Employment

If you don’t already have a social security number, follow these steps:

1. Apply for a job and get hired.
2. Ask your employer to give you a letter which indicates intent to hire you and describes your position.
3. Bring or send the letter from your employer to the International Students Office.
4. You will receive an introductory letter from the International Students Advisor.
5. Bring or send both letters (described above) to the Social Security Office in your borough of residence. Include your application form, valid passport, I-94 record, SEVIS I-20 form (from Hunter College or a previous school) and your Hunter College transcript.
   Please also see the Social Security Application Information for Non-Citizens, and Application to Create an Account. You can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 for more information.
6. Once you receive a receipt for your application for a Social Security number, you may show it to your employer and begin working.

For more information about how to get a Social Security number, please see Social Security Information For F-1 Students.

• Check out the Hunter Career Center for advice on writing your resume, cover letter, and get tips on interviewing. Attend a Career Fair or join a Career Workshop!
• Create your job and internship profile on Hunter Career Center Handshake app. Be sure to select your visa type under the section Work Authorization.
• Visit CUNY's Jobs and Internships webpage.

You must maintain Hunter College/CUNY F-1 or J-1 status. You are eligible for on-campus employment for a maximum of 20 hours per week during the academic year. You can work over 20 hours per week during summer, winter, and holiday breaks, when classes are not in session.

I-9 requirements: You must provide the department with the following original documents (the documents below are all required to satisfy List A-doc#4):

• Unexpired Foreign Passport
• I-94 card stamped F-1 and D/S (Duration of Status)
• I-20 form issued by Hunter College/ CUNY with a future graduation date
• On-Campus F-1 or J-1 Employment Verification Form

Off-campus Employment

To qualify for an off-campus job:

• The job must be related to the your major field of study.
• Get hired and then apply for your Social Security number (see How to Get a Social Security Number, above).
• An F-1 student may have an off-campus job in their "declared" major area of study for up to 22 months, on a part-time basis. This will not affect your future employment permit after graduation, also known as the Optional Practical Training.
• For Optional Practical Training, you will need to obtain your OPT card, or Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

To qualify for an off-campus job that is not related to your major:

Under Severe Economic Hardship Employment Authorization, an F-1 or J-1 Exchange visitor student is allowed to work off-campus in a position that is not related to his/her major. This authorization allows the student to hold that job for up to 12 months (part-time while school is in session), without being deducted from the OPT 12-month employment period, even if the number of months you hold the job exceeds 12 months, after adding the CPT accumulated hours.

NOTE: Severe Economic Hardship will only be granted in the event of unprecedented financial difficulties, such as an unusual increase in school tuition, devaluation of the currency from the country of citizenship, sudden death of sponsor, or natural disaster.

All non-immigrants and their dependents in F or J status are required by law to file an "income tax return," if they were physically present in the U.S. during the tax year. An "income tax return" is a form that reports your income to the Internal Revenue Service. However, you must file a tax return even if you had no U.S. source of income.

Please be aware that there are penalties for failure to file an income tax return. Every person's situation may vary, and it is your responsibility to understand your own income tax situation. Every year the International Students’ Office arranges an income tax workshop, where you can get the information you need to help you file your tax return.

The tax filing deadline was Tuesday April 15, 2025.

If you didn't work in 2024 and have not earned any income you must file form 8843 and contact Sprin Tax. For more information about tax requirements for international students, contact Sprin Tax.

If an F-1 student is offered employment in the form of an internship by a recognized international organization, he or she may accept such employment upon receipt of authorization from USCIS. Examples of recognized international organizations include the United Nations, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, etc. For more information, consult with an ISO advisor. For additional information, please see International Organization Information.

F-1 students who experience a serious economic hardship due to an unforeseen change in their financial situation may qualify for off-campus employment authorization. Among the changes that may qualify a student for economic hardship authorization is unexpected loss of a scholarship, significant currency devaluation or large business loss by a financial sponsor. Students must be able to provide evidence of unforeseen economic hardship. For additional information, please see Economic Hardship Information.

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.

For more information, visit the Mayor's Volunteer Center website.

The CUNY/311 Project accepts applications for part-time employment from International students.

Both F-1 and J-1 students are eligible to work for the CUNY 311 project as "on-campus employment." As new hires, you will be processed through E-Verify to verify your identity and employment eligibility. You can be offered employment before you receive work authorization, but you are not allowed to work until work authorization is granted. Work authorization is granted by the Designated School Official (DSO), International Student Advisors Office, or authorized officer, including the Alternate Responsible Officer. Please note that the CUNY 311 Project will not provide work authorization.

In order to be hired and work for the Research Foundation, you should review Job Openings at Careers at RFCUNY and provide the documents needed for the job.

Hunter College International students in the following majors or programs in the following disciplines are encouraged to apply: Accounting, Anthropology, Community Health Education, Computer Sciences, Counseling, Economics, Educational Psychology, English, Foreign Languages, Geography, History, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics & Applied Math, Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL), Urban Affairs, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Women Studies.

Contact Career Development Services for applications.

For more information, please visit the CUNY 311 Project web page.