5. Certain Noncitizens

Some noncitizens who have earned 40 Social Security work credits in the US are entitled to get Supplemental Security Income benefits.

Immigrants from one of the 30 countries with whom the United States has Social Security partnerships, commonly known as “totalization agreements”, may be eligible for prorated benefits if they don’t have enough US credits.

The number of benefits is calculated based on their foreign work credits combined with their US work credits. This kind of arrangement is especially beneficial for older immigrants who are unlikely to work in the United States for 10 years before retiring. Still, workers who haven’t reached at least 6 US credits, are not eligible for totalization compensation. This may or may not impact your credit card or insurance policy, so make sure to check those out!