ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT
In the US, all F-1 and J-1 international students who are maintaining their immigration status may work on-campus for a maximum of 20 hours per week.
International students in F-1 or J-1 status currently have LIMITED work options available to them as a benefit of their F-1 or J-1 immigration status. However, there are very strict regulations regarding employment, especially concerning off-campus employment.
ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT
All international students are eligible to work on campus as part of their F-1 or J-1 immigration status as long as you meet the requirements of your F-1 or J-1 visa status (enrolled full-time, etc.). Students are limited by law to working a maximum of 20 hours per week during the semester, but may work on campus full-time (more than 20 hours per week) during breaks and holidays (Spring Break, summer vacation, etc.) If you do not meet the requirements of your F-1 or J-1 visa status, you will not be able to continue on-campus employment.
The maximum a student can earn by working 20 hours per week is approximately $2000 per semester before taxes are taken out. Although working on campus can provide money for some expenses, it can NOT be depended on to cover your educational costs.
How to find available jobs
At UCA, international students are eligible for employment known as 1501 positions. These are positions that are funded by the university and not funded by the US government. International students are NOT eligible for 1502 positions.
The Office of Career Services (Bernard Hall, 3rd floor) keeps a list of open positions. (Remember, you are only eligible for 1501 positions.) You may sign up for their e-mail list so that you can be notified if any positions become available. Please contact the Office of Career Services for more information about this.
The Office of Student Services provides a service where they will send out a student's contact information and let departments on campus know that a student is looking for a job, hours the student is available to work and any special qualifications that the student has. It is not guaranteed that you will find a job this way, but it is a free resource available to you. For more information regarding this services, please click here.
It is up to you to find a job on campus. In addition to checking with Career Services you should also visit departments on campus and ask if they have 1501 positions available and tell them that you would like to apply. For more information
If you submit an application to a department, but they don’t respond immediately, you should check back with them every few weeks or so to let them know you are still interested.
Here are a few departments that hire international students:
Aramark (Cafeteria and Food Court in the Student Center).
Reynolds Performing Arts Center
HPER Center
Academic Outreach/Continuing Education
**This list does not include every department with 1501 positions, but they will give you a place to start.**
OFF-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT
Off-campus employment options are very for international students. In order to work off-campus, permission must be granted by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). This permission can only be considered after you have been in the US in F-1 or J-1 status for a minimum of 9 months. This 9-month requirement is a law and can not be waived. There is an application process involved in receiving off-campus employment and it is not granted automatically. Be sure to come see Lisa Shoemake if you are considering off-campus employment.
DO NOT WORK OFF-CAMPUS WITHOUT SPECIFIC PERMISSION.
If you do, this is a violation of your visa status and you could be arrested and deported.