The information below will provide you with an introduction to how employment is defined by the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and the various categories of F-1 employment authorization that may be available to you.
Definition of Employment
Employment is defined as any type of work performed or services provided in exchange for money, tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, food, or any other compensation.
Some Notes of Caution
You should not assume that you are automatically eligible to work in the United States . USCIS considers unauthorized employment to be the most serious violation of your F-1 status. Please consult with your advisor in the HIO before accepting any employment. The HIO can help you with matters pertaining to applications for employment authorization.
On-Campus Employment Options
• On-Campus Employment
Work on the Harvard campus is permissible as soon as you are in F-1 status, though no sooner than 30 days prior to the start of classes. Acceptable employment includes: work required by a scholarship, assistantship or fellowship, work in the libraries, computer center, administrative offices, and work performed on Harvard's premises for an outside contractor or firm as long as the employer provides direct services to students (example: work for a food service company at Harvard). Employment is limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session, but may be full-time during Harvard's vacation periods.• On-Campus Employment at an off-Campus Location
USCIS has expanded the definition of on-campus employment to include jobs with employers that are educationally affiliated with Harvard University, provided that the job is associated with Harvard's curriculum or related to contractually funded research projects and provided that the job is an integral part of your academic program (For example, research work at one of Harvard's affiliated hospitals may be acceptable for graduate students in the sciences). Employment is limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session, but may be full-time during Harvard's vacation periods. Final permission is granted by your advisor in the HIO.
Off-Campus Employment Options
To apply for the F-1 off-campus employment options listed below, please make an appointment with your advisor in the HIO.
• Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
Under most circumstances to be eligible for this category you must have been in F-1 student status for one academic year. A job offer is required to be eligible to apply for CPT. While there is no limit to the length of time you may be employed in CPT; if you work for twelve months or more in full-time CPT, you automatically lose the eligibility for any optional practical training after completion of studies. CPT is defined as:• non-credit training that is required for all students in the degree program as part of the established curriculum (e.g. required internships as published in the school catalogue).
• training programs taken for academic credit which are an integral part of the established curriculum, but are not required (e.g. field study courses as published in the school catalogue).
• Optional Practical Training (OPT)
To be eligible for this category you must have been in F-1 student status for one academic year. A job offer is not required to be eligible to apply for OPT. You are eligible for a total of twelve months of full-time OPT. You 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 , but it must be directly related to your major field of studies.Any periods of OPT used before completion of studies will be deducted from the total twelve-month period available. For example, if you worked full-time for two months during a summer vacation, you would only have ten months of OPT available after graduation. You may become eligible for another twelve months of OPT when you change to a higher educational level.
For more information see Optional Practical Training .
• Internship with an International Organization
You are eligible for this category as soon as you are in F-1 status. There is no one-academic-year waiting period. If you are maintaining lawful F-1 status and are offered employment in the form of an internship by a "recognized" international organization, you may obtain permission to engage in this work. You must first obtain a written certification from the international organization about the proposed employment, and then apply to USCIS. Some examples of "recognized" international organizations include the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.• Employment Due to Severe Unforeseen Economic Hardship
To be eligible for this category you must have been in F-1 student status for one academic year (nine months). A job offer is not required to be eligible to apply for this category of work authorization. If the F-1 employment authorization opportunities listed above are not available or are otherwise insufficient, you may apply to USCIS for off-campus employment authorization based upon severe economic hardship caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond your control. For more information on this F-1 employment authorization category please speak to your advisor in the HIO. Statistically, it is very difficult to meet the criteria to qualify for this category of work authorization.
For more information see Curricular Practical Training .
Employment Eligibility Verification
Within the first three days of beginning work, you and your employer must complete a form entitled Employment Eligibility Verification (USCIS Form I-9), which will be kept by the employer. To complete an