united-states immigration banking
Will a US bank share any detail about immigration status of a customer?
<p>I know undocumented immigrants can open a US bank account legally and that would come with some benefits for them such as having a credit score (useful for buying properties, for instance) and a history of their presence in the US.</p>

<p>Both are signs of good moral character if the immigrants get to immigration court and that could mean they don't get deported.</p>

<p>The question is: will opening a US bank account be a tangible risk for the undocumented immigrant? Will the person be caught just because of the bank account? (supposedly, the immigrant hasn't committed any crime)</p>

<p>You need some kind of number to open a bank account, but it need not be a Social Security number. You can use an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin#itin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ITIN</a>, which requires filling out form <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw7.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">W-7</a>. Item 6c requires providing visa information including USCIS classification and expiration date (assuming you require a visa). Item 6d requires you to provide certain information, pertaining to identity and foreign status: a passport is a satisfactory document, as is a foreign military ID card. If the ITIN is granted, the number issued begins with 9, from which you can learn something about immigration  status (not legality). Whether or not a bank will accept / require an ITIN is mainly up the the bank.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/6103" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The theory</a> is that the IRS does not disclose immigration data to USCIS, but the IRS identifies <a href="https://www.irs.gov/government-entities/federal-state-local-governments/disclosure-laws" rel="nofollow noreferrer">some exceptions</a>, which apart from court orders are limited to tax purposes, and do not (currently) include immigration purposes. </p>
