All about SSN ( Social Security Number)- ISO SJSU.

This post has been made simple and is for you to get a gist about SSN, Procedure to Apply for it and the benefits of having an SSN. The Key thing about SSN is at Bottom, Don't forget to read it!

                                                SSN - Social Security Number. 

SSN is a 9 digit Number ( in the form : xxx-xx-xxxx )  issued by Social Security Administration (SSA) on the Social Security Card as above(Sample image), to people who are Legally in United states. In order to Start Working in US you should have a Social Security Number for yourself ( solely Yourself, that number cannot be shared with others!!). You can apply for it if you are eligible to work in United states Legally ( on - campus or  If you become authorized to work in the US during your CPT Period, OPT Period read more about off-campus employment CPT and OPT here  in the previous post : http://iso-sjsu.blogspot.com/2014/08/all-about-cpts-and-opts-at-san-jose.html ).  In order to become part of the Social Security system, you must have lawful alien status, permission by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work in the U.S., and a Social Security Number.

How to Apply for SSN ?

There is a Social Security Administration office in each and every county of US. The nearest one to San Jose State University is at 280 S 1st St San Jose, CA 95113.  or You may find your nearest SSA office using the online Social Security Office Locator, or by calling the Social Security Administration's national toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213. The application process is FREE. you will just need to go to the nearest SSA office. You might need to go early if you wanted to start an application to get an SSN because there will be long lines if it gets Late and "TIMINGS on WEDNESDAY is only from 9am untill 12pm!!).

You will need your Offer letter from the employer, passport ( or any identification document such as California drivers license: read more on how you can get that here : http://iso-sjsu.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-to-apply-for-california-dl.html ), to apply for SSN.  You will get Your SSN in 4-5 Bussiness days after applying. Once you have your SSN you will be eligible for the following benifits.

Benefits for Non-US Citizens, Immigrants, Non-immigrants : 

1) Actually speaking, when people who are working become disabled, or become ill and cannot work due to aging, disabilities , SSA gives pension to them on monthly basis. SSA( Social Security Administration ) collects taxes from every employer in the United states and spend it for every one who is disabled,unable to work. once you retire, all the taxes that you have paid will come to you in the form of pension to you.

2) It is like a form of Proof to get Loan, Credit Card,Bank account, because no one else knows that except himself/herself.

3) You will be eligible for the Local County's Medical benefits. As San Jose Comes under Santa Clara County , you can read more about Medical benefits here : http://www.sccgov.org/sites/ssa/Department%20of%20Employment%20-%20Benefit%20Services/Documents/scd2235_english.pdf . 

 You don't need to pay the taxes unless you are on Temporary work permit in United states ( unless it is mentioned in your offer letter but most of them will need to pay taxes).   

Types of Social Security Cards Issued
When you receive a Social Security Card, it will be one of three types of Social Security Cards:

• The first type of Social Security Card is the card most people have, and has been issued since 1935. It shows the person's name and Social Security Number / SSN, and it lets the person work without restriction. The Social Security Administration issues it to U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens.
  
• The second type of Social Security Card bears the legend "NOT VALID FOR EMPLOYMENT." The Social Security Administration issues it to people from other countries who are lawfully admitted to the United States without U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) work authorization, but who need a Social Security Number / SSN because of a federal, state or local law requiring a Social Security Number to get a benefit or service.
  
• The Social Security Administration began issuing the third type of Social Security Card in 1992. It bears the legend "VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION." It is issued to people who are admitted to the United States on a temporary basis with authorization to work from USCIS (an agency within the Department of Homeland Security).

How Much Are My Social Security Taxes? How Are They Calculated? 

Social Security taxes, also known as FICA (Federal Insurance Contribution Act) are usually withheld from your salary. As an employee, you are taxed 7.65%, which covers both Social Security and Medicare (the government health insurance program providing coverage to people age 65 and over).

The Social Security part of the tax is 6.20% of gross wages (wages before any deductions) up to $76,200. The Medicare tax is 1.45% of all earnings.

Your employer is required to contribute an additional 7.65% to match your contribution. If you are self-employed, you pay Social Security taxes equal to the combined employee/employer tax (15.3%), which you must remit to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on a regular basis (although half of this tax is deductible as a business cost).

KEY THINGS : 

Lost/replacement SSN : You can go to the nearest SSA office to apply for the ssn card ( won't be a new number). don't get panicked if you lost your SSN. Check with the SSA office by calling their toll free number to notify them about the status of your SSN card. You won't be charged to get a new card ( same number). 

Don't carry your SSN with you unless you are required to. Keep it in a safe place with your other important papers.

Never Share the SSN with Anyone!! 

SSN stands as a prime source for IDENTITY THEFT. if someone got your SSN then they can do any illegal transaction and as you know that you pay tax on your salary, every payment made to you by your employer will be recorded in Your History!! so, anything illegal will also come on to your history. 

BEWARE, Take Care. If you have any questions , feel free to comment on this post.
Have a great days ahead.!! 

All about Fee Waivers upto $5000, Assistanships @ San Jose State University.

Getting fee waivers ( at least partial) is very rare cases at SJSU. If you have exceptional profile then you might get fee waiver. The following is applicable to every department at SJSU.

Teaching Assistant ( TA) : TA'ship is completely based on your knowledge and teaching skills, you need to be super proactive to get TAship in the first semester of your graduate study. Thing that you might need to do to get TA ship in first semester are :
1. Find out which professor offers which courses.
2. Find out the fields of interest that match your expertise.
3. Drop an email to the professor about your skills and expertise in that particular field/course focusing on what all you have done like projects,thesis,internship during your undergraduate study.
4. Finally meet professor in person by checking the office hours.

Now lets move on to the benefits of being a TA

Benefits of TA'ship:
1. fee waiver upto 2 courses which is approximately $3000 along with the Montly stipend of $354.
2. You will build a Professional Network and links with industry. Because, when you work under a professor, for sure he/she is going to have a tie up with industries all around.
3. Knowledge,Happiness is only when it is shared! so, you will definitely reach to a point where it make u feel happy about yourself being learnt something and shared what you know with the students.

Duties of TA would typically involve teaching.


Student Assistant, Instructional Student Assistant ( SA, ISA) :

This is a hourly basis(  varies from $10.50 to $12 ) job in respective departments. Duties involve grading, proctoring.

Same is the case with Research Assistantship (RA) you will need to work on a project under a professor. and pay varies based on the project your working on and the professor.

read more about from SJSU Website : http://www.sjsu.edu/meteorology/graduates/assistantships/


Here is another post on Working On-Campus,Offcampus :

http://iso-sjsu.blogspot.com/2014/08/getting-on-campus-job-at-san-jose-state.html

Internships and Full time Opportunities : CPT's and OPT's at San Jose State University.

                     There are two ways you can get employed ( Only possible on F- 1 Visa status )  : on campus and Off campus.  On campus job u can do up to 20 hours during spring/fall and up to 40 hours in Summer. number of working hours is the same during off campus work period too which is after 2 semesters of graduate study. you will need to contact International Program Services to do some paper work to get work authorization.  You can do any number of On campus jobs but the total number of working hours should add up to the limit i.e,., 20 hours during spring/fall and 40 hours during Summer semester.  Here is something i would like to share with all of you about off campus Employment  which is made in form of flow chart to make it easy for you to understand. : sorry for my Ms paint flow chart. i hope this serves the purpose .




Curricular Practical Training or CPT is done during your Studies at SJSU. SJSU Allows 3 CPT's , either you can take them for spring/fall/summer semesters. but, you will have a restriction of working hours as mentioned above.  read more about CPT here : http://www.sjsu.edu/isa/employment/curricular_practical_training/

Optional Practical Training or OPT is of two types : Pre Completion and Post Completion of your Masters degree at SJSU to get a work permit even after you graduate. Opt can be given for 17 months.  read more about OPT here : http://www.sjsu.edu/isa/employment/optional_practical_training/

You would have to apply for this atleast 90 days ahead of time from the planned start date of work. Since processing at IPS(international Programs and Services Office in Clark hall 5th floor), & then shipping to the USCIS for approval and waiting for the approval takes about 75 ~90 days. Hence please plan accordingly.

Key suggestion:

1) when you are only left with One course in the last semester, It would be ideal to take Pre-OPT and work fulltime ( if you have an offer letter/ job after your graduation).
2) If you donot have job offer after for Post gradution, then its wise to apply for OPT period directly after Graduation.
3) Good thing about Pre-OPT is that, the un-employment days are not counted towards the total final un-employment days.

Exceptional Case : 

You can Do Off campus Job in extreme cases like  Severe Economic Hardship and is permitted only in cases where there is economic necessity due to unforeseen circumstances. This work authorization is to cover up your expenses along with the school fee. You may not apply for this work permission until you have been in full-time F-1 status for two academic semesters.

I hope this post helps you!

Thank you for taking your time in reading this post.! feel free to share this post with your friends. comment if you have any questions. stay tuned by subscribing to the Blog, lot more posts to come. Have a great days ahead!

ON-Campus Jobs at SJSU

With the experience of not having an on-campus job for a semester :D ..
I wanted to share my job search experience with all of you. I hope this helps you all in some way! :)

I started my MS in SJSU in Spring 2014. I came to the US on December 27th 2013. Since then I have been applying online but it was of no use until April 9th. That's when I got my first call. That day I was called for an interview. And I joined that job on June 1st.

BEST PRACTICE:

GO to every single department on campus and tell them that you have joined so and so semester and you can work upto 20 hours. Just prepare a normal resume and take 30-40 printouts and distribute them in every department. And then wait for the call. If u only rely on sparta jobs it won't be of any use : sites h can look f0r jobs :

Sparta shops
Student Union
Associated students
San jose library
Sparta jobs.
spartan book store.
Departmental websites.

I hope this helps many.