With the YouTube channel 画说美国 / America, Illustrated (opens in a new tab). Informational only.
Official pages for a Social Security number, your state DMV, REAL ID, an address change, an EAD automatic extension, the 2027–28 FAFSA, and benefit screens. Nothing here decides whether you qualify.
A Social Security number is not something every newcomer can get on arrival. The Social Security Administration accepts a first application when its conditions, including work authorization, are met, and it also replaces cards. Read the SSA number-and-card page. Do not mail your papers to a site that is not SSA.
A driver’s license and a state ID come from the state where you live, and the document lists differ. USA.gov links to each state’s motor-vehicle office. There is no checklist that works in every state.
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Source: USA.gov ·
TSA publishes the federal identification rules that go by the name REAL ID, including use at airport checkpoints. The card itself is issued by your state DMV. Whether you need one for a given trip is whatever the TSA page says today.
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Source: TSA ·
Many noncitizens can look up their most recent arrival record on the CBP I-94 site. The lookup happens there. This guide does not run it, and it does not store document numbers.
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Source: CBP ·
Many noncitizens have to tell USCIS when they move. Whether you must, and whether you use the online form or a paper form, depends on the USCIS instructions and your status.
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Source: USCIS ·
USCIS’s Handbook for Employers (M-274), section 5.0, last reviewed on July 7, 2026, describes automatic extensions of an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766, an EAD). Effective October 30, 2025, filing Form I-765 to renew an EAD does not by itself extend an expired or expiring card or the work authorization, unless a statute or a Federal Register notice provides an extension. The interim final rule that made this change is 90 FR 48799, effective October 30, 2025. A final rule effective October 14, 2026 (91 FR 65306) reaffirmed and finalized that interim rule. An extension of up to 540 days still applies only to certain categories timely filed before October 30, 2025. A renewal filed on or after that date no longer receives an automatic extension of up to 540 days. USCIS says the Form I-797C receipt for a renewal filed on or after October 30, 2025, states that the notice is not evidence of employment authorization and cannot be used alone or together with an expired EAD. A renewal timely filed before October 30, 2025, may still receive up to 540 days if it is in a category listed in M-274 section 5.1 and meets the other conditions there. Those categories are A03, A05, A07, A08, A10, A17, A18, C08, C09, C10, C16, C20, C22, C24, C26, C31, and A12 or C19. When comparing the card with the receipt, USCIS says to ignore a letter P in the category code, such as C09P. A12 and C19 do not have to match each other. The extension starts the day after the “Card Expires” date and runs for up to 540 days counted from that next day, or until USCIS decides the renewal, whichever is earlier, while the application is pending. USCIS marks A17, A18, and C26 with extra limits, including an unexpired Form I-94. For TPS categories A12 and C19, a filing on or after July 22, 2025, and before October 30, 2025, may not receive the full 540 days, because USCIS says H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21, July 4, 2025) limits TPS-based employment authorization to the shorter of one year or the TPS period. The Federal Register notice, describing the rule it left in place for earlier filings, says that a denial generally ends the automatically extended authorization on the day of the denial. This is general information, not legal advice, and it does not decide whether a particular card or receipt qualifies. Check the USCIS pages or an immigration attorney before you rely on an extension.
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Source: Federal Register, 90 FR 48799 (opens in a new tab) ·
The USA.gov benefit finder lists programs that may fit the answers you give. Eligibility still depends on immigration status and the state. A result on that screen is not a government approval.
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Source: USA.gov ·
Whether you must register with the Selective Service System depends on the age, sex, and immigration-status rules it publishes. Some nonimmigrant statuses are not required to register. This page does not classify you.
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Source: Selective Service System ·
Immigration forms, filing fees, and case status are whatever the USCIS site says at the time you look. This guide does not quote a processing time, and it does not fill out the forms.
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Source: USCIS ·
On September 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the 2027–28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is online and available to the public. The form says to apply free online at fafsa.gov. It covers school attendance from July 1, 2027, to June 30, 2028. For federal aid, submit the application as early as possible, but no earlier than October 1, 2026. Federal Student Aid must receive it no later than June 30, 2028. The college must have correct, complete information by the student’s last day of enrollment in the 2027–28 school year. For state or college aid, the deadline may be as early as October 1, 2026, or the aid may be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. State deadlines are listed on the form. StudentAid.gov says non-U.S. citizens who qualify for federal student aid are known as eligible noncitizens, including a U.S. permanent resident with a Form I-551 or I-151 (also known as a green card), while an H or L series (temporary employment) visa holder and a person in the United States on an F-1, F-2, or M-1 nonimmigrant student visa, or on a J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant Exchange Visitor visa, are not eligible noncitizens and cannot receive federal student aid. This page does not decide whether anyone qualifies.
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Source: U.S. Department of Education, September 23, 2026 (opens in a new tab); 2027–28 FAFSA form (opens in a new tab); StudentAid.gov: non-U.S. citizens (opens in a new tab) ·
Each answer starts with the useful part, then points you at the agency page. Nothing here is personal advice.
A Social Security number is not something every newcomer can get on arrival. The Social Security Administration explains who may apply for a first number and how to replace a card. Use the SSA page, and do not mail your papers to a site that is not SSA.
A driver’s license comes from the state where you live, not from a national DMV. USA.gov links to each state’s motor-vehicle office. Use that office’s list of documents and tests. There is no checklist that works in every state.
TSA publishes the federal identification rules that go by the name REAL ID. The card itself is issued by your state motor-vehicle office. Whether you need one for a given trip is whatever the TSA page says today. This guide does not copy a deadline.
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