SSA Adds Admission Stamp in Unexpired Foreign Passport To List of Primary Evidence of Identity, Updates Policy on New Types of Nonimmigrant Evidence

The Social Security Administration has updated its Program Operations Manual System (POMS), effective April 30, 2013, adding “admission stamp in unexpired foreign passport” to its list of acceptable primary evidence of identity. The updated SSA information, “List of Documents in Priority of Acceptability for Use as Evidence of Identity,” says that this is considered a separate document from an unexpired passport.

The updated SSA information in POMS refers to “Policy for Number of Documents Required for an SSN Card,” which explains:

• An I-551 stamp (Temporary Lawful Permanent Resident stamp) or a U.S. immigration stamp in the applicant’s foreign passport and the foreign passport are two separate documents.
• Likewise, an Arrival Departure Record (Form I-94) stapled in a foreign passport and the foreign passport are two separate documents. 
• A machine-readable immigrant visa (MRIV) issued by the U.S. Department of State and placed in the foreign passport and the foreign passport are two separate documents. 
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) admission stamp placed partially on the MRIV is a third document. 
• While you can use the immigration and admission stamp to establish identity and lawful alien status, you can use the foreign passport to establish age.

SSA has also posted policy information on new types of nonimmigrant evidence, including the admission stamp and recently introduced versions of the I-94 Arrival/Departure record, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s I-94 website printout and the Global Entry I-94, and has added a parole stamp placed in an unexpired foreign passport as acceptable evidence of parole status for a Social Security number (SSN).

SSA also updated the 10-day hold procedure for verifying evidence of status for an SSN using the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program through the enumeration system (SSNAP). SSA said it is making these changes as a result of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) automation of the I-94 Arrival/Departure record and recent DHS information regarding the real-time verification of alien evidence. SSA has eliminated the 10-day hold policy for all DHS evidence except DHS Forms N-550/N-570 (Certificate of Naturalization) and N-560/N-561 (Certificate of Citizenship).

See also:

• The updated information on admission stamps is included in RM 10210 TN 16 (effective date: 4/30/2013). 
• The referenced document, RM 10210.020
• The new policy documents, also effective April 30, 2013 (see also this)
• The 10-day hold update