On-Campus Employment for F-1 Students
Eligibility:
You must be in lawful, full-time student status. It is your responsibility to know and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as university policies that apply to F-1 students.
Employment also requires that a student obtain either an ITIN number or a Social Security number.
Application Procedures:
1. Bring your I-20 to the International Center, 410 Union, and fill out an application form to apply for an on-campus work authorization letter.
2. If you are in lawful status and have been a full-time student, the International Center will prepare a letter verifying your eligibility to work on campus. This will take approximately 1 week to process.
3. Take the work authorization letter to your on-campus employer, and complete an I-9 form for the Human Resources Department so that you may be set up on the payroll system.
4. Keep up your full-time student status and make sure your I-20 does not expire. It is illegal for you to work unless you are in status and a full-time student. The Human Resources Department will check on your status several times a year and if you are not a full-time student, they will have your employer terminate your employment.
5. You are limited to working 20 hours a week when school is in session. During school breaks or your vacation period, you may work full time.
6. New undergraduate and transfer students may not work until the first day of the semester they were admitted for. For example, if a student was admitted for fall semester, the student cannot arrive early and start working during summer semester. Graduate students whose departments require them to start working before classes begin may apply for work authorization up to 30 days prior to the beginning of classes.
It is your responsibility to know the law and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as, university policies.
Curricular Practical Training for F-1 Students
Definition of Curricular Practical Training:
Curricular practical training is work experience related to a person’s major which is an integral part of the established curriculum or is done through the Carreer Services. It is not an entitled benefit.
Eligibility Requirements:
1. You must have been in lawful student status for at least nine months and you must currently be in status. Graduate students in programs which require immediate participation in curricular practical training may begin their training before they have been here nine months.
2. The training must either be for credit, required for graduation, or part of Cooperative Education.
For credit curricular practical training may be mandatory or elective. The training program must be listed in the school’s course catalog with the assigned number of credits and name of the faculty member teaching the course clearly indicated. There should also be a description of the course with the course objectives clearly defined. Students enrolled in such a course may work out the details of their specific projects within the established course objectives under the supervision of the instructor.
Internships and practicums which are not for credit but are required for graduation may be granted as part of curricular practical training. It must be stated in the general catalog that the training is required for graduation.
Cooperative education approved by the Carreer Services, 350 SSB, for work experience related to your major may be used as curricular practical training.
3. You must remain a full-time student while you are on curricular practical training.
Except during your vacation period, you must remain a full-time student while you are on curricular practical training. Undergraduate students must be taking 12 credit hours and graduate students must be taking 9 credit hours or 3 credit hours of thesis research, dissertation research or faculty consultation that include courses numbered 6970 – 6980, and 7970-7980.
Undergraduate and graduate students may only do full-time curricular practical training during their vacation period and during breaks between semesters.
If graduate students in thesis programs have completed their course work and are working on their thesis or dissertation, they must apply for full-time Optional Practical Training prior to graduation instead of Curricular Practical Training. The time spent in optional practical training prior to graduation would count against the 12-month period of optional practical training allowed.
Application Procedures:
1. For credit or required curricular practical training bring a letter from your departmental advisor or chair to the International Center verifying that the training you are seeking qualifies for curricular practical training. They should state the course number of the class you are taking (you will need to be registered for the class). They should also state whether the training would be full time or part time. Anything over 20 hours per week is considered full time. They should also state the employer’s name, location and the dates (from what date to what date) you will be working there.
2. For curricular practical training arranged through Carreer Services bring a letter from them instead of your department to the International Center. Their authorization letter will need to be signed by them and the International Center. The letter should also state whether the training would be full or part time. Carreer Services information
3. Purchase a current University of Utah transcript from the Registrar’s office, 250 SSB window 21.
4. Bring your I-20 to the International Center
If you are in full time F-1 status and meet the criteria for curricular practical training, the International Center will issue you a new I-20 form. If your current financial statement for your I-20 form is over a year old, you will need to provide the International Center with an updated financial statement before your I-20 form can be printed.
Duration of Curricular Practical Training:
You may not begin working until you receive your updated I-20 form from the International Center authorizing your curricular practical training. You may only work for the period of time stated for your training on the I-20 form. If you need more time than stated on your I-20, you will need to reapply for curricular practical training. Curricular practical training is only granted one semester at a time. Transferring schools cancels your curricular practical training. If you have a year or more of full-time curricular practical training, you will not be eligible for optional practical training.
It will probably take 2 weeks for the Carreer Services office and the International Center to authorize your curricular practical training. You may not begin working until you receive your work authorization on your I-20.
It is your responsibility to know the law and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as, university policies.
Optional Practical Training for F-1 Students
Definition of Optional Practical Training:
Optional practical training is designed to provide you with an opportunity to gain actual employment experience in your chosen profession for a maximum of one year. Its purpose is to “round out” or complement your academic work. This is not an entitled benefit.
Eligibility Requirements:
1. You must have been in lawful student status for at least nine months and you must currently be in lawful status.
2. You may apply for optional practical training during the following times: (1) your annual vacation and at other times when school is not in session if you are currently enrolled and intend to register for the next semester; (2) while school is in session, provided that practical training does not exceed 20 hours a week; (3) after completion of course requirements but before graduation while you are working on your thesis or dissertation; (4) after you graduate (your request for optional practical training after you graduate must be submitted to the CIS before you graduate).
3. If you are applying for optional practical training to work after you graduate, you may submit your application for optional practical training 90 days before you graduate. You must apply for optional practical training before you graduate. For undergraduates, your graduation date is considered to be the last day of the semester you graduate in. For graduate students, your graduation date is considered to be the day you complete your program requirements – not necessarily the last day of the semester. Your lawful F-1 status expires 60 days after the date you complete degree requirements. You are expected to leave the country by that date unless you file a timely application for practical training or make other arrangements to lawfully remain in the U.S.
4. The work must be directly related to your major field of study and it must be appropriate for someone having your level of education. The work may occur anywhere in the U.S. Optional practical training prior to graduation may be part time, but post completion optional practical training must be full time.
5. If you are applying for optional practical training after graduation and haven’t used any optional practical training previously, you may apply for twelve months of full-time optional practical training.
6. If you wish to return to school after you finish optional practical training or before finishing optional practical training, a new I-20 showing the new degree you are seeking and a new expiration date will need to be sent to the CIS to inform them that you are no longer on optional practical training. If you are changing schools, you will need to request the school that issued your optional practical training I-20 to release you from their school and allow your new school to process your I-20.
7. You may apply for a year of optional practical training after each higher degree.
8. You may not take any classes while on optional practical training.
Application Procedures:
1. Fill out form I-765 – on item #16 write ( c ) ( 3) ( i ).
2. Bring a letter from your department (advising professor or department chair) recommending optional practical training. If you are applying for optional practical training before graduation, your department will need to state the dates you will be doing optional practical training, whether it will be full or part time, and what date they believe you will be graduating. They will, also, need to state that your proposed employment is directly related to your major and is commensurate with your educational level. If you are applying for optional practical training after your graduation, they will only need to verify your graduation date and that you plan to seek employment directly related to your major and commensurate with your educational level.
3. Purchase a current University of Utah transcript from the Registrar’s office, 250 SSB window 21.
4. Your I-20.
Bring the above four items to the International Center to apply for optional practical training. If you meet the eligibility requirements for optional practical training, we will send a recommendation to the CIS and print a new I-20 form for you. For optional practical training before you graduate, we will put the dates recommended by your department on the I-20. For after graduation optional practical training we will recommend your graduation date as the starting date for your practical training.
Authorization by the CIS:
After the International Center prints your new I-20 form you will need to send your papers to the CIS to apply for your EAD card (Employment Authorization Document). If you are applying for optional practical training after graduation, you should apply to the CIS nearest to your address you wrote on your I-765 form. Assemble and send the documents in the following order to the CIS. (You may also want to make a photocopy of all the items you will be sending out for your own records.)
1. A check payable to CIS for $180.00.
2. I-765 form
3. A photocopy of all pages of your I-20 form requesting optional practical training and photocopies of all previously issued I-20 forms
4. If you already have one, a photocopy of both sides of your EAD card.
5. Photocopies of the biographical and visa pages from your passport.
6. A photocopy of both sides of your I-94 card.
7. Two photos of yourself with your name printed lightly in pencil on the back of them. See page four of the I-765 instructions for details (a sample page is attached). Enclose the photos in an envelope (preferably a see-through, plastic envelope).
8. A photocopy of a page from your passport that shows its expiration date.
If you are e-filing, the address for the Customer Service Center is: 5536 South 1900 West.
Check page 5 of the I-765’s instructions for the address to send your optional practical training application to. If you will be in Utah while your application is being processed, it should be sent to:
CIS
Northern Service Center
P.O. Box 87765
Lincoln, NE 68501-7765
Mail your papers to the CIS within 30 days of the International Center printing your new I-20 form.
If optional practical training is granted, you will be issued an EAD card that will have written on it when you may start working and what date your employment authorization will end. You cannot start working until you receive your EAD card. Once it has been granted, it cannot be cancelled. Optional practical training is limited to 12 months. If you use part of your 12 months of optional practical training before you graduate, you will have less time for practical training after you graduate. If you work 20 hours a week or less on optional practical training before you graduate, the time will be counted as two months of training will equal one month taken from your total 12 months. If you work more than 20 hours a week, the time subtracted from your twelve months will be that one month equals one month. For example if you worked full time for three months and four months part time on optional practical training before you graduated, you would have 5 months subtracted from the available 12 months of training. So when you graduate, the CIS would only grant you seven months of training since you had already used up five months.
Travel Outside the U.S. While on Optional Practical Training After Graduation:
If you are applying for optional practical training after your graduation, you must get your optional practical training approved and your EAD card from the CIS before you travel. You must remain inside the U.S. while your application is being processed. If you leave the U.S. before you have your EAD card, then you have abandoned your application for optional practical training and may not re-apply after you return to the U.S. If you travel outside the U.S. while your optional practical training application is pending at the CIS, your application will be denied.
If you wish to travel outside the U.S. while you are on optional practical training, remember to have your I-20 form signed by the International Center at least 2 weeks prior to leaving the U.S. When you re-enter the U.S., you will need to show the port-of-entry official your signed I-20 form, EAD card, and a valid F-1 student visa in your passport.
Address Reporting:
While you are on optional practical training, you must keep the International Center informed of your current address. Within 10 days of moving, you must notify the International Center of your new address so that it may be reported to the CIS.
Alternative Method of Filing for Optional Practical Training:
The CIS also has E-filing for the I-765 form. If you wish to file your I-765 form on line and pay electronically, you will need to do the following:
1. Apply at the International Center for optional practical training and have your recommendation for optional practical training printed on a new I-20 form.
2. Apply on line for the I-765 and pay electronically. The web sit is: http://www.immigration.gov/grahics/formsfee/forms/eFiling.htm
3. You will receive a case number and two receipts. One receipt will be sent to the CIS along with a copy of your I-20 and other papers to apply for optional practical training.
4. You will need to call an 800 number to set up an appointment with the local CIS (Application Support Center for fingerprinting, signature, and photographs).
5. While you are waiting for adjudication of your I-765 form, you can call an 800 number to check on your case.
The benefits of e-filing are your case is filed and received the same day and will be entered into the database faster. You will have a case number and receipt the same day and since the Service Center has less data entry to do, typos will be less likely.
The address for the Customer Service Center is: 5536 South 1900 West.
It is your responsibility to know the law and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as, university policies.
Off-Campus Employment Based on Economic Hardship
Eligibility:
1. Be in lawful, full-time F-1 status.
2. Have been in F-1 status for at least one academic year.
3. Be in good academic standing – at least a 2.0 grade-point-average.
4. Proof of economic hardship – loss of financial aid or on campus employment without fault on your part, substantial fluctuations in the value of currency or exchange rate, inordinate increases in tuition and/or living expenses, unexpected changes in the financial condition of your sponsor, medical bills or other substantial and unexpected expenses.
Limitations:
1. Employment is limited to 20 hours a week when school is in session. You may work full time between semesters and during your vacation period.
2. You may only work during the time indicated on your Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) issued by the CIS. If you graduate before your work authorization expires, you are no longer eligible to work. If during your work authorization you are not in lawful, full-time status, you are no longer eligible to work.
3. If you transfer schools, your employment authorization is cancelled and you must reapply for permission to work.
Application Procedures:
1. Show proof that the jobs available on campus won’t meet your financial need.
2. Fill out form I-765 – on #16 write ( c) (3) (iii).
3. Bring your I-20 to the International Center.
4. Bring your current University of Utah transcript to the International Center
5. Bring proof of your financial need to the International Center.
If you are in lawful F-1 status, have proof that on campus jobs are not adequate, and proof of your economic need, the International Center will issue a new I-20 form requesting employment based on economic hardship.
Authorization by the CIS:
Send the following to the CIS in the following order to have an EAD card issued.
1. A check for $120.00 payable to the CIS.
2. I-765 form.
3. A photocopy of both sides of your I-94 card.
4. A photocopy of both sides of your EAD card if you already have one.
5. Two photos of yourself with your name printed lightly in pencil on the back of them. Enclose the photos in an envelope.
6. A photocopy of the biographical page in your passport.
7. A photocopy of both sides of your I-20 and photocopies of all former CIS stamped I-20’s.
8. Proof of financial need – detail the unforeseen economic circumstances (provide as much proof as possible to verify the unforeseen economic necessity – also list assets, income and expenses).
9. A photocopy of a page from your passport that shows its expiration date and a photocopy of your most recent visa.
Mail your papers to the CIS within 30 days.
Their address is:
CIS
Northern Service Center
P.O. Box 87765
Lincoln, NE 68501-7765
If the CIS approves your work authorization, they will issue you and EAD card. If your request is denied, there is no possibility to appeal the decision. Employment will be granted in one-year intervals up to your expected graduation date. Employment authorization will only be renewed by the CIS if you are in full-time status and in good academic standing. If you fail to maintain full-time status, the employment authorized is automatically terminated and you will need to apply for reinstatement to F-1 status. If your F-1 status is reinstated, you will need to reapply for employment authorization.
It is your responsibility to know the law and comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as, university policies.
