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New to the U.S.?

The things everyone has to work out in the first few months, in one place.

1. 1

   Social Security number

   Apply at the Social Security office in person. Bring your immigration documents and passport. It arrives by post in about two weeks. Almost everything else — a job, a bank account, a phone contract — waits on this, so do it first.

   Where to go

   • Social Security Administration — Columbus East

     Where to apply for a Social Security number or replace a card. This is the office inside the east-side corridor.

     220 S Hamilton Rd, Columbus, OH 43213

     1-866-592-0733

     Appointments have been required for in-person service since January 2025, but Social Security says it will not turn away people who cannot make one. Call 1-800-772-1213 to book; interpreters are available on that line.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Social Security Administration — office locator

     Enter a ZIP code and it gives the office that serves it, with hours. Use this if you are outside the east side.

     1-800-772-1213

     Checked September 17, 2026

2. 2

   Ohio ID or driver's licence

   There is no DMV in Ohio — the agency is the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and the local offices are called deputy registrars. You need proof of identity, legal presence, your Social Security number, and two documents proving an Ohio address from two different sources. A lease and a utility bill in your name work.

   Where to go

   • Franklin County Deputy Registrar #2506

     Ohio driver licence and state ID. This office also has a driver examination station and a title office in the same building, so three errands become one trip.

     1583 Alum Creek Drive, Columbus, OH 43209

     614-443-5100

     The nearest full-service office to the east-side corridor that could be confirmed. There is a smaller one at 415 Agler Road in Gahanna. Check the official locator for anything closer before driving.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles — acceptable documents

     What Ohio accepts as proof of name, date of birth, legal presence, Social Security number and Ohio address. Two address documents are required, from different sources.

     1-844-644-6268

     The document list is published in English, Spanish and Somali. There is no Amharic version. A compliant card carries a star and is needed to board a domestic flight; a standard card costs the same and cannot be.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Ohio Revised Code 4501.27 — release of motor vehicle records

     The law that governs what the Ohio BMV may do with the information you give it, and who it may be given to.

     Ohio publishes no plain-language notice for licence applicants about what happens to their information — unlike some other states. The law itself permits release to a government agency, including a federal one, carrying out its functions. This is said here because being told plainly is better than being reassured.

     Checked September 17, 2026

3. 3

   Renting without credit history

   Most large complexes want a credit score you do not have yet. A private landlord, a room in a shared house, or a co-signer are the usual ways round it. Expect to be asked for a larger deposit. Never send money before you have seen the place and met the person.

4. 4

   A phone without a contract

   Prepaid plans need no credit check and no Social Security number. Buy one on day one so people can reach you, and switch to a contract later if it works out cheaper.

5. 5

   English classes

   Free ESL classes run through the community college and several churches. Look under Trainings here, and ask at your church — the good ones are usually found by word of mouth.

   Where to go

   • Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS)

     ESOL and citizenship classes, job training and placement, youth programmes and community navigators. Staff speak more than thirty languages.

     4300 E. Broad St., Suite D, Columbus, OH 43213

     614-252-5362

     Founded in 2000 as outreach to Ethiopian refugees and now serving more than eighty nationalities. It is in the corridor and it is the organisation most likely to answer in Amharic. Call before going — programme details could not be confirmed from the website.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Columbus State Community College — Aspire ESOL

     Free English classes for speakers of other languages. Orientation and a placement assessment are required before enrolling. Classes run mornings, evenings and Saturdays.

     614-287-2471

     One of the sites is in Reynoldsburg, inside the corridor. Others are in New Albany, Westerville and Dublin.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Columbus Literacy Council

     ESOL, citizenship preparation, adult basic education and workplace English.

     5825 Chantry Drive, Columbus, OH 43232

     614-282-7661

     There is a second site at 1394 Courtright Road, Columbus, OH 43227. Both are in the corridor.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Columbus City Schools — Adult and Community Education

     ESL, Aspire and high school equivalency classes for adults.

     270 E. State St., Columbus, OH 43215

     380-997-6293

     Checked September 17, 2026

6. 6

   Work authorisation

   You need work authorisation before an employer can hire you legally. What that means depends entirely on your immigration status, so speak to an accredited representative or a licensed attorney — not to whoever offers on a community board, here included.

   Where to go

   • OhioMeansJobs Columbus-Franklin County

     Free job search help, résumé and interview assistance, training referrals and employer connections. An employer comes on site every Thursday.

     1111 E. Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43205

     614-559-5052Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm

     On the E Broad bus corridor, which runs every fifteen minutes or less. A reader in Whitehall or 43213 can reach it on one bus.

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services

     Cash assistance, food assistance, Medicaid, child care assistance and emergency assistance. This is the county office, not the state one.

     1721 Northland Park Avenue, Columbus, OH 43229

     1-844-640-6446

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — Refugee Services

     Employment assistance, education support, health services and Refugee Cash Assistance.

     30 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43215

     614-466-6282

     Checked September 17, 2026

   • Ohio Administrative Code 5101:4-3-07 — citizenship and alien status

     Ohio's own rule on which immigration statuses qualify for food assistance and when. Refugees, asylees, trafficking victims and several other statuses qualify immediately; lawful permanent residents generally wait five years, with exceptions for children, people receiving disability benefits, and people with enough work history.

     Linked to the rule itself rather than summarised, because eligibility turns on your exact status and a paraphrase is how somebody decides not to apply when they qualify.

     Checked September 17, 2026

7. 7

   If you need an interpreter

   For anything medical you are entitled to a free professional interpreter by law — ask for one. For a school meeting, a lease signing, or a form you cannot read, someone here may be able to sit with you.

8. 8

   Where to buy injera and spices

   Several Ethiopian and Eritrean shops around the valley carry injera, berbere, shiro, and teff flour. Look under Services & Businesses here, or ask at church — most people have a shop they swear by.