A DSO has the option in SEVIS to cancel their recommendation for off-campus employment – see the SEVIS Help Hub. For more details please see the section about on-campus employment The guidelines for off-campus employment based on emergent circumstances are in the authorizing Federal Register notice. If the F-1 student needs to continue working off-campus, the student must re-apply. Approval for off-campus employment is good for one year.
For more information about training opportunities for international students visit our Training page. To apply for off-campus employment, you must explain your economic hardship situation and receive approval to work from your DSO. Off-campus employment is work that that takes place outside of a school campus. If you participate in on-campus employment, you may not work more than 20 hours per week when school is in session. On-campus employment is specific to work that takes place on campus or at an off-campus location that is educationally affiliated with the school. Learn more about applying for permanent and seasonal jobs in the National Park Service and other federal agencies.
The biggest mistake you can make is to apply for all job openings you see everywhere. Only 10% of U.S. entities offer visa sponsorship, and not in all departments and job categories. If you fall into one of the other exceptions above, you might be able to get a work visa or work authorization without needing any visa sponsorship from a U.S.-based employer.
How does the application process for off-campus employment start?
- But you should know that you can accumulate multiple visas.
- As part of the supporting evidence, the F-1 student must include the specially endorsed Form I-20 signed on pages 1 and 2 by a DSO.
- We offer the best J1 summer jobs package, which puts you in total control.
- An F-1 student who is enrolled in school, maintains status and follows the guidelines for on-campus employment may continue to work.
- We offer many opportunities to help you gain new skills and experiences, develop as a leader, and grow your career.
- We’ve a cheat sheet of jobs and housing to help you on your way!
- An F-1 student must have remained enrolled for at least one academic year, in status and in good academic standing before USCIS will authorize off-campus employment.
This makes it very important to have a good working relationship with other employees working with you, since you will be spending a lot of time together. It is not a difficult test, but you have to study for it ahead of time. If you have a disability or a special need that requires a reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process, you can email or inform your recruiter. Individuals featured on this site may include current or former colleagues.
If USCIS does not approve or deny the Form I-765 within 90 days of receiving the application, the F-1 student may apply for interim employment authorization. For more information, see the question on When is off-campus employment available? An F-1 student must wait to receive the approval from USCIS before beginning off-campus employment. In addition, the F-1 student’s SEVIS record automatically updates to show the off-campus employment approval. The only reasons for granting work authorization for off-campus employment are economic hardship or emergent circumstances. The process starts when an F-1 student asks the DSO’s permission to seek employment in an off-campus job.
Approval is not based on the student’s choice of employer. If USCIS approves the application, the student will receive a Form I-766, “Employment Authorization Document,” (EAD) from USCIS and can begin working. The student should file within 30 days of the day the DSO endorses the Form I-20. The F-1 student must file a Form I-765, “Application for Employment Authorization,” and pay a fee to USCIS. For each request approval, a DSO must provide the F-1 student with a Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” endorsed to that effect. DSOs should endorse the student’s Form I-20 with a reference to the Federal Register notice that announced the emergency exception before allowing the student to work more than 20 hours a week.
You can also save the jobs you select to find them quickly when you return. I recommend you save your search and set up a job alert to be notified when we have new jobs for you. Once you have found ideal jobs by adjusting your filters on USponsorMe, you have your chance! It will automatically and instantly calculate those and display this information on the job. Tell us more about yourself if you do not know the visa and job for the ones you qualify for.
What are the guidelines for off-campus employment of F-1 students based on severe economic hardship?
- If denying an application for employment authorization for off-campus employment, USCIS will send the F-1 student a denial letter giving the reason(s) for the denial.
- Employment authorization automatically ends if that student does not maintain status.
- An F-1 student must maintain status and be in good academic standing.
- The F-1 student may work full-time during those periods when school is not in session or during the student’s annual break.
- The 60-day “grace” period after graduation or post-completion OPT is for an F-1 student to prepare to leave the United States, unless the student is beginning a new program of study.
- Learn more about applying for permanent and seasonal jobs in the National Park Service and other federal agencies.
If otherwise eligible, an F-1 student may continue to work on-campus with a pending application for reinstatement or change of status. To work in the U.S. temporarily, learn about nonimmigrant work visas and how to apply for a work permit. If you have the necessary education or skills, you may be eligible for a permanent worker visa to immigrate with your family to the U.S. There is also a CIEE Work & Travel USA community on Facebook where students can connect and share their journey of discovery with the world.
Apply to more than one job at a time
Sometimes you will get honest feedback that can help you improve your resume or interview skills. It is important to apply to as many sparty bet different jobs as you can to increase your chance of being hired. Sometimes you need more experience for the job you want. Networking events bring different people together who work in related jobs to talk and learn from each other. Job fairs are events where different companies provide information about job opportunities. Audubon supports career development training that enhances the skills necessary to successfully perform an employee’s job or other Audubon-career positions.
For your resume to be ATS-friendly in content, you should ensure it meets all the requirements of your desired job(s). Your resume should meet the American standard, be ATS-friendly on the form and content, and be result-oriented. For each job ad, the company receives an average of 250 applications.
These categories include EB-2 and EB-3 visas for professionals with advanced degrees and skilled workers. There are five categories of immigrant visas for permanent workers. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. We walk them through the process with clear instruction and assistance for everything from obtaining a visa to travel advice. Each candidate is pre-screened for English skills, a positive attitude, and team spirit. We make hiring easy through our own overseas job fairs, dedicated recruiters, and virtual hiring services.
For how long is the employment authorization for intern employment at an international organization valid?
More than 100 million people look for jobs in the USA every year. If you are in a specialty occupation and your industry is experiencing a labor shortage, it may work for an H1B visa (you see jobs). If you have a budget of 40k+ to pay for the visa fees, it might work for an EB visa (you see jobs). If you plan to move to the United States permanently, you may be tempted to filter on jobs that offer EB or H-1B visas (that leads to a Green Card, the permanent residency).
Immigrant visa to work in the U.S.
However, the student must be full-time student when the school is in session and maintain status. A denied application ends the student’s employment authorization. If an F-1 student has been working off-campus but has an expired current work authorization, may that student continue working while the new Form I-765 is pending? If USCIS denies an application for employment authorization, the F-1 student will receive a letter that explains the decision. If USCIS approves an F-1 student’s employment authorization application, they will send the student a Form I-766, “Employment Authorization Document,” and a letter notifying the student of the decision.
Students
If you do not have any experience or a few, you should filter on “entry-level” to only get positions that do not require you to know. Unfortunately, this means this job does not match your profile. You find a cook job on USponsorMe, but this job requires you to speak French and know the European cooking method. If you do have this skill, add it to your USponsorMe resume!
We offer many opportunities to help you gain new skills and experiences, develop as a leader, and grow your career. All students who wish to work must apply for a Social Security Number. Examples of on-campus employment include working at a university bookstore or cafeteria. There are limited work opportunities available in the United States for F-1 students.
If you still do not see any jobs, you might fall into one of those possibilities below. If there is no job, try with other job title keywords and your skills keywords. It will automatically and instantly calculate the visa(s) you qualify for and for what position(s) / job fields. If you are flexible or open to any jobs, don’t think you can fill all the jobs you see on USponsorMe.

