On This Page:
- 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 full-time.
| Starting Quarter | Online Check-In Opens | Check-In Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Spring Quarter 2023 | February 25, 2023 | March 27, 2023 |
Step 1: Prepare!
- Successfully enter the United States. You must be inside the U.S. to check in.
- Enroll full-time for classes at UW
- Prepare a digital file of documents for upload
Step 2: Update Your MyUW Contact Information
- Avoid Rejection! Contact information problems are the most common reason a student fails the check-in process.
- Use the MyUW Contact Info Update Guide to avoid common problems.
- 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.
Your contact information must exactly match the U.S. Post Office’s database to successfully be checked in.
Step 3: Submit the F-1 or J-1 Immigration Check-In Request
After completing Steps 1 and 2, log in to MyISSS. 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. Submit the form when you are done.
Submit the Check-In Request by logging into MyISSS
Step 4: Verify Check-In Submission & Check-In Complete
- Verify submission: Review your Ongoing Requests in the Requests & Documents section of your MyISSS profile. Request Status “Submitted” means a staffer has been assigned to review it. Request Status “Draft” are incomplete. Open the draft request, review you have completed all required information, then select the Submit option at the bottom of the form.
- Status complete: We will review your Immigration Check-In request. If there is a problem with your request, we will email your @uw.edu account.
Once the Immigration Check-In request has been successfully processed, it will move to the Completed Request section in ISSS.
If there is a completed request titled Registration, that means your SEVIS record has been registered with the government and your I-20 record has been made active. - SSN/ITIN Letter requests: Students with an on-campus job are not eligible for an SSN/ITIN letter until your Immigration Check-In and SEVIS registration have 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
Students who are new to the University of Washington Spring 2023 should contact CIRCLE for information and signups.
F-1/J-1 Immigration Check-In Problems?
Review the FAQs
Post-Arrival Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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? 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.
Check-in Webinar on March 25, 2023.
Submit the Contact Us Form
Submit a help request using the Contact Us Form. Explain the problem with your check-in so our staff can assist you.