Working in the United States: Authorization, Job Search and Your Rights as a Worker

Work is the center of most newcomers' plans. This article follows the path from work authorization to finding a job safely and knowing your rights, using official U.S. government pages with direct links.

1. Work authorization comes first

USCIS says that some people in a lawful nonimmigrant status that does not provide employment authorization may apply for a change of status or an adjustment of status, and that certain categories of people may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to request employment authorization. USCIS also says you must comply with all conditions of your employment authorization and the terms of your admission. https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states

2. The Social Security number

The Social Security Administration (SSA) says employers use an SSN to report your wages to the government, and that generally only noncitizens authorized to work in the United States by the Department of Homeland Security can get one. It says applying for an SSN and card is free. https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf

3. Where to search for a job

USAGov lists these government job-search resources: CareerOneStop, your state's job bank, the American Job Center database, your local newspaper and its website, and the public library for in-person help. For federal jobs, USAGov points to USAJOBS. CareerOneStop gives a helpline for information about jobs, training and unemployment benefits: 1-877-US2-JOBS (1-877-872-5627). https://www.usa.gov/find-a-job https://www.careeronestop.org/

4. A U.S.-style resume

CareerOneStop says a person will typically scan your resume for 15-20 seconds, so show near the top that you meet the minimum qualifications and use terms that match the job posting; customize your resume for each job. It advises a standard format of 1-2 pages: contact information first, then optional sections such as a professional summary, then education (near the top if it is an essential requirement or you are a new graduate), then work history starting with the most recent job and covering the relevant jobs of the previous 10-15 years. It also advises using simple, current language, having others review your resume, and contacting your local American Job Center for professional resume feedback. https://www.careeronestop.org/JobSearch/Resumes/resumes.aspx

5. Job scams

The FTC says honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job, and anyone who does is a scammer. It describes the fake check scam: you deposit a check from a "new employer," are asked to send part of the money back, the check bounces and the bank wants you to repay the full amount. The FTC advises searching the company or person's name with the words "scam," "review," or "complaint," and says an offer of a lot of money in a short time for little work is almost certainly a scam. On placement firms, the FTC says honest ones do not typically charge job candidates a fee; the hiring company pays them. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams

To report a job scam, the FTC says to go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov; you can also report it to your state attorney general. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams

6. Discrimination at work

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces federal laws against employment discrimination: unfair treatment, harassment, denial of a reasonable workplace accommodation needed because of religious beliefs, disability or pregnancy, and retaliation, based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. To pursue a lawsuit you generally first file a Charge of Discrimination; the EEOC says all the laws it enforces except the Equal Pay Act require this. It also says not all employers are covered, strict time limits apply, and federal employees and job applicants have similar protections but a different complaint process. EEOC phone: 1-800-669-4000. https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants

7. Wages

The Department of Labor says the federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour, that many states also have minimum wage laws, and that where both apply you are entitled to the higher of the two. Its Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces the federal minimum wage law; the division lists the helpline 1-866-487-9243. https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/minimumwage https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd

Next in this series: Health care and insurance.

Official sources

• https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states
• https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10096.pdf
• https://www.usa.gov/find-a-job
• https://www.careeronestop.org/
• https://www.careeronestop.org/JobSearch/Resumes/resumes.aspx
• https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams
• https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants
• https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/wages/minimumwage
• https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd

Published on Mahjar Post on October 26, 2026. Sources: official U.S. government pages linked above.