December 14, 2022 | By Or Goldschmidt
International students are individuals who gain entry into the United States by way of an F1 visa. An F1 visa holder is strictly in the US to get an education, but there are opportunities for part-time employment. As an international student interested in employment, you must be aware of all the restrictions and requirements of your visa.
There are a few categories of employment you can look into as an international student, the most simplistic and available of which is on-campus employment.
As an F1 student, it is well within all guidelines and regulations to apply for employment on campus. However, the one downfall to this is that on-campus employment is extremely limited. There may be cases where you put in an application in hopes of securing a position, but they are unable to place you in any department. Even if you can secure a job on campus, you’ll be paid minimum wage at best. Additionally, while school is in session you can only work a maximum of 20 hours a week. During the winter and summer months, you can work full-time, but only if you are enrolled in classes for the following semester.
OPT is a form of off-campus employment permitted to graduating students. In some cases, you can apply for OPT before graduating, but you must have been enrolled in your program for a minimum of 9 months. More so, OPT requires an application process and is not guaranteed. Effective October 2nd, 2020, the fee for all application are $550; and you can not begin employment until your application has been approved (which can take up to 90 days), and you receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Make sure during this process you work closely with your school's International Student Office and student advisor, as they can guide you correctly and answer all questions you may have.
Requirements differ if you are seeking OPT before or after the completion of your degree.
This is an employment option for students whose practical training is a core part of their program of study. To be able to qualify, the work you’re requesting must be a degree requirement or something you receive academic credit for. However, you can still get paid for work done while on CPT. You need authorization from your school's International Student Office, as well as the USCIS.
Eligibility for CPT includes the following:
If a student is experiencing some form of economic hardship, they may be granted permission to seek part-time employment. During the months school is in session, they can only work up to 20 hours a week, but during winter and summer breaks employment can be full time.
Below is a list of examples in which applying for economic hardship would be valid:
To be eligible for severe economic hardship, the student must have done the following:
Although the process of securing employment for international students is difficult, Roomrs aims to make living easy. Check out Roomrs if you’re an international student looking for an alternative to traditional apartment rentals.