If employment opportunities are not available on campus and an F-1 student is experiencing severe economic hardship due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control after obtaining F-1 status, they may apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to request an off-campus employment authorization.
F-1 students may only apply for this benefit if they have been in lawful F-1 status for at least a full academic year, and the employment authorization from USCIS is granted in one-year increments at a time. This employment authorization does not permit more than 20 hours of work off-campus per week during the academic year and does not reduce the available hours for on-campus employment or future practical training eligibility.
Note: F-1 students may not work off-campus until the EAD has been received from USCIS. Processing times vary. See USCIS processing times.
Guidance on eligibility and the USCIS application process for requesting off-campus work authorization for economic hardship should be provided by an immigration attorney. If students have questions, please contact an immigration attorney or Student Legal Services at 614-247-5853.
If you need to request the necessary I-20 with the recommendation for off-campus employment to include with your application to USCIS, please contact an immigration coordinator at iss@osu.edu or schedule an advising appointment.
Section 1: Employment guidelines
- This authorization allows students to work off-campus up to 20 hours per week when classes are in session and over 20 hours per week (full-time) during semester breaks
- Employment is not required to be related to their course of study
- An offer of employment is not required to apply
- Use of this category of employment does not count towards the 20-hour on-campus maximum, nor does it affect eligibility for practical training
- Students using this authorization must still be registered as full-time
- Work authorization will end if a student transfers schools
Section 2: Application procedure
Bring the following to the Office of International Affairs:
- Completed Form I-765
- Current I-20 Form
After reviewing the materials listed above, an immigration coordinator at the Office of International Affairs will recommend to USCIS that employment authorization should be granted by certifying through the SEVIS system and that the student has made a good faith effort to locate on-campus employment. A new I-20 form containing this recommendation will be available in two to three days. Note: Students may not work off-campus until the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) has been received from USCIS. This process normally takes between 90-120 days to complete.
The student must mail the following to USCIS to obtain the EAD:
- Completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
- Processing fee (personal check made out to USCIS) – view the current fee amount
- Two photos with white background (see instructions in Part 3, Required Documentation of Form I-765)
- Copies of all previous I-20 forms
- Copies of both sides of Form I-94
- Letter describing the unforeseen economic hardship (if possible, attach additional documentation) and explain why other employment options are unavailable or insufficient (see instructions in Part 2, Eligibility Requirements: Foreign Students)
- Copies of pages of the passport that include the picture, biographical information and expiration date
- If applying for renewal of work authorization, the student must include photocopies of all previously issued EADs