On March 19, 2025, the SSA paused significant portions of its Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) program.1
Created in 2017 under the first Trump Administration, the EBE program is a collaboration between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allowing certain immigrants to automatically apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) or replacement card when submitting USCIS forms I-765 (Employment Authorization), I-485 (Adjustment of Status), or N-400 (Naturalization). When applicants opt in, USCIS electronically shares data with SSA upon approval, triggering SSA to issue an SSN card without requiring a visit to a field office. This EBE program minimized in-person visits to SSA offices.2
The pause in the EBE program means that individuals who may have requested an SSN via Form I-765, I-485, or N-400 may no longer receive their SSN card in the mail. If an SSN card is not received, individuals should go in person to the closest SSA office to request the SSN. SSA offices can be located at https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp.
Additionally, we expect there could be delays in SSN issuance, as the pause in the EBE program will send tens of thousands of additional people to SSA field offices per week at a time when the SSA has cut its workforce and shut down several field offices.3
Notably, the SSA has not provided any public notice regarding the EBE program pause.
Associate Meghan Lenahan was a contributing author to this client alert.
Footnotes
2. https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110205700
3. https://popular.info/p/exclusive-secret-policy-shift-could
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