[television is just wrong]

You are wrong foreigners can go to their embassy and file for social security benefits with the work record in their country.

[sitetest]

Dear TVIJW,

Well, not quite.

In these cases, you're probably referring to individuals who have worked and earned sufficient work credits in their own countries with whom we've concluded treaties for reciprocal treatment of Social Security.

Here's are a couple of links from the Social Security Administration that refers a little bit to that:

http://www.ssa.gov/retire2/international.htm
http://www.ssa.gov/international/agreements_overview.html

Our citizens, too, may qualify for payments from the Social Security systems of these other countries.

However, I believe that to participate in the systems of more than one country, one must have earned work credits in each country.

All that notwithstanding, individuals from other countries who have never worked in this country may be eligible for SSI, which is also administered by Social Security, but does not come out of FICA contributions.

Finally, all of this is beside the point from your original points regarding self-employed persons.

sitetest