Work Permission: On-Campus Employment (F-1 and J-1)

As long as you are a full-time student in your university, you can work at an on-campus job without any authorization from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). On-campus employment includes jobs in the library, in academic departments, or in administrative offices, among other things. These jobs are equivalent to a student fellowship, assistantship grant, or post-doctoral research for which the student is paid directly by the school.

Recently, the INS expanded its definition of on-campus employment to include off-campus locations, when they are educationally affiliated with the curriculum, and contract-based educational affiliations (this is more relevant for graduate students). For example, your professor may receive funding support from a company and hire you to assist in his or her research, which is therefore directly related to your studies.

Eligibility requirements

• You may not work more than 20 hours per week.
• You must be taking full-time course work (or the equivalent).
• You are allowed to work full-time during summer vacations or school breaks if you are registered for the next semester or quarter.