Off Campus Employment

International students are not allowed to work off campus without authorization from the Department of Homeland Security.

F-1 and J-1 students are typically only allowed to work off campus if they have experience severe economic hardship.

However, F-1 students can also be eligible for off-campus work under the sponsorship of an international organization.

Severe Economic Hardship

If you are an F-1 or J-1 student and have experienced an unforeseen economic hardship during your stay, you may be able to get authorization for off-campus employment. It is up to the UC International to initially determine the legitimacy of the request. Typically, we will consider factors including:

  • Loss of on-campus employment
  • Unexpected loss of a scholarship
  • Serious currency devaluation (when the funds come from abroad)
  • Excessive tuition and fee increases
  • Medical bills
  • Burglary or robbery (with a police report)
  • Substantial increases in living costs
  • Disruption of a sponsor’s income
  • Death of a sponsor

If we determine that your situation is a legitimate and unforeseen economic hardship, we can recommend to the DHS that you are granted employment authorization by attaching evidence of the hardship. You will need to:

  1. Fill out a Request for Severe Economic Hardship Employment Authorization form.
  2. Set up an appointment with our office by calling 513-556-4278.
  3. Bring all the documents listed in the form to your appointment.

If granted, the employment authorization is valid for part-time employment (20 hours a week or less while school is in session) and full time during scheduled breaks.

Off Campus Employment

Special Student Relief is enacted by the Department of Homeland Security when there is severe unrest or natural disasters that have affected specific countries. This “special” work category allows international students to apply for full-time off-campus work permits and enroll part time.

Currently, special student relief exists for specific countries:

  • Afghanistan
  • Burma
  • Cameroon
  • Ethiopia
  • Haiti
  • Hong Kong 
  • Lebanon
  • Palestinian Territories
  • Somalia
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Ukraine
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen

 

Learn more via SEVIS and contact our office if you want to pursue this work classification.

Questions + Application Process

You have “severe economic need” if your amount of funding has been greatly reduced due to the economic crisis in the above-listed countries, and you have documentation to support this claim in the form of a written statement, a certification from a family member, or other supporting documents.

You do not qualify for this special employment authorization if you are funded by the university or a sponsor whose funding is not based in or affected by the events in one of the listed countries.

  1. You may obtain on or off-campus employment authorization, including authorization to work more than 20 hours per week during the academic year.
  2. You are able to ask for permission for part-time enrollment IF you are unable to be a full-time student because of work requirements.

No, you can only drop below full-time enrollment if you need to work more than the usual 20 hours per week during the academic year. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has allowed the part-time enrollment because of the commitment of working more hours, and not for any other reason.

USCIS is allowing students who are working more than 20 hours a week to take as few as 6 credit hours if undergraduate, and 3 credit hours if graduate.

Special student relief measures will remain in place until:

  • February 5, 2025 for Hong Kong
  • April 19, 2025 for Sudan and Ukraine
  • May 3, 2025 for South Sudan
  • May 20, 2025 for Afghanistan
  • June 7, 2025 Cameroon
  • August 13, 2025 for Palestine
  • September 10, 2025 for Venezuela
  • September 30, 2025 for Syria
  • Nov. 25, 2025 for Burma (Myanmar)
  • December 12, 2025 for Ethiopia
  • January 25, 2026 for Lebanon
  • February 3, 2026 for Haiti
  • March 3, 2026 for Yemen
  • March 17, 2026 for Somalia

On-campus employment is authorized by UC International Services; whereas off-campus employment needs to be authorized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and will probably take 90-120 days to process.

The off-campus application also includes a $410.00 fee to the USCIS. Generally, it is much less trouble to work on-campus if there is an opportunity.

During the summer, you’re automatically eligible for up to full-time on-campus employment without authorization from UC International Services. In August, contact our office about applying for a continuation of more than 20 hours per week on-campus employment for the fall semester. Your I-20 has to be endorsed by UC International Services to work full-time once school is in session.

Complete the forms as indicated in our work permission packet and scan and email them to Ron Cushing at cushinrb@ucmail.uc.edu for review. Ultimately, the documents will be sent to USCIS for approval.

You must scan and email the following documents to UC International Services:

  • Documentation of reason for severe economic hardship
  • Bank statement
  • Listing of monthly expenses and income
  • Copies of current I-20, Passport and I-94 card
  • Completed I-765 Form
  • A check for $410.00 made out to “Department of Homeland Security” or the G-1450 Credit Card Transaction form. If you can’t afford the application fee, you can complete and submit the USCIS form I-912 Request for Fee Waiver, but there is no guarantee USCIS will waive the fee.
  • 2 passport style photos. Photos must include the following: color photos with a white background taken no earlier than 30 days before submission to the USCIS; photos should be un-mounted; printed on thin paper; glossy; and unretouched. The photos should show the front of your face, in passport style. Your head should be bare unless you are wearing a headdress as required by a religious order. Lightly print your name and your A#, if known, on the back of each photo with a pencil. PHOTOS MUST MEET THESE SPECIFICATIONS.

Once we have reviewed your documents and determined your eligibility, you will be contacted by UC International Services with further instructions. The entire package will be mailed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If approved, a copy of your Employment Authorization Document must be supplied to UC International Services.

F-1 Student Employment with an International Organization

A special situation exists for F-1 students who have been offered employment under the sponsorship of an international organization, as defined by the International Organization Immunities Act. A student seeking permission to work for such an organization makes an application to the Department of Homeland Security by submitting:

  1. A written certification from the organization that the proposed employment is within the scope of the organization’s sponsorship.
  2. A Form I-20 ID endorsed for employment in SEVIS by UC International within the last 30 days.
  3. A completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with the fee required.

If you believe that your off-campus job fits this circumstance, make an appointment with our office to get your I-20 endorsed.