Severe Economic Hardship

For a very limited number of students, employment authorization may be obtained based on severe economic hardship. To qualify for this employment, you must have been in F-1 or J-1 status for at least one academic year and you must be able to document that employment is necessary due to severe economic hardship caused by circumstances beyond your control that arose after obtaining F-1 or J-1 status. You must obtain approval by USCIS (for F-1 students) or the RO (for J-1 students) prior to accepting employment under this provision.

If employment is granted:

• You are limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session.
• You can be full-time during official school breaks.
• You can be in any job (does not have to be related to course of study).
• It is granted in increments of one year at a time.
• Transferring to another school will terminate your employment authorization.  

Contact ISSS for more information about this employment option and details regarding the application process.