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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 ISSS, 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

• 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 ISSS with supporting documents.

 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 ISSS address: P.O. Box 10263, Beaumont, TX 77710.
3. Part 2, Question 21.a: Number from your .  
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, ISSS 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.

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. ISSS 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.

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."

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

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."

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."