Submit a Social Security Number (SSN) Letter Request
Please Note: If you have already started a Social Security Letter Request, do not start a new one. To update your User Profile, or to continue an already initiated request, please go to your User Home Page.
How soon an F-1 or J-1 student can apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) is dependent on the type of employment. For On-Campus positions, students may apply up to 30 days before the employment start date. Remember, you must have a job in order to apply for a SSN.
Your request will be processed within 10 (ten) business days. ISSS will create a separate letter verifying you are in active F-1 or J-1 status, and email you when the letter is ready for pick-up.
New Students MUST complete the New Student ISSS Check-In Request first prior to completing a SSN Letter Request. Additionally, If you are a new international student this semester, you cannot apply for a SSN until your SEVIS record has been "registered" or activated to verify that you have arrived on campus and are enrolled full-time at ISU. Please note requests received from new students (beginning your studies at ISU this semester) WILL NOT BE PROCESSED until after the 10th day of classes. If you submitted your SSN Letter Request prior to the 10th day of classes, your 10 business day processing clock will not begin until the 10th day.