Studying is an expensive ordeal that leads to earning money, right? You sweat throughout the process of paying fees and you start to wonder when you will get your reward which comes only when you get a job. In this process of worrying, you look for a part time job so that you can get some experience that will accompany your grades while applying for a job. Maybe you are studying in the US and you have no idea about part time jobs. Well, here are a few things international students need to know when they look for a part time job in America.
Most international students in the US have the F-1 visa. This allows you to work but only under certain conditions provided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service abbreviated as USCIS. Using your F-1 visa, you can work under certain employments such as on-campus employment and off-campus employment. Under off-campus employment you will work under categories such as optional practical training (OPT), curricular practical training (CPT), severe economic hardship, and approved international organizations.
For an on-campus employment, it does not require USCIS approval as it is the most freely permitted. The only limitation you may face is the one provided by your school. Often, the jobs you may get in school may not be very reliable financially and also they might not be related to your studies. You may also not get employment in your first year. Some schools will require that you obtain permission from the International Student Office. In short, you are subject to these rules; have valid F-1 status, work up to 20 hours a week, work fulltime on campus during holidays and the employment should not take a job away from a US citizen.
If you have a valid F-1 immigration status, you can work off-campus in optional practical training (OPT) status during and after completion of your degree. Here, unlike on-campus employment, rules by USCIS apply. Also authorization from your International Student Office is necessary. You can apply for this as soon as nine months into your study but you will be authorized to work after one year.
CPT is an off-campus employment, in which your work is an integral part of your academic program. In short, it is some sort of internship. Your job offer here must be in line with what you are studying and you should be authorized by USCIS and ISO.
These are the main types of employment but the others are severe economic hardship where you work for twenty hours during school session and full time when you are at break and the other is employment with an international organization. The organization must be on the official State Department list. When you look at this list, you are only eligible for employment when you are a student with a job offer or on sponsorship from one of the listed organizations. Under this type of employment, you can start to work after three months upon receiving an Employment Authorization Document from USCIS.