Working While Studying in F-1 Status

By Allan Wernick Esq.

For information on OPT or CPT please click on the heading "OPT/CPT Information" in the navigation column to the left of the page.  If you are currently searching for a job you can create a profile with the Career Development Service on their ORION system and search the database there, be sure to select your Visa type under the section "Work Authorization" on the site.  It can be found here: https://hunter-cuny-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php?s=jobs&_ksl=1

F-1 international students are admitted to the United States for the purpose of attending school full-time. Still, F-1 students may work without violating their student status in the following circumstances:

On-Campus Employment

An F-1 student may work up to 20 hours a week while school is in session and full-time during breaks.

“On-campus employment on the school premises” or “at an affiliated off-site location” means employment of a type normally performed by students. Examples are work in the school library, cafeteria, or in a student store, or employment which is part of a student’s scholarship, fellowship or assistantship. For CUNY students, working on any CUNY campus, even one different from where you are enrolled is considered on-campus employment. Included are contractually funded research projects at the postgraduate level, and teaching.

On-campus employers sometimes know that F-1 students with an unexpired United States and Citizenship and Immigration Services Form I-20, Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant F-1 Student Status, can work on campus. Students working on-campus do not need an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) from the United States and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Still, at most campuses a student needs a letter from his/her international student advisor to present to the on-campus employer. The only requirement is that the student intends to register for the following semester. On-campus employers with questions should contact the particular colleges’ international student advisor.

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Off-Campus Employment and Internships

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services calls co-op (cooperative) training programs and internships, “curricular practical training.” F-1 students qualify for curricular practical training only to participate in a work-study program that is part of a degree requirement or regular course of study. The student must have been enrolled at the school for at least nine months, except for graduate students who may begin employment immediately if required by their program.  For more information on CPT check out the OPT/CPT  section of our website located here

For a listing of non-profit organizations with internships, part/full-time employment and volunteer opportunities, visit: www.idealist.org.

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Volunteer Opportunities in New York City

For international students who wish to participate in volunteer work in any of New York’s five boroughs, the Mayor’s Volunteer Center (MVC) offers a great database listing hundreds of volunteer work opportunities. Bringing together individuals, corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations, the MVC seeks to connect people and facilitate meaningful volunteer opportunities with the goal of improving the quality of life in New York City. This is also a great opportunity for OPT students who wish to maintain their status. Indeed, international students on Optional Practical Training cannot maintain their status if they stay out of work for more than 3 months, and volunteer work can help them fulfill that requirement.
Mayor’s Volunteer Center: www.nyc.gov/volunteer

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Procedure for Optional Practical Training( OPT )

To get either pre or post-graduate practical training, you file an application for employment authorization with the UCSIS using form I-765. You may not begin employment until the USCIS approves your application, beginning employment on the day indicated on your Employment Authorization Document. You may apply 90 days before you qualify. That is 90 days before the end of your first academic year for pre-completion OPT or 90 days before your completion date or 60 days after completion for post-graduation or  OPT. With your USCIS form I-765, you must submit the I-20 employment page signed by your International Student Advisor.

[top] Unemployment limitation while on Post Completion OPT

As of May, 2008, You may be unemployed up to only 90 days of unemployment with the 12 months period of OPT. You must notify the Hunter College's International Students Office staff of your employment including

the name of employer as well as address and how the employment is related to your major area of study or discipline.

Employment Authorization Based on Severe Economic Hardship (EAD)

Where unforeseen circumstances lead to a change in a student’s economic situation, he or she can get a permission to work off-campus in any job. The student can work 20 hours per week while school is in session and full-time during vacation periods. Examples of a change in circumstances include the loss of financial aid or on-campus employment through no fault of the student’s, an unexpected increase in living or tuition costs, large medical expenses, devaluation of the currency in the student’s country and a sponsors economic loss. Employment based on economic necessity is not deducted from time allowed for post-completion practical training. To qualify, the student must have completed one academic year in F-1 status, and be in good academic standing and get permission from the United States and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment based on economic hardship requires United States and Citizenship and Immigration Services approval. If the United States and Citizenship and Immigration Services approves the application the student will get an EAD.

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Tax Obligations

All non-immigrants and their dependents in F or J status are required by law to file an individual income tax return f they were physically present in the U.S. during the tax year. They must make this report even if they had no U.S. source of income. Please be aware that there are penalties for failure to file a tax return. Each individual’s situation varies. It is the responsibility of each international student to understand his or her own tax situation. Every year the International Students’ Office arranges a tax workshop, where students can obtain the necessary information.

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