F Visa

Off-Campus Employment Options

Applications for F-1 off-campus employment options listed below require an appointment or consultation with the student's advisor in the HIO.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
Under most circumstances, eligibility for this category requires that students be in F-1 student status for one academic year. A job offer is also required. The employment must constitute an integral part of an established curriculum, e.g. required internships as published in the school catalogue. While there is no limit to the length of time students may be employed using CPT, students who work for twelve months or more using full-time CPT automatically lose the eligibility for any Optional Practical Training (OPT) after completion of studies. For more information see Curricular Practical Training.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Eligibility for this category requires that students be in F-1 student status for one academic year. A job offer is NOT required in order to apply, however the employment must be directly related to the student's field of study. Students are allowed a total of twelve months of full-time OPT per degree level. They may apply for periods of OPT before completion of studies, save the total twelve-month period to be used after completion of studies, or use a combination of both. Such employment may be full-time or part-time, and it may take place at any location in the United States.

Any periods of OPT used before completion of studies will be deducted from the total twelve-month period available. For example, if students worked full-time for two months during a summer vacation, they would only have ten months of OPT available after graduation. They may become eligible for another twelve months of OPT when they change to a higher educational level. For more information see F-1 Employment Permission.

Internship with an International Organization
Students are eligible for this category as soon as they are in F-1 status; there is no one-academic-year waiting period. An offer of employment in the form of an internship with a "recognized" international organization is required. Some examples of "recognized" international organizations include the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. For more information consult the HIO.

Employment Due to Severe Unforeseen Economic Hardship
Eligibility for this category requires that students be in F-1 student status for one academic year. A job offer is NOT required to apply for this form of employment authorization, however, the student's HIO advisor must certify that the F-1 employment authorization opportunities listed above are not available or otherwise insufficient. Students must prove to USCIS that they have incurred severe economic hardship caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond their control. Statistically, it is very difficult to meet the criteria to qualify for this category of work authorization.