Yes, non-U.S. citizens are eligible for social security. Non-citizens must be in the country legally and have a Social Security number. As with citizens, retirement benefits are only available for workers with a minimum of 40 work credits, which take at least 10 years to accrue. Non-citizens with fewer than 40 credits may be able to count work outside the U.S. toward Social Security credits if their home country and the U.S. have a totalization agreement.