The list of documents you will need to get depends on one thing: whether or not you are authorized to work in the United States. If you arrive with a work visa or a green card, you can set up your life in a few weeks. If you arrive without authorization, you find one closed door after another, and this article shows why.
If you arrive with legal status
With a work visa (such as H-1B, L-1 or O-1) or a green card, the sequence usually goes like this:
- Keep your passport, your visa and your I-94. The I-94 is the electronic record of your entry, and it shows how long you can stay. You can look it up and print it on the CBP website.
- Apply for your Social Security Number (SSN). Social Security only issues the number to people who have work authorization from the US government. With an SSN you are registered as an employee, you get paid, you build credit and you file taxes.
- Get your driver's license or state ID. It is issued by each state's motor vehicle agency (the DMV), and the rules change from state to state. They usually ask for your passport, I-94, SSN and proof of address.
- Open a bank account with your passport, proof of address and SSN.
- Tell the government when you change your address. If you are not a citizen, you must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days, using Form AR-11. Forgetting can bring a fine and, in some cases, even grounds for deportation.
- Carry proof of your status. If you have a green card and you are 18 or older, you must have your card with you at all times. If you have a work visa, you should carry your passport with the visa and your I-94.
If you arrive without authorization
Here the reality is very different, and I want to be clear about it.
There is no SSN. Social Security only issues the number to people who have work authorization. Without it, there is no formal job, and many things that seem simple (renting an apartment, building credit, getting a cell phone plan) become hard.
The ITIN exists, but only for taxes. It is the number that the American tax agency (the IRS) issues to people who need to file taxes and cannot get an SSN, and you apply with Form W-7. The IRS itself says what it is not: it does not give work authorization, it does not change or create immigration status, it does not give you the right to Social Security benefits, and it does not work as ID outside the tax system. A new factor has also come into play: the IRS made an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes ICE, to share taxpayers' addresses. On February 24, 2026, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the decision that denied, for now, the request to block this sharing, and the case is still going (see the decision in the sources at the end). If you have an ITIN and questions about filing, talk to an immigration attorney first.
The work is informal. It is common for people without authorization to end up in house cleaning, construction, restaurants, and child and elder care. These are hard jobs, paid in cash, almost always with no contract, no health insurance and nobody to turn to if the boss doesn't pay. Working without authorization is a violation of immigration law, and anyone who uses another person's documents or fake documents to get a job can face criminal problems, besides closing doors to future visa or green card applications.
Time works against you. US law sets a 3-year bar on returning for people who build up more than 180 days of presence without authorization and then leave the country, and a 10-year bar for those who build up more than one year. The more time passes, the harder it gets to fix your situation later.
The two situations side by side
| With work authorization | Without authorization | |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Number | Yes | No |
| ITIN | Usually not needed | Only to file taxes |
| Formal job, with a contract | Yes | No |
| Driver's license | Yes, following state rules | Depends on the state |
| Bank account | Yes | Depends on the bank |
| Future path to a green card | Open | Very limited |
What I recommend
If the plan is to live in the US, the legal path takes more time and planning at the start: finding a company that will sponsor a visa, studying, or building a profile for a category like EB-2 NIW or O-1, which the next articles explain. But it is the path that lets you work, carry your documents in your pocket and build a life without fear. The other path usually costs a lot, in ways that only show up after the trip.