Quick question: I’m currently on a B-1 and understand you can’t work on that status. I received approval for an O-1 visa — I thought I could now get an SSN (Social Security Number) and start working without leaving the country to get the visa stamp. Am I wrong? Or do I still need to leave the country first?
An O-1 approval is your work authorization — you don’t need to leave if you filed for a change of status. A visa is a separate thing; it’s needed to enter the country — so if you leave and then come back, you’ll need a stamp in your passport. While you’re inside the country, your status is already O-1 based on the approved I-129 petition, and you get an SSN (Social Security number) based on that approval. This document is important, keep it safe — your SSN will be firmly tied to it.
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One more thing — you can start working as of the date shown on the I-129 approval; you don’t have to wait for the SSN to arrive. You still need to get an SSN for taxes, but that happens in parallel with working, not as a condition for starting.
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Roughly speaking, status and a visa are different things — for working within the country, an approval is enough.
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Yeah, keep that approval — my whole SSN history ended up being tied to it. A friend got an SSN after getting an O-1 — it arrived even before the work authorization; no extra steps were needed. As for a printed I-94, I’m not sure — the form number alone seemed to be enough.
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