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Arrival Information

Arrival Checklist

What are some things I will need to do when I arrive to Norfolk?

  • Get settled in your apartment or dormitory.
  • Purchase basic necessities, like an alarm clock, sheets, blankets, and toiletries.
  • Get your phone/internet connected, purchase a calling card, and phone home.
  • Stop by the ISS office to complete your transfer (if applicable) or check-in.
  • Take along your passport visa, I-94 card, and all I-20s issued to you.
  • Bring dependents' I-94 forms and I-20s if applicable
  • Open a bank account.
  • Attend the General Orientation for all new NSU students and register for classes.
  • Have your student ID card made at the Spartan Station.
  • Pay your tuition, fees, and costs for room and board.
  • Have money placed on your Spartan Card (student ID)
  • Buy books at the Campus Bookstore, located in the Mills E. Godwin Center.
  • Purchase a parking permit or bus pass if necessary.
  • Locate your classes.
  • Obtain your social security card (if working on campus).
  • Apply for a driver's license or state ID through the VA DMV
  • Activate your NSU email account and MyNSU (online registration ).
  • Attend the New Student Orientation for international students (mandatory)
  • and attend school social events/ join organizations to get connected.

Housing

Norfolk State University's residential facilities accommodate approximately 1,900 students, and its two dining facilities provide meals for on-campus residents. Consideration for on-campus housing is given after the student has been admitted. Because on-campus housing is limited, it is important to complete the housing application and remit the housing deposit as soon as possible. Graduate housing is available.

For more information about housing on or off campus, please contact the Director of Residence Life/Housing, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA 23504, email The Office of Housing and Residence Life at housing@nsu.edu, or call the office at (866) 378-7747.

Obtaining a Social Security Card

Taken from the Social Security Administration Website.

Ref: SSA Publication No. 05-10181, December 2005: "Some colleges and schools use Social Security numbers as student identification numbers. If you do not have a Social Security number, the college or school should be able to give you another identification number.

Social Security numbers are generally assigned to people who are authorized to work in the United States. Social Security numbers are used to report your wages to the government and to determine eligibility for Social Security benefits. Social Security will not assign you a number just to enroll in a college or school."

What do I have to do to work in the United States?

If you want to get a job on campus, you should contact your designated school official for international students. This official can tell you if you are eligible to work on campus and give you information about available jobs. Also, your school may approve certain limited off-campus employment, as permitted under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations.

If your school has authorized you to work either on or off campus, and you meet Social Security’s eligibility requirements described in the next section, you can get a Social Security number.

How do I apply for a Social Security number

In general, only non citizens who have permission to work from DHS can apply for a Social Security number. To apply for a Social Security number:

  • Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5); and
  • Show us original documents proving your:
    • Immigration status;
    • Work eligibility;
    • Age;
    • and Identity.

Take your completed application and original documents to your local Social Security office.

Immigration status

To prove your immigration status, you must show us the current U.S. immigration document, I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, issued to you when you arrived in the United States. If you are an F-1 or M-1 student, you also must show us your I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Non immigrant Student Status. If you are a J-1 or J-2 exchange visitor, you must show us your DS-2019, Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status.

Work eligibility

If you are an F-1 student and eligible to work on campus, you must provide a letter from your designated school official that identifies your employer and the type of work you are, or will be, doing. We also need to see evidence of that employment, such as a recent pay slip or a letter from your employer. Your supervisor must sign and date the letter. The letter must describe:

  • Your job;
  • Your employment start date:
  • The number of hours you are, or will be, working; and
  • Your supervisor’s name and telephone number.

If you are an F-1 student authorized to work in curricular practical training, you must provide us your Form I-20 with the employment page (page 3) completed and signed by your school’s designated school official.

If you are an F-1 or M-1 student and are authorized to work off campus, you must provide us with the Employment Authorization Document (I-766 or I-688B) you received from DHS.

If you are a J-1 student, you must provide a letter from your sponsor. The letter should be on sponsor letterhead with an original signature that authorizes your employment.

Age

You must present your birth certificate if you have it or can easily obtain it. If not, we can consider other documents, such as your passport or a document issued by DHS, to prove your age.

Identity

We can accept only certain documents as proof of identity. An acceptable document must be current (not expired) and show your name, identifying information and preferably a recent photograph. Social Security will ask to see your current U.S. immigration documents. Acceptable immigration documents include your:

  • Form I-551 (includes machine-readable immigrant visa with your unexpired foreign passport);
  • I-94 with your unexpired foreign passport; or
  • Work permit card from DHS (I-766 or I-688B).

All documents must be either originals or copies certified by the issuing agency. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies of documents. We also cannot accept a receipt showing you applied for the document. We may use one document for two purposes. For example, we may use your DHS work permit as proof of both work eligibility and identity. However, you must provide at least two separate documents.

Do I need a Social Security number before I start working?

We do not require you to have a Social Security number before you start work. However, the Internal Revenue Service requires employers to report wages using a Social Security number.

While you wait for your Social Security number, your employer can use a letter from us stating that you applied for a number. Your employer may use your immigration documents as proof of your authorization to work in the United States.

Contacting Social Security

For more information and to find copies of our publications, visit our website at t www.social security.gov or call toll-free, 1-800-772-1213 (for the deaf or hard of hearing, call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778).

We can answer specific questions from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. We provide information by automated phone service 24 hours a day.

We treat all calls confidentially. We also want to make sure you receive accurate and courteous service. That is why we have a second Social Security representative monitor some telephone calls.

Obtaining a  VA Driver's License or State ID Card

If you are a non-resident temporarily living in Virginia, you may drive with your home state or country driver's license and license plates no more than six months.  

To apply for a Virginia driver's license, learner's permit, or state identification card, you must present to the Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of two identification documents, one proof of legal presence, one proof of Virginia residency, and proof of social security number (if you have been issued one). Documents submitted as proofs of identity must show your full legal name and date of birth. For a complete and updated list of documents accepted by the DMV, please visit the DMV website.