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It is not essential, but useful to obtain a US-SSN if you are not legally employed in the US. This helps in applying for credit cards, health insurance, and other facilities. It is also required for filing taxes.
Once assigned, your SSN is your lifelong "key" to your identification in the US, and sensitive information related to your credit history, taxes, other financial information, health records, etc are documented using your SSN. Hence you should be very careful before disclosing your SSN to anyone.
Tip from our alumni visitors: Temporary visitors on a B-1 (business visa), B-2 (tourist visa), H-4 (temporary worker's spouse), or those with a European passport who are allowed without a visa in the US for a limited time are often refused a SSN. If you belong to one of the above categories, and really need to obtain a SSN, you can try being patient with the officers at your SS ofice, and continue to request them to provide you with a SSN by mentioning that is essential for you to obtain your health insurance (and credit cards), and that they can stamp "not eligible to work in the US" on the SS Card. This approach can help.