FelixDeCat said
"But be under no illusion, unless they follow the legal process to become a citizen, the SS payments are made in vain."
"I gave him good advice..."
I dunno about that. I looked into this a bit yesterday morning and even though I have no horse in this race, everything I saw said a person does NOT have to be a citizen to collect SS retirement. They do not have to be in the process of becoming a citizen.
They do have to have a SS number. They do have to complete the minimum of 40 qualifying work quarters. They do have to be of an age to collect SS and they do have to provide proof of legal permanent resident status. That's it. No citizenship necessary. They can also get Medicare.