A Social Security Number (SSN) is generally assigned to people who are authorized to work in the United States. Social Security numbers are used to report your wages to the government and to determine eligibility for Social Security benefits. The US Social Security Administration will not assign you a number just to enroll in a college of university.

All individuals must have a social security card and number before employment. F-1 Students and J-1/J-2 Exchange Visitors currently maintaining their status may apply for a social security card by submitting the Social Security Request form to the Office of International Student Programs and Services (OISPS).

The Social Security Administration 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:

• Social Security Request form (Form required)
• Official letter from the employer indicating the student has been hired for on-campus employment. The letter must include the following information:
  • Student’s full name as printed on the SEVIS form I-20
  • Employment position
  • Estimated start date
  • Number of hours/week
  • Employer contact information, including:
    
    • – Department name
    • - Building, room number, etc., student’s employment location
    • - Department address
    • - Employer identification number (EIN)
    • - Employer Telephone
    • - Student’s Immediate Supervisor Name
    • - Employer’s signature, title, and date

Note:  Students are required to wait until they have been in the United States for at least 10 calendar days and have reported into school before applying for a Social Security number. This will help ensure SSA can verify your immigration status with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

For additional information, refer to Social Security Administration web site at: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10181.html

This F-1 employment benefit is intended to address situations where a financial need beyond the student’s control arises, which is unforeseen at the time the student applied to the school he/she is currently attending and after all other potential employment opportunities have proven to be insufficient.

Examples of unforeseen economic hardship include:

• Loss of financial aid or on-campus employment without fault on the part of the student
• Substantial fluctuations in the value of currency or exchange rate
• Inordinate increases in tuition and/ or living costs
• Unexpected changes in the financial condition of the student’s source of support
• Medical bills or other substantial and unexpected expenses

Before working, the student must ...

1. have been in F-1 status for one full academic year;
2. be in good standing as a student;
3. be carrying a full course of study;
4. ensure allowance of employment will not interfere with your carrying a full course of study;
5. ensure the employment is necessary to avoid severe economic hardship due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the student's control; and
6. ensure On-campus employment is unavailable or is not sufficient to meet the needs that have arisen due to the unforeseen circumstances.

Important Characteristics:

• Granted by USCIS in increments of one year at a time; authorization ends if a student transfers schools
• Limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session; can be full-time during official school breaks
• Can be any job.  Does not have to be related to course of study
• Use of this employment category does not count towards the 20-hour on-campus maximum, nor does it affect eligibility for practical training.
• Student must directly apply for EAD card from USCIS after DSO updates SEVIS with the economic hardship recommendation.

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

USCIS' I-765 Form

 

 The I-765 must include the following notations:

1. Part 1, Question 1: Check the first box ("Initial permission to accept employment")
2. Part 2, Question 5: Use the OISPS address: P.O. Box 10263, Beaumont, TX 77710.
3. Part 2, Question 21.a: Number from your online I-94 record.  
4. Part 2, Question 27: Eligibility code: (c)(3)(iii)

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. Students will need to review the latest information and instructions directly from USCIS on their website here.

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	Cap gap season begins. First date cap gap extension can display on a student record in SEVIS.
Between April 1 and September 30	SEVIS adds a cap gap extension to records after getting data from USCIS that an H-1B petition is pending or approved DSOs can contact the SEVP Response Center to have a cap gap extension added to student records
September 30	Cap gap season ends.
October 1	Government's new fiscal year begins. Change of status to H-1B takes effect if October 1 date was requested.

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.

• Work authorization on Cap Gap is valid until September 30th unless the H-1B petition is denied, withdrawn or revoked.
• Evidence of work authorization for the extended period is reflected on a new I-20.
• There will be no new EAD card issued for Cap Gap Extension. OISPS will be able to provide you with an updated I-20 if you notify us and provide evidence of a timely filed H-1B petition (receipt or approval notice) by completing the Cap-Gap Extension I-20 Request Form.

  
Travel is NOT advised during the Cap Gap period.

Federal regulations allow DHS to suspend or alter rules regarding duration of status, full course of study, and employment eligibility, for specific groups of students from parts of the world that are experiencing emergent circumstances. This collection of benefits is known as "special student relief."

The regulatory provisions are generic, and are activated only when DHS makes a finding of emergent circumstances, and publishes a notice in the Federal Register to define the specifics of what is to be suspended, and for whom, and the procedures for how to apply for any benefits that result from the suspension.

The benefits can be understood as a "package" consisting of on- or off-campus work authorization and authorization to reduce the student course load. The reduced course load benefit is only available to students who acquire work authorization through the notice, and is not available separately.

Four notices of suspension have been published to date:

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. 

Eligibility Requirements for Syrian Students

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:

• Be a citizen of Syria;
• Have been lawfully present in the United States in F-1 nonimmigrant status on April 3, 2012;
• Be currently enrolled in an institution certified by SEVP for the enrollment of F-1 students;
• Be currently maintaining F-1 status; and
• Be experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the civil unrest in Syria since March, 2011.

F-1 Requirement Suspension due to Student Special Relief Notice:

The Special Student Relief notice for Syrian F-1 students suspends the following requirements regarding off-campus employment:

• Suspends the requirement that the student must have been in F-1 status for one full academic year in order to be eligible for off-campus employment under 214.2(f)(9)(ii);
• Suspends the requirement that a student must demonstrate that acceptance of employment will not interfere with the student's carrying a full course of study; and
• Suspends the requirement that limits off-campus work authorization to no more than 20 hours per week while school is in session (i.e., authorizes a student to work full-time while school is in session, with an EAD from USCIS).

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.

Eligibility Requirements for Libyan Students

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:

• Be a citizen of Libya;
• Have been lawfully present in the United States in F-1 nonimmigrant status on February 1, 2011;
• Be currently enrolled in an institution that is Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified for the enrollment of F-1 students;
• Be currently maintaining F-1 status; and
• Be experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the civil unrest in Libya since February, 2011.

Documentation of Economic Hardship

The student must demonstrate to his or her DSO that employment is necessary to avoid severe economic hardship that is directly resulting from the civil unrest in Libya since February, 2011. No specific form of documentation is described in the Federal Register notice, but it is clear that the burden is on the student to provide sufficient information to the DSO so that a determination can be made.

F-1 Requirement Suspension due to Student Special Relief Notice:

The Special Student Relief notice for Libyan F-1 students suspends the following requirements regarding off-campus employment:

• Suspends the requirement that the student must have been in F-1 status for one full academic year in order to be eligible for off-campus employment under 214.2(f)(9)(ii);
• Suspends the requirement that a student must demonstrate that acceptance of employment will not interfere with the student's carrying a full course of study; and
• Suspends the requirement that limits off-campus work authorization to no more than 20 hours per week while school is in session (i.e., authorizes a student to work full-time while school is in session, with an EAD from USCIS).

Note: A student must receive the EAD from USCIS prior to beginning off-campus work under the special student relief notice.

September 15, 2010 Notice of Suspension published in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

• Haiti Special Relief Extension:
  On May 19, 2011 DHS extended the January 12, 2010 notice for Haitian students until January 22, 2013.

Eligibility Requirements for Haitian Students

Before a student begins the application process for special student relief, the DSO must ascertain whether the student meets the eligibility requirements for this benefit. Under the September 15, 2010 and May 19, 2011 notices, a student must:

Be a citizen of Haiti;
Have been lawfully present in the United States in F-1 nonimmigrant status on Jan. 12, 2010;
Be currently enrolled in an institution that is Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified for the enrollment of F-1 students;
Be currently maintaining F-1 status; and
Be experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti

F-1 Requirement Suspension due to Student Special Relief Notice:

• Suspends the requirement that the student must have been in F-1 status for one full academic year in order to be eligible for off-campus employment.
• Suspends the requirement that limits off-campus work authorization to no more than 20 hours per week while school is in session (i.e. authorizes a student to work full-time while school is in session, with an EAD from USCIS).

The student must receive an EAD from USCIS to work off-campus under the special student relief notice.

June 10, 1998 Notice of Suspension published in response to the Asian economic crisis of that period, which applied to students whose funding came from the following countries: Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Although the June 10, 1998 Notice of Suspension is still active, only F-1 students who have been in the United States since June 10, 1998 can currently benefit from this provision.

About this website:

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched Study in the States to enhance national security and improve customer service tied to regulations governing international students studying in the United States.

Study in the States clearly explains the student visa process, enhances coordination among government agencies, and keeps international students and the U.S. academic community better informed about pertinent rules and regulations."

Main Study in the States webpage

Student-Centered Information Center (Students seeking employment information should see the section labelled "Work as and International Student")

STEM OPT Help Hub (includes I-983 Training Plan info)

USCIS Mission Statement:

"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values."

Main USCIS webpage

I-765, Application for Employment Authorization

ICE's Mission Statement:

"With a workforce numbering approximately 20,000 including deportation officers, special agents, analysts, and professional staff, ICE stands at the forefront of our nation's efforts to strengthen border security and prevent the illegal movement of people, goods, and funds into, within, and out of the United States. The agency's broad investigative authorities are directly related to our country's ongoing efforts to combat terrorism at home and abroad."

Main ICE webpage

Employment guidelines for F-1 students and DSOs

"US Immigration" Navigation / Guidance for F-1 and M-1 students