information.Intaglio printing of the type used in U.S. currency is used for some areas on the front of the card. Intaglio printing on the card provides a "raised effect" and abrasiveness that can be felt when examined by touch. This printing technology is not widely available and is difficult to replicate.Other security features not obvious to the naked eye are not publicizedBecause of the SSA workload and burden on the public of replacing all cards still in use, SSA does not issue replacement cards whenever new security features are added or a new version of the card is approved. Thus, there are now 47 valid versions of the Social Security card in use; a large number of which are pre-1983 versions without counterfeit-resistant and tamper-proof security features.CARD USAGE AND DURABILITYThe Social Security card reliably serves only as official verification of the SSN assigned by SSA to the person whose name is on the card. The card is not proof of the bearer's identity or citizenship/noncitizen status, and has no transaction or data storage capability. Employers are advised to use the Social Security card to obtain an employee's correct name and SSN when first recording such information for wage reporting purposes.Employers, however, do not have the legal authority under the Social Security Act to require an employee to show his or her Social Security card. Neither the Social Security Act nor Social Security regulations require presentation of the Social Security card to conduct business with SSA.The current Social Security card is capable of performing its intended function throughout the lifetime of the number holder. Banknote paper Social Security cards with little use or handling are expected to last at least 50 years. Cards with moderate use or handling are expected to last 35 to 50 years. Although SSA issues approximately 10 million replacement Social Security cards annually, this volume is the result of lost or damaged cards, or the need to change the name appearing on the card, rather than card fatigue.TYPES OF CARDS ISSUEDOriginally, SSA issued the same type of Social Security card to everyone. In May 1982, SSA began printing the legend, "NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT,"on the Social Security cards of noncitizens not authorized to work. This legend was added because of the increasing need for people to have SSNs for nonwork purposes, such as reporting taxes to IRS, and INS concerns that unauthorized people could use their SSNs for work. Since IRS began assigning taxpayer identification numbers to noncitizens for tax purposes when the noncitizen does not meet the requirements for an SSN, there are only a few valid reasons for issuing a nonwork Social Security card. One such reason to issue a nonwork SSN, is to receive Federal benefits. A card with the legend,"NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT," is not acceptable evidence of employment eligibility under IRCA.On September 14, 1992, SSA began printing the legend "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH INS AUTHORIZATION" on cards issued to noncitizens lawfully in the U.S. with temporary authority to work. In these cases, employers must look at the noncitizen's INS document to determine if the noncitizen has current authorization to work in the U.S.Source: Social Security History

If you could choose to belong to any racial group, which one would you choose? Forget about the colour of your skin, your ethnic origin, or your mother tongue for a moment. Would you stick to the racial group that you have historically been assigned to or would you change your race?A few years ago I was awarded a fellowship to spend some time in the United States. This was around the time of Obama’s first presidential election. I was asked to apply for a social security card at the local government office in Washington D.C. where I was based. One of the questions on the social security application form asks what your race is. There were a couple of options including White, Asian, American Indian, Black/African-American. I chose Black.When it was time for me to meet with the official who manages the social security card application process, who happened to be an African-American woman, she looked at the form and then looked up at me, and looked at the form again. When she looked up from the form the second time, she exclaimed: “I knew you were a brother!”She was so excited at discovering that I was black that she called two of her fellow African-American colleagues over to guess which race I was. “Guess what he is?” she said to them. They had clearly played this little game before with other social security card applicants because there was no hesitation in their responses. Her colleagues were unable to guess what race I was, one suggesting that I may be Hispanic, while the other thought I was Indian.“He’s a brother!” she exclaimed when her colleagues would guess my race incorrectly.My African-American sister went on to inform me that most Arab or Middle Eastern social security card applicants (who look like me), always ticked the white box. She could not understand this phenomenon, and neither could I.Interestingly though, when I arrive at any airport in the United States, the Homeland Security officials never have any trouble guessing what I am. I am one of those Arab-looking “randomly selected” individuals every time additional security searches need to be made.In South Africa, I would have four choices if I applied for a government job using the Z83 form: African, white, Indian, or coloured. And in South Africa, I would tick the Indian box. Technically, I am first generation South African. My father and his father were born in India and came to South Africa in the 1950’s. My great-grandfather had however made his way over to South Africa in the late 1800’s.So what am I? Indian, black, African or South African? Or am I just confused? Can I choose my race or is it something that’s imposed on me? What is the link between my race and my ethnicity?When I thought about these questions, I also wondered whether other South Africans have similar questions. It appears not. There are probably very few of us who consciously struggle with questions of race and ethnicity. For many South Africans, I suspect, believe they know what they are. Many, if not most South Africans, would probably fit quite comfortably into one of the four boxes provided to us on most forms.So is choosing and belonging to a race as complex an issue as I think it is, or are most of us fairly comfortable in choosing a race group and sticking to it without much thought or consideration?And then there is also the uncomfortable question: would we be willing to tick the race box that will give us a better chance of getting a job or a place at a university? And does that mean we will automatically tick the black or African box? What about a rental application form in a predominantly white suburb? What box would we tick then?During apartheid, there were several cases where individuals who were classified as coloured, Indian and black, made applications through the 1950 Population and Registration Act to change their race. Coloureds and Indians applied to become white, while blacks applied to become coloured. My cursory research into these applications has not yet yielded cases where white individuals applied to be reclassified into any of the other racial groups. These cases provide some insight into the ridiculousness of the racial classification system under apartheid.More recently, the courts found that Chinese South Africans should be classified as black largely to benefit from legislation promoting black economic empowerment. Race is of course intrinsically connected to socio-economic status and we cannot talk about race without talking about economics, power, politics and class.At the South African Human Rights Commission, we deal with approximately 10,000 cases of human rights violations every year. Based on our latest statistics for the 2012/13 financial year, 16% of cases dealt with relate to alleged violations of the right to equality. Of those cases, the majority of matters are race related. Equality related matters remain the most common type of human rights violation dealt with by the Commission.We are also noticing an increase in the use of social media as a platform for making racist statements and hate speech. Facebook and Twitter are commonly used by young South Africans in particular, to make hurtful and sometimes violent statements. The Commission tends to deal with these matters by trying to facilitate dialogue and discussion between parties, by bringing complainants and perpetrators of human rights together, sitting them down and engaging with them. We have moved away from instituting sanctions or granting financial compensation to victims of human rights violations and prefer perpetrators to apologise and participate in community service activities.The Commission has adopted this approach because this is what we believe the drafters of our Constitution had in mind when they created the Commission. We are not a court of law and do not want to confine ourselves to a legalistic approach to rights. Instead, we recognise the nuances and complexity of race, our history as a country, and our mandate as an institution supporting democracy. We want to transform society, secure rights and restore dignity.Many will of course criticise our approach to dealing with human rights violations as soft and fluffy. Despite these critiques of the Commission, I believe that our approach of creating more platforms for dialogue, debate and understanding is exactly what South Africa needs. It is certainly not the perfect solution or the only approach we should adopt, but it is a small step in the right direction.Returning to the question that I originally posed: if you could choose to belong to any racial group, which one would you choose? It appears that the answer is a lot more complex than I had initially thought. I am not sure that we would automatically choose the racial group that gave us economic power and social status or the racial group that would give us a better chance of getting a job or a place at a university. Because race is also inherently connected to identity, history, values and beliefs, I suspect that you would be just as confused as I am.Kayum Ahmed is the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Human Rights Commission. More information on the work of the Commission can be found at www.sahrc.org.za. Follow the Commission on Twitter @SAHRCommission

How can I spot a fake Social Security card?You probably cannot; the numbers are now randomized. The card is made of the similar anti-counterfeit materials as currency. These measures are public and others are secret. Public features areimpact printing for specific words;blue, marble tinting;printed on banknote paper;official SSA seal;random colored dots;rare but touchable Intaglio printing technologySSA contact information and control number on backsigns of perforation on at least one sideno lamination; illegalunder magnification: no smudges or runny inkwords, “This number has been established for"SOURCE: How to Spot a Fake Social Security CardReport to Congress on Options for Enhancing the Social Security CardCHAPTER III - THE CURRENT SOCIAL SECURITY CARDDESCRIPTIONThe current Social Security card consists of specially designed pre-printed banknote paper bearing the words, "Social Security," and the official seal of SSA. The statement, "This number has been established for" is printed across the official seal, in the middle of the card. During the card issuance process, the SSN and the number holder's name are impact printed above and below this statement on card printing equipment operated by SSA.A signature line and the word "Signature" are preprinted across the bottom of the card, and there is blank space above the signature line for the number holder's signature. Social Security cards issued to certain noncitizens bear the legend, "Valid For Work Only With INS Authorization." Some other noncitizens have cards with the legend, "Not Valid for Employment." When applicable to a particular Social Security card, these legends also are impact printed during the card issuance process.… Social Security cards be made of banknote paper and (to the maximum extent practicable) be a card which cannot be counterfeited. SSA consulted with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Government Printing Office, and the Secret Service regarding the anti-counterfeiting features to be incorporated in the new card. Since October 1983, the current card incorporates these and a number of other security features appropriate to a paper card format, such as:The stock is a blue tint marbleized random pattern. Any attempt to erase or remove data is easily detectable because the tint is erasable. The words "Social Security" are printed in white.Planchettes (small multi-colored discs) are randomly placed on the paper stock and can be seen with the naked eye. These yellow, pink, and blue discs can appear anywhere on the card, including the area on the card that contains the seal and identifying information.Intaglio printing of the type used in U.S. currency is used for some areas on the front of the card. Intaglio printing on the card provides a "raised effect" and abrasiveness that can be felt when examined by touch. This printing technology is not widely available and is difficult to replicate.Other security features not obvious to the naked eye are not publicizedBecause of the SSA workload and burden on the public of replacing all cards still in use. Thus, there are now 47 valid versions of the Social Security card in use; a large number of which are pre-1983 versions without counterfeit-resistant and tamper-proof security features.CARD USAGE AND DURABILITYThe Social Security card reliably serves only as official verification of the SSN assigned by SSA to the person whose name is on the card. The card is not proof of the bearer's identity or citizenship/noncitizen status, and has no transaction or data storage capability. Employers are advised to use the Social Security card to obtain an employee's correct name and SSN when first recording such information for wage reporting purposes.Employers, however, do not have the legal authority under the Social Security Act to require an employee to show his or her Social Security card. Neither the Social Security Act nor Social Security regulations require presentation of the Social Security card to conduct business with SSA.... Banknote paper Social Security cards with little use or handling are expected to last at least 50 years. Cards with moderate use or handling are expected to last 35 to 50 years. Although SSA issues approximately 10 million replacement Social Security cards annually, this volume is the result of lost or damaged cards, or the need to change the name appearing on the card, rather than card fatigue…Social Security History