International Student Services

Post-Arrival Checklist

Step 1: Prepare | Step 2: Update Your MyUW Contact Information | Step 3: Complete the F-1 or J-1 Immigration Check-In Request | Step 4: Verify Check-In Submission & Check-In Complete | Step 5: Required Immigration Orientation Session | Check-In Problems?

  • The U.S. government requires all F-1 and J-1 students to officially “check in” with their university when they begin a new program of study in the U.S.
  • No appointment or meeting is required —  check-in at the UW is 100% online.
  • You must be inside the U.S. to check in. Please complete your online check-in as soon as you can after you successfully enter the U.S.
  • Enroll fulltime in UW courses before you complete the immigration check-in. We cannot complete your SEVIS registration if you are not registered fulltime.
Starting Quarter Online Check-In Opens Check-In Deadline
Winter Quarter 2023 December 4, 2022 January 3, 2023

Step 1: Prepare!

  1. Successfully enter the United States. You must be inside the U.S. to check in.
  2. Enroll full-time for classes at UW
  3. Prepare digital file of documents for upload
    1. Document Checklist – F-1 Students
    2. Document Checklist – J-1 Students

Step 2: Update Your MyUW Contact Information

  • Avoid Rejection! Contact information problems are the most common reason a student fails the check-in process.
  • Rejected check-ins endanger your status with the U.S. government. ISS will put a registration hold on your university account if this process is not done correctly.


Use the MyUW Contact Info Update Guide to avoid common problems.

Your contact information must exactly match the U.S. Post Office’s database to successfully be checked in.

Step 3: Complete the F-1 or J-1 Immigration Check-In Request

You must be enrolled fulltime and be present in the U.S. before submitting the Check-In request. Go to MyISSS and navigate to the Requests & Documents section. Scroll down to “What can we help you with?” and select the F-1 or J-1 Immigration Check-In request form. Answer the required questions, upload documents, and then submit the request.

Submit the Check-In Request by logging into MyISSS

Step 4: Verify Check-In Submission & Check-In Complete

  1. Verify submission: Review your Pending Requests in the Requests & Documents section of your MyISSS profile. Request Status submitted  means you successfully submitted the Check-In. Request Status pending means you saved the request but have not yet submitted it. Open the pending request, review you have completed all required information, then select the Submit option at the bottom of the form.
  2. Status complete: We will review your Immigration Check-In request and update the Request Status to Completed. If there are any questions or issues about your request, we will email you with further instructions. Once the Immigration Check-In request has been reviewed and cleared, the request will move to the Completed Request section in ISSS. If there is completed request titled Registration, that means your SEVIS record has been registered with the government and your I-20 record has been made active.
    Picture showing MyISSS Section 3 Requests and Documents after Successful Check In
  3. SSN/ITIN Letter requests: Students with an on campus job are not eligible for a SSN/ITIN letter until your Immigration Check-In and SEVIS registration has been completed. ISS cannot issue an authorization letter both the check-in and SEVIS registration appear in the Completed Requests section. You will be able to access the SSN/ITIN request form under Requests & Documents in MyISSS once you have completed the check-in process. 

Step 5: Complete a Required Immigration Orientation Session

All autumn quarter 2022 orientation sessions have passed. If you missed orientation, please contact ISS. Students who are new to the University of Washington winter 2023 are invited to attend a winter 2023 orientation in January 2023.

F-1/J-1 Immigration Check-In Problems?  

If you have questions about the Post-Arrival steps or you are having problems with the Check-In request, read the answers to our most commonly asked post arrival questions.

  • Immigration Check-in Support

Having trouble with the online check-in request form? Have you completed steps 1 & 2 above? Additional support is available to answer questions about address issues, verifying documents,  resolving errors, or other specific questions about completing the Immigration Check-In request form.  

Currently no sessions scheduled – Winter quarter help sessions will be posted in December.

  • Submit the Contact Us Form 

You can submit an email to ISS by completing the Contact Us Form. Be sure to include your specific questions or issues regarding the check-in process so our staff can assist you.