SSN Policy Changes: How International SLU Students are Affected

On March 19, 2025, the government paused the automatic issuance of Social Security numbers for non-citizens by canceling the Enumeration Beyond Entry program. Institutional procedures changed to adapt to the policy updates, mandating international students on F-1 and J-1 visas to visit the Social Security Administration’s office before starting to work and causing delays in students’ work schedules. 

Assistant Director of International Student Services, Megan Putney, explained the work authorization process for international students. “Students are required to go to the Social Security office and apply for a Social Security number before they can start working on campus,” she said. International Student Services organizes trips every two weeks to the Social Security office in Ogdensburg. If students are unable to attend these trips, they can visit the office on their own. 

Language Resource Center Director, Gisele El Khoury, discussed the impacts of the policy changes for student workers. “We had to postpone labs for some sections and language writing center office hours for a week due to policy changes,” El Khoury said. “It is hard to replace international students in language labs because they have specific linguistic and cultural skills that are not easily replaceable.” 

In the first few weeks of the semester, International Student Services put effort into helping newly employed students get their SSNs. “To accommodate our students for the policy changes, we increased the number of trips per semester from once a month to every other week,” Putney highlighted. “Students need to wait until the end of the add-drop period to apply for a Social Security number, so Megan helped us get students to the SSN Office right after that to prevent any further delays,” El Khoury said. 

Stella Bouroutzoglou ’29 was one of the international students impacted by the policy. “I think it took me around three weeks to go on the Social Security number trip,” Bouroutzoglou said. “I could start working as soon as I went to the office, so when I went to the Social Security department, I was able to work the next day.” 

Bouroutzoglou described the process as “anxiety-inducing at first.” She had to inform her employer about the changes. “There were a few endless circles in the process; people were not really informed about the new process, and the students had to deal with informing them,” she said. “But after getting the Social Security number, it was just like usual work.” 

Another international student, Naelle Argot ’27, was only able to start working after going on an SSN trip on Sept. 12. “I would rather start earlier because I could not set my routine until I started working,” Argot said. “They said the SSN card was going to be ready in two weeks for everyone in the trip, but it was four weeks for me. So, I still did not get my social security number.”