Office of International Affairs

F/J EMPLOYMENT

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS

This is a general overview for foreign nationals currently in F-1, J-1 and J-2 visa status. It will provide you with an introduction to how employment is defined by the U.S. Immigration Service and the various categories of employment authorization which may be available to you. This does not explain the various steps required in each application.

You should note that some applications may take at least 3 months to be approved. For detailed information about application procedures and eligibility requirements please speak to Connie Burk in the Office of International Affairs (OIA), 413 Hyman Building.

DEFINITION OF EMPLOYMENT

Immigration defines employment as any type of work performed or services provided in exchange for money, tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, food, or any other benefit.

Do not assume that you are automatically eligible to work in the U.S.  Immigration considers unauthorized employment to be the most serious violation of your status. Please consult with your adviser in the OIA before accepting any off-campus employment. The OIA can help you with matters pertaining to applications for employment authorization.

Be careful: volunteering in a position that would normally be paid is also considered employment. This could lead to Immigration finding you to have worked without authorization and, therefore, having violated your status.

Persons in J-1 status MUST always obtain written work authorization from their Responsible Officer before engaging in any employment, including on-campus work for students. Come to 211 Hyman for assistance.

Within the first three days of beginning work, you and your employer must complete a form entitled Employment Eligibility Verification (Immigration form I-9), which will be kept by the employer. You may need your passport and visa documents proving that you are authorized to be employed in the U.S. to complete the I-9 form. The I-9 must be updated each time you receive a renewal of your work permission, or if you change employers.

F-1/J-1 Students

J-1 Researchers

J-1 Alien Physicians

J-2 Dependents

Work on the UT Health Science Center campus is permissible as soon as you are a full-time enrolled F-1 or J-1 student at UT. Acceptable employment includes: work required by a scholarship, assistantship or fellowship, work in the library, computer center, administrative offices, and work performed on UT’s premises for an outside contractor or firm as long as that employer provides direct services to students (example: work for a food service company at UT). Employment is limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session, but may be full-time during vacation periods. J-1 students must have written authorization from the Responsible Officer, 211 Hyman.

Immigration has expanded the definition of on-campus employment to include jobs with employers that are educationally affiliated with UT Health Science Center, provided that the job is associated with UT’s curriculum or related to contractually-funded research projects and provided that the job is an integral part of your academic program (example: research work at one of UT’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 vacation periods.

Please consult the International Student Adviser in the OIA if you are not sure the employment will qualify as on-campus. 

F-1 OFF-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS

Under most circumstances, to be eligible for this category, you must have been lawfully enrolled as a full-time student for one academic year and be in F-1 status at the time of application.  A job offer is required to be eligible to apply for Curricular Practical Training. While there is no limit to the length of time you may be employed in Curricular Practical Training, any student who works for twelve months or more in full-time training automatically loses the right to any Optional Practical Training after completion of studies. (For more information on this F-1 employment authorization category, see the Curricular Practical Training handout available at the OIA.)

Curricular Practical Training is defined as:

• 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 catalog), OR

• 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 catalog or practicum classes).

To be eligible for this category you must be in F-1 student status.  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 during summer vacation periods prior to graduation. You must first obtain a written certification from the international organization about the proposed employment, and then apply to the Immigration Service. Some examples of "recognized" international organizations include the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

To be eligible for this category you must have been lawfully enrolled as a full-time student for one academic year and be in F-1 status at the time of application.  A job offer is not required to be eligible to apply for Optional Practical Training. You are eligible for a total of twelve months of full-time Optional Practical Training for each higher degree level as an F-1 student.  The "option" is that you (1) may apply for periods of practical training before completion of studies, (2) save the total twelve-month period to be used after completion of studies, or (3) use a combination of both.  Such employment may be full time or part time, and it may take place at any location in the U.S., but it must be directly related to your major field of study.  Its purpose is to round out or complement your studies.  You must apply for Optional Practical Training before completion of studies.

Any periods of Optional Practical Training 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 practical training available after graduation. (For more information, see the Optional Practical Training handout available at the OIA.)

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 this category of work authorization. If other F-1 employment authorization opportunities listed here are not available or are otherwise insufficient, you may apply to the Immigration Service for off-campus employment authorization based upon "severe economic hardship caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond the student’s control." You must have experienced a significant change in funding available to you in order to apply. You may only work 20 hours per week while school is in session; full time during breaks and your annual vacation.

To be eligible for this category of employment, you must be a full-time J-1 student in good standing. You must show proof in writing to your Responsible Officer (RO) of serious and urgent financial need which was unforeseen when you enrolled in school. If your RO agrees that you may work, you must obtain a job offer. The RO will then authorize employment with that specific employer in writing, and you may begin working. You may only work 20 hours per week while school is in session; full time during breaks and your annual vacation.

Academic Training is available to J-1 students for a total of 18 months or the length of time that you have been a student, whichever is less. For students who receive a doctorate, the total maximum Academic Training is 36 months. You may use Academic Training before and after completion of your studies. If the employment is a degree requirement (such as an internship), the time used will not count against your total for Academic Training.

Before completion of studies:
Any Academic Training used before completion of studies is deducted from your total amount of time. You must have a job offer within your field of study to qualify for Academic Training and should consult your Responsible Officer (RO) to discuss whether the employment is appropriate. If the RO approves the employment, you will get written authorization to work for that specific employer.

After completion of studies:
To use Academic Training after completion of studies, you must obtain a job offer in your field of study and then get employment authorization from your RO within 30 days after completion of studies. You may then work only for that specific employer. If you want to change employers, you must contact your RO with a new job offer to obtain a new written employment authorization prior to starting work.

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Persons in Research Scholar or Short-Term Scholar categories may work at the location of their sponsor or designated school/institution indicated on their DS-2019 form in activities that are part of the research program.

Research Scholars and Short-term Scholars may also engage in occasional lectures, seminars or consultations with other institutions provided the RO has approved such off-campus employment in advance. If such employment has not been approved by the RO in advance, the J-1 scholar may be out of legal immigration status.

Always discuss such off-campus employment with your RO first.

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J-1 Physicians (clinical fellows or medical residents) may only work at the location(s) approved by ECFMG on form DS-2019. For more information, check with the Office of Graduate Medical Education at UT Health Science Center.

No moonlighting or additional employment is allowed.

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J-2 dependents may work in the U.S. once they have obtained an Employment Authorization Document from the Immigration Service. To apply for this work authorization, click here.

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