united-states texas immigration
SSN returns &quot;no match found&quot;
<p>I have an offer from an employer in Texas, everything turned out okay except when they look up for my SSN, they said it turns out as "no match found"</p>

<p>A little backstory:</p>

<p>I'm a Mexican Citizen, came to the states for college, legally(fees, visas, tests), graduated in 2013 and applied for an OPT permit, which allows me to work in the US for a year. When I received my OPT card I went ahead and asked for a SSN at the SSA office, when I get there and give my information, turns out I've had a SSN since 1990(I was a year old) I'm not sure why I had one but afterwards I asked my family and said one of my uncles got it for me(still not sure why). At the SSA Office they told me I would keep this number since it was already associated to my name. So on May 2014 I got my SSN Card. The OPT card expired on Jan 21, 2015 and that was the date I returned to Mexico, turned my I-96 form(I think its I-96 or I-94, it's the permit for entrance to the country) and got my Student Visa voided and I've been living in Mexico ever since. </p>

<p>Now I have applied for a job in Texas and well the rest is explained in the first sentence, employer asked to look and see if I have a DHS authorization for this SSN, I have all my paperwork saved(even envelopes) but I can't stop thinking that someone might've thrown something out, or that I never got an authorization letter for this number. I can't avoid panicking a bit, so I wanted to ask what should I do in the case that I don't find this DHS authorization. </p>

<p>PS: The SSN card says <em>VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION</em> </p>

<p>I don't really understand why a potential employer in the US would be asking for your SSN or looking up anything relating to your SSN at this stage at all. A foreigner is not in general expected to have an SSN. You happen to have an SSN because you were authorized to work in the US in the past, but that's a special case. Most Mexicans don't have an SSN.</p>

<p>In order to hire a foreigner like you, the company would have to sponsor you for some kind of visa that allows you to work for them in the US. (Or, since you are Mexican, for certain jobs you could get a TN visa based on the company's offer letter.) In the usual case of a foreigner without an SSN, he/she would only be able to get an SSN after entering the US with that visa, so it doesn't make sense for them to expect anything from your SSN at this point. In any case, you do not have work authorization in the US until you enter the US with a visa status that allows work authorization, so it doesn't make sense that you say they are trying to "look and see if you have a DHS authorization" before hiring you. Perhaps you mistakenly indicated to them that you already have work authorization and don't need sponsorship?</p>
