Employment for F-1 Students
The Office of International Programs has recently implemented a new International Student and Scholar Portal. You can now submit all OIP request forms online via the OIP's International Student and Scholar (ISS) Portal below. To access the ISS Portal, login with your Seton Hall Credentials.
International Student and Scholar Portal
On-Campus Employment
On-campus employment is work that F-1 students whose status is Active in SEVIS may apply for. On-campus employment is specific to work that takes place on campus or at an off-campus location that is educationally affiliated with the school. Examples of on-campus employment include working at a university bookstore or cafeteria.
Students in F-1 status may work up to 20 hours per week on campus while enrolled in a full course of study (12 credits for undergraduates, 9 credits for graduate students, 3 credits for PhD students working on dissertation) and otherwise maintaining status. You may only work on the campus having jurisdiction over your SEVIS record. As a full-time student, on-campus employment is "incident to your F-1 status", which means you do not need permission to work on-campus up to 20 hours per week. You will need to show your employer documents which establish your identification and employment eligibility, as listed on the I-9 form that all new employees must complete. There is no exception to the 20 hour per-week maximum, even if the employment is a teaching or project assistantship. On-campus employment may exceed 20 hours per week during vacation periods (winter, spring, and summer breaks) for students who have maintained full-time status before the vacation and intend to register for the following semester.
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- F-1 Students are eligible for Departmentally funded on campus jobs. If the job posting does not specify how the income is funded please contact the office hiring for that position.
- To request an OIP On-Campus Employment Verification Letter (SSN Letter) to apply for a social security number, please submit a Letter Request Form via the International Student and Scholar Portal. More information regarding on-campus employment, please click Employment for F-1 Students button below to find out more.
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If you would like to search for on campus employment, please click here.
Working Off Campus
To explore, prepare, and achieve your career goals, the Seton Hall University Career Center offers a variety of resources and assistance to students. We strongly encourage you to take a look at the Career Center Internship and Job Search webpage for more information.
Eligibility to apply for a work authorization to work off campus, an F-1 student must enroll full time for one academic year at the higher education level. Work authorization options to work off campus are below.
- Curricular Practical Training (CPT): work authorization allows F-1 student to accept off-campus employment as part of the curriculum to student's degree program. Typically, students are required to register for internship class with academic department in order to apply for CPT. The Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States states, "CPT is only available for F-1 students when it is part of an established curriculum within a school. CPT must be integral to your program of study; ........, CPT can be full time and is not restricted by a weekly 20-hour work limit."
CPT is defined as alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship that sponsoring employers offer through cooperative agreements with the university. You will need authorization from OIP for this type of practical training. If you are authorized for one year or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training, you will not be eligible for post-degree Optional Practical Training.
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- To submit a CPT request, students should first obtain an internship and then discuss with academic advisor to obtain approval. Undergraduate students, you must also discuss the internship opportunity with your career advisor at the Seton Hall Career Center.
- After you are are approved to register for an internship class, please submit a CPT Request through the International Student and Scholars Portal.
- Students who work more than 12 months of Full Time CPT will not be eligible to apply for OPT.
- If you are a PhD student working on thesis/dissertation, please reach out to OIP for CPT options by emailing [email protected].
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- Optional Practical Training (OPT): 12 months employment authorization that is directly related to your major of study.
OPT allows you to accept employment in your field of study, part or full-time. The
total amount of time that you can work under optional practical training is 12 months,
full-time. OPT may be done during specific times before you graduate, Pre-Completion
OPT, or after you graduate, Post-Completion OPT.
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- In order to apply for OPT, you must first request an OPT Recommendation I-20 from OIP via the International Student and Scholar Portal. Please allow OIP 5 working days to process the OPT I-20 before sending your I-765 OPT application to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to obtain the Employment Authorization Document (EAD Card).
- After you receive the OPT Recommendation I-20 from OIP, you will need to submit an I-765 OPT application with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Tips on how to file an I-765 OPT application, see link below.
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- To be authorized for Optional Practical Training, OIP recommends you apply several months in advance of your proposed employment. Do not leave the U.S. after your program completion date if you wish to apply for Post-Completion OPT. You must be present in the U.S. at the time of filing.
STEM OPT: F-1 students who completed a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in select government-designated science,
technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields and are currently working with post-completion OPT
may apply for the STEM extension of 24 months of additional employment if they have
a job or job offer from
an E-Verify employer and meet all the required criteria. You can confirm if your academic
program is
classified as a STEM field by checking the 6 digit Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code assigned to your academic program. To find out if you are eligible for STEM OPT,
please check the major CIP code that’s listed on your I-20.
Off-campus work due to serious economic necessity: The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can authorize this kind of work permission when a student has fully documented severe economic hardship arising after arrival in the US or changing to F-1 status. Please reach out to OIP fo further guidance you feel you fall under this category.
Questions?