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The requires all F-1 students requesting an SSN for general on-campus employment to provide an official letter on school letterhead from the DSO confirming the student have been hired for on-campus employment. This letter must also include the student’s detailed information and eligibility requirements.
To request the official letter from the OISPS, students are required to submit the following:
Before working, the student must ...
Important Characteristics:
Students wishing to apply for employment based on economic hardship must complete the Economic Hardship application and submit to the OISPS with supporting documents.
F-1 Address Notification Form | Student Letter for Petition |
The I-765 must include the following notations:
You will need to receive an endorsed I-20 from our office before filing your application with USCIS. With the above documents ready, complete our office's Economic Hardship Form Request here so that we may review your situation and eligibility. You will need to include scanned copies of the documents requested, as well as of your latest passport bio pages, visa pages, and most recent I-94.
If approved, OISPS will generate the I-20 you will include with your USCIS packet for filing. Student will be responsible for direct filing and payment to USCIS. .
The H-1B work visa is an employer-sponsored application submitted by the employer on your behalf. To begin the process of applying for H-1B and becoming eligible for an extension of OPT, you must first speak to your employer.
The H-1B Cap is the congressionally-mandated limit on the number of individuals who may be granted initial H-1B status during each fiscal year. The cap is currently set at 65,000 plus 20,000 more for those with higher degrees (U.S. Master's degree or higher). Employees who will work at institutions of higher education or a related or affiliated nonprofit entities, or at nonprofit research organizations or governmental research organizations, are exempt from the fiscal year cap.
The H-1B Fiscal Year for Cap-Subject employers runs from October 1st to September 30th each year. An F-1 student graduating in the Spring Semester with a standard 12 months of post-completion OPT will find that their work authorization will expire in June or July one year after graduation, leaving a gap in work authorization until October 1st when H-1B status can begin.
Date |
Significance |
April 1 |
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Between April 1 and September 30 |
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September 30 |
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October 1 |
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The Cap Gap Extension of OPT through September 30th of the current year is granted if an H-1B petition has been filed by a Cap-Subject employer before the current period of OPT expires. The first day to file for H-1B is April 1st. H-1B must be filed between April 1st and before the expiration of your OPT.
If your OPT expires before April 1st and you are in a valid 60-day grace period on the first day to file an H-1B petition, your legal status to remain in the U.S. is extended to October 1st, but you are not eligible to work for this gap period.
On April 3, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security published a notice in the Federal Register to provide special student relief (SSR) benefits to F-1 students from Syria who are “experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of civil unrest” in that country.
Before a student begins the application process for special student relief, the DSO must ascertain whether the student meets the basic eligibility requirements as specified in the SSR Federal Register notice. Under the April 3, 2012 notice for Syrian F-1 students, a student must:
The Special Student Relief notice for Syrian F-1 students suspends the following requirements regarding off-campus employment:
Note: A student must receive the EAD from USCIS prior to beginning off-campus work under the special student relief notice.
May 19, 2011 Notice granting special student relief to students from Libya. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced special relief for certain F-1 Libyan students who have suffered severe economic hardship as a direct result of the civil unrest in Libya since February 2011. This relief applies only to students who were lawfully present in the United States in F-1 status on February1 2011, and enrolled in an institution that ICE’s Student and Exchange visitor Program has certified.
Before a student begins the application process for special student relief, the DSO must ascertain whether the student meets the basic eligibility requirements as specified in the Special Student Relief Federal Register notice. Under the June 10, 2011 notice for Libyan F-1 students, a student must: