Severe Economic Hardship

USCIS makes case-by-case decisions for off-campus employment for students who can show that new, unexpected circumstances beyond their control have created severe economic hardship. These may include the following: 

• Emergent Circumstances, which are world events that affect a specific group of F-1 students and cause them to suffer severe economic hardship, including, but not limited to, natural disasters, wars and military conflicts, and national or international financial crises.

• Loss of financial aid or on-campus employment (if the student is not at fault)

• Large increases in tuition or living costs

• Substantial decrease in the relative value of currency the student depends upon to pay expenses

• Unexpected changes in the financial conditions for a student's sources of financial support

• Unexpectedly large medical bills not covered by insurance

• Other substantial, unexpected expenses

Students who receive this type of work authorization are able to work for a job outside of their study. 

Some additional eligibility requirements include:

• You must be enrolled for at least one academic year

• You must be in status and in good academic standing 

• You are unable to get on-campus employment, or the pay from available on-campus employment must be insufficient to meet financial needs.

• Your DSO has provided you with a Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status," endorsed to that effect.

• File Form I-765 – Submit the "Application for Employment Authorization" to USCIS.

• Pay the required fee – A processing fee must be paid to USCIS.

• File within 30 days – The application must be submitted within 30 days of the DSO endorses the Form I-20.

• Receive approval – If USCIS approves the application, the student will receive a Form I-766, Form I-766, "Employment Authorization Document,(EAD).

• Begin working – The student can start working upon receiving the EAD.

• Validity period – Approval for off-campus employment is valid for one year.

• Reapply if needed – If the student needs to continue working off-campus, they must reapply.

All this information is provided by UCIE. For more details, please refer to UCIE F-1 Employment