Reporting to SSA

[immigrateful]

I learnt here and at the oath ceremony that new citizens are required to report their changed status as US citizens to the Social Security Administration office. I have a few questions:

1. What forms are required?
I recall the form number SS-5 was mentioned at the oath ceremony - I looked up online and this looks like an application for a new card. Is this the correct and the only form?

2. Can this be done online?

3. What purpose does this serve - immediate and on the long term?

 

[Huracan]

I learnt here and at the oath ceremony that new citizens are required to report their changed status as US citizens to the Social Security Administration office. I have a few questions:

1. What forms are required?
I recall the form number SS-5 was mentioned at the oath ceremony - I looked up online and this looks like an application for a new card. Is this the correct and the only form?

2. Can this be done online?

3. What purpose does this serve - immediate and on the long term?

If I remember correctly, yes, it is SS-5, like if you were to apply for a new card, just explain to the person at the counter that you are doing it to update your citizenship status. It cannot be done online. Purpose is to make sure social security administration knows you are a citizen if you need benefits in the future, or if you apply for a job claiming to be a citizen and just showing your drivers license and SS card, in that case if they do e-verify it will come up that you are a citizen (if you have done the update). USCIS is supposed to have fixed this corner case, but who knows. I think it is still safer just to go to the office and update it yourself.
My 2 cents.

 

[immigrateful]

If I remember correctly, yes, it is SS-5, like if you were to apply for a new card, just explain to the person at the counter that you are doing it to update your citizenship status. It cannot be done online. Purpose is to make sure social security administration knows you are a citizen if you need benefits in the future, or if you apply for a job claiming to be a citizen and just showing your drivers license and SS card, in that case if they do e-verify it will come up that you are a citizen (if you have done the update). USCIS is supposed to have fixed this corner case, but who knows. I think it is still safer just to go to the office and update it yourself.
My 2 cents.

Huracan,

Thanks for the informative post. I got this done and it was a pretty straight forward process except for the long wait at the SS office. I didn't get a receipt or anything confirming that my status had changed but I had to sign a document that indicated that the change was done. The "SS officer" asked me if I wanted another card and I told him not if it looks the same as my old. And that was it. Pretty smooth process. It should be possible for the USCIS to really do this automatically when they approve citizenship but it just shows that the various governmental IT systems are not linked.