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F-1 Employment based on Economic Hardship

GENERAL INFORMATION

If employment opportunities are not available or are otherwise insufficient (i.e., on campus employment), and a student is experiencing economic hardship due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control, the student may apply to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for an off-campus work permit after having been in lawful F-1 status for at least one academic year. CIS requires that the student make a "good faith effort" to locate employment on campus before applying for employment based on economic hardship.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Part #1: Make an appointment with an adviser and bring the following to OISS:

1. completed Form I-765 (available at OISS);
2. supporting documentation which verifies the economic hardship (i.e., letter from home, documentation which verifies significant fluctuations in rate of currency exchange, copies of medical bills, etc.);
3. Form I-20;
4. Passport and Form I-94; and
5. Two (2) passport photos (see item 7. in Part #2 below).

After reviewing the material listed above, an adviser at OISS will recommend to CIS that employment authorization be granted.

Part #2: The student must then send the documents listed below by certified mail with return receipt to:

USCIS Service Center
P.O. Box 87765
Lincoln, NE 68501-7765

Mail the following documents to the address above:

1. Completed Form I-765;
2. Supporting documentation (see #3 above);
3. Photocopy of original Form I-20;
4. Photocopy of Form I-94 (front and back);
5. Check or money order in the amount of $340.00 made payable to the Department of Homeland Security;
6. Photocopy of "data" pages in passport (clear copy of passport and/or visa photo required);
7. Two (2) photos with a white background taken no earlier than 30 days before submission to the CIS. They should be unmounted; printed on thin paper; glossy; and unretouched. The photos should show a three-quarter front profile of the right side of your face, with your right ear visible. Your head should be bare unless you are wearing a headdress as required by a religious order to which you belong. The photos should not be larger than 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches, with the distance from the top of the head to just below the chin about 1 ¼ inches. Lightly print your name on the back of each photo with a pencil.

Students who provide suitable identification (i.e., photo and bio page of passport, new visa stamp with photo or previous EAD with photo) will have the EAD returned by mail to the address given on Form I-765. In cases where the CIS is not able to make an accurate identity match, the EAD will be sent to the CIS Port Huron or Detroit office for pick-up. A notice will be sent to the student.

Part #3: Submit a photocopy of your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to OISS. CIS regulations require that a copy of this document be kept in your file. Please do not forget this step.