Why YSK: If you are a US Resident, don’t lose your Social Security card more than 10 times, or else you might need to respawn 💀
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
In accordance with §7213 of the 9/11 Commission Implementation Act of 2004 and 20 CFR 422.103, the number of replacement Social Security cards per person is generally limited to three per calendar year and ten in a lifetime.
It sounds like some employers/HR outfits are just grossly misinformed then. The I9 form directions are pretty clear in what is required and/or acceptable, and this documentation is only required for I9 purposes, other than a DL for a driving related job. Companies are not necessarily required to have copies of the I9 identity documents used on file, but it is good practice in case of an audit, which is why most companies do it (a CYA basically). In theory, if someone reports a company because they suspect they’re employing people unauthorized to work in the US, providing copies of the documents you used for the I9 verification shows that your did your due diligence and they’re more likely to leave you alone.
Pretty much every company I ever worked for took a copy of my passport, and I see no harm in that as long as their storage is reasonably secure.
Yes, any employer/HR outfits that tell you that they require your social security card are grossly misinformed, as that would not be legal.