International students must have authorization prior to beginning work off campus. There are four types of off campus employment for which international students may be eligible.
The table at the bottom of this page describes the types of employment and the eligibility criteria you must meet in order to make an application. Any application for off-campus work authorization must be reviewed by the ISSS office first. Please review the links below for more details about each type of off-campus work authorization and how to apply.
For all USCIS work authorization processing times (excluding CPT), please visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. In the “Form” drop-down list, choose I-765 (“Application for Employment Authorization”), and in the “Field Office or Service Center” drop-down list, select “Potomac Service Center.”
Note: If you fail to maintain your F-1 status, your employment will be automatically terminated and you would not be eligible for off-campus employment again until you have regained F-1 status and have maintained it for at least one academic year (a fall and spring semester).
Differences Between Types of Employment
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) | Optional Practical Training (OPT) | Employment Due to Economic Hardship | Employment Under the Sponsorship of a Qualifying International Organization | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Must have studied in full-time status: | 1 academic year (a fall and spring semester) | 1 academic year (a fall and spring semester) | 1 academic year (a fall and spring semester) | None |
Employment must be related to field of study: | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Authorization granted by: | ISSS | USCIS | USCIS | USCIS |
Application fee: | No, but you may have to pay the costs of an internship course | Yes (see: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765) | Yes (see: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765) | Yes (see: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765) |
Requires a job offer: | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Purpose: | To fulfill an internship requirement of your academic program. | To gain employment experience and hands-on training in your field of study | You are experiencing an unforseen economic hardship and wish to gain employment to assist with the costs of your program. | To do an internship with a public international organization that falls within the International Organization Immunities Act. |
Processing time: | 5-7 business days | Processing times vary, usually 2-5 months (see link above) | Processing times vary, usually 2-5 months (see link above) | Processing times vary, usually 2-5 months (see link above) |
Provisions: | Employment must be fulfilling a requirement for your major degree | None | Can be granted 1 year at a time, can only be granted while you are a current student. | Employment must be under the sponsorship of an international organization. |