F-1 Student Employment:
F-1 students at IU may work on campus up to 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters, and they may work on campus full-time during the summer and university vacation periods. F-1 students are not eligible for federal work-study employment. Before beginning work, they should obtain authorization from the international office on campus. This authorization must be renewed periodically according to the policies of the campus international office.
IU Associate Instructors on F-1 visas generally do not need to seek authorization from the international office to assume their associate instructorship. They do need to seek authorization if their employment will exceed 50% FTE.
F-1 students who wish to work more than 20 hours per week or to work off campus must obtain special permission. This permission may be granted only under strictly defined guidelines. All such permission requires review by the campus international office.
F-1 students may be able to obtain authorization for off-campus work in their field of study. The type of work authorization will be either curricular practical training or optional practical training.
Curricular practical training (CPT) is work that contributes to a specific course or other academic requirement. If the international office gives authorization it is noted on the back of the student's I-20. Students will need to consult with the foreign student advisor and the academic advisor in order to determine whether the job fits the requirements for curricular practical training.
Optional practical training (OPT) also is work in the student's field of study. However, the work does not have to contribute to a course or other academic requirement. Students usually choose to do their optional practical training after they have completed their degree, however, it may be done during the summer or at other times. The total time F-1 students engage in optional practical training may not exceed 12 months. Students must obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) before beginning employment. The campus international office will assist with the application, which requires, among other things, a fingerprint, two photographs, and an application fee of $100. Students may have to wait several months for their EAD and they may not begin employment until they receive the authorization. Students wishing to undertake optional practical training should consult with the international office several months before they plan to begin work.
J-1 Student Employment:
The sponsor for a J-1 student is the institution or organization that provides the DS-2019 immigration document that the student used to obtain the J-1 visa. Some J-1 students come to IU with sponsorship from another organization. J-1 students must get written permission from their sponsors before engaging in any kind of employment. The international office can authorize qualified IU-sponsored students to work and can advise students with outside sponsors on how to contact their sponsor to request work authorization.
J-1 students at IU may generally be authorized to work on campus up to 20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters and full-time during university vacation periods and the summer. They must continue a full course of study (in fall and spring semesters) while working.
In addition to on-campus part-time work, J-1 students may be authorized for academic training. This work may be on or off campus. It may be undertaken before the student has completed a course of study or after. The total length of time a J-1 student may engage in academic training is eighteen months or the number of months that student has spent enrolled in courses during the active J-1 visa status. If a J-1 student enrolls in courses and completes one academic year only, then that student may be authorized for academic training up to nine months. A J-1 student who completes a doctorate may have up to three years of academic training as a postdoctoral fellow. The student's sponsor must authorize each period of academic training in advance.
All J-1 students who are paid as university employees or independent contractors must be prepared to provide verification of their work authorization once every year that they are present at IU. IU grants work authorization to its sponsored students for one semester at a time. Associate Instructors may be authorized for up to one year at a time.
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