[AstonishiaInlimbo]

Originally Posted by leiza

hi. i'm in the philippines ryt now. i have acquired a california ssn years ago (not yet expired) but it says on the card that it is not valid for work. i am now trying to fill in my application form to california BON for nclex application. some people say that once you have ssn its lifetime thereby, can i write my SSN in the blank provided, or should i apply for another ssn? im confused.. hope somebody could help me.
thanks.

I read an article similar like this in the newspaper ManilaMail, august22-28, Under Immigration Q & A by Atty Steve Rodriguez. The person's concern was that he got a social security number several years ago that says "not valid for employment", he used it to get a job, and then his employer eventually got a letter from the Social Security Office saying that his SSN# doesn't match their records. Now he was afraid that SSA or INS might come after him and he didn't know what to do.

The answer of the attorney to his question is that this dilemma is very common. The purpose of the SSN# is for workers to credit social security earnings and when they retire, they could be given back those credits for making payments to the SSA. If your name or your SSN doesn't match what the SSA's database has, they don't give the credit to you, and they suspend the fund until it's settled. The employers get a letter called a "No Match" letter. But last summer, I guess the USCIS and Homeland Security proposed new regulations, and these may be implemented soon. Homeland Security is going to make rules for employers who recieve "No Match" letters, and employers who don't comply may face fines as high as $10,000 per illegal worker and/or incident.

The article says that the best way to fix this kind of dilemma is to be sure you have a valid SSN#, and if there are mistakes, it has to be corrected. It also says that the best way to secure a valid unrestricted SSN is with proof of U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residence, Proof of Work Authorization, Proof of Valid Working Visa, or other status that permits lawful employment.

Basically, if you use an SSN# that says 'not valid for employment', this means you are working illegally...go ahead and use it if you want to take a chance at being deported, or being barred from coming to the US in the future...