US Names Countries Whose Citizens Can Still Receive Government Benefits After 6 Months Abroad
- The US Social Security Administration has published a list of countries whose citizens remain eligible to receive benefits after spending more than six months outside America
- Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and several other African nations appear on the SSA's Country List 4, alongside countries across Asia and the Caribbean
- Citizens on the list must meet specific conditions tied to the worker's record on which the benefits are based, with additional requirements for dependants and survivors
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The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) has published an official list of countries whose citizens can continue receiving Social Security payments even after living outside America for more than six consecutive calendar months.
The list, known as Country List 4 on the SSA's international payments page, names 55 nations from across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Caribbean whose citizens are covered under this provision.
Source: UGC
Which countries made the SSA list
Several African nations appear on the list. Below are the full names of countries qualified for Social Security benefits.
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Botswana
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Congo (Republic of the Congo)
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- India
- Indonesia
- Kenya
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Yemen
US: Conditions that must be met
Inclusion on the list alone does not automatically guarantee continued payments. The SSA stipulates that to qualify, the worker on whose record the benefits are based must have lived in the United States for at least ten years, or must have earned a minimum of 40 credits under the US Social Security system.
For those collecting benefits as a dependant or survivor rather than as the primary worker, the SSA notes that additional eligibility requirements apply beyond citizenship and the worker's contribution record.
The SSA's Country List 4 is one of several groupings the agency uses to determine how international residency affects benefit payments. Citizens of countries not featured on any of these lists may have their payments suspended after spending more than six full calendar months outside the United States.
See the full Country List 4 on the SSA's official international payments page.
In a similar report, Legit.ng published that the US announced two important benefits that are available to Green Card holders.
Countries under US social security payment restrictions
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously published that the US listed the two countries whose residents cannot receive US Social Security payments under Treasury Department restrictions.
For US citizens, the withheld payments may become available if they move to a country where the SSA can send funds. But non-US citizens permanently lose benefits for every month they live in Cuba or North Korea—even if they later move elsewhere.
Source: Legit.ng
