Off Campus Employment

International students are not allowed to work off campus without authorization from the Department of Homeland Security.

F-1 and J-1 students are typically only allowed to work off campus if they have experience severe economic hardship.

However, F-1 students can also be eligible for off-campus work under the sponsorship of an international organization.

Severe Economic Hardship

If you are an F-1 or J-1 student and have experienced an unforeseen economic hardship during your stay, you may be able to get authorization for off-campus employment. It is up to the 美高梅官网 International to initially determine the legitimacy of the request. Typically, we will consider factors including:

Loss of on-campus employment
Unexpected loss of a scholarship
Serious currency devaluation (when the funds come from abroad)
Excessive tuition and fee increases
Medical bills
Burglary or robbery (with a police report)
Substantial increases in living costs
Disruption of a sponsor鈥檚 income
Death of a sponsor

If we determine that your situation is a legitimate and unforeseen economic hardship, we can recommend to the DHS that you are granted employment authorization by attaching evidence of the hardship. You will need to:

Fill out a聽Request for Severe Economic Hardship Employment Authorization聽form.
Set up an appointment with our office by calling 513-556-4278.
Bring all the documents listed in the form to your appointment.

If granted, the employment authorization is valid for part-time employment (20 hours a week or less while school is in session) and full time during scheduled breaks.

Special Student Relief

Special Student Relief is enacted by the Department of Homeland Security when there is severe unrest or natural disasters that have affected specific countries. This 鈥渟pecial鈥� work category allows international students to apply for full-time off-campus work permits and enroll part time.

Currently, special student relief exists for specific countries:

Afghanistan
Burma
Cameroon
Ethiopia
Haiti
Hong Kong聽
Lebanon
Palestinian Territories
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Ukraine
Venezuela
Yemen

and contact our office if you want to pursue this work classification.

Questions + Application Process

What does "severe economic need" mean?

You have 鈥渟evere economic need鈥� if your amount of funding has been greatly reduced due to the economic crisis in the above-listed countries, and you have documentation to support this claim in the form of a written statement, a certification from a family member, or other supporting documents.

What if the source of funds on the I-20 shows university or other sponsored funding?

You do not qualify for this special employment authorization if you are funded by the university or a sponsor whose funding is not based in or affected by the events in one of the listed countries.

If I'm eligible for this special relief, how will I benefit?

You may obtain on or off-campus employment authorization, including authorization to work more than 20 hours per week during the academic year.
You are able to ask for permission for part-time enrollment IF you are unable to be a full-time student because of work requirements.

I don鈥檛 really want to work more than 20 hours per week, but I would like to drop down to less than a full-time load. Can I do this?

No, you can only drop below full-time enrollment if you need to work more than the usual 20 hours per week during the academic year. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has allowed the part-time enrollment because of the commitment of working more hours, and not for any other reason.

If I do need to work more than 20 hours per week, how few credits can I take?

USCIS is allowing students who are working more than 20 hours a week to take as few as 6 credit hours if undergraduate, and 3 credit hours if graduate.

How long will this last?

Special student relief measures will remain in place until:

February 5, 2025 for Hong Kong
April 19, 2025 for Sudan and Ukraine
May 3, 2025 for South Sudan
May 20, 2025 for Afghanistan
June 7, 2025 Cameroon
August 13, 2025 for Palestine
September 10, 2025 for Venezuela
September 30, 2025 for Syria
Nov. 25, 2025 for Burma (Myanmar)
December 12, 2025 for Ethiopia
January 25, 2026 for Lebanon
February 3, 2026 for Haiti
March 3, 2026 for Yemen
March 17, 2026 for Somalia

What鈥檚 the difference between the procedure for special on-campus or off-campus employment?

On-campus employment is authorized by 美高梅官网 International Services; whereas off-campus employment needs to be authorized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and will probably take 90-120 days to process.

The off-campus application also includes a $410.00 fee to the USCIS. Generally, it is much less trouble to work on-campus if there is an opportunity.

How do I apply for special on-campus authorization over 20 hours per week?

During the summer, you鈥檙e automatically eligible for up to full-time on-campus employment without authorization from 美高梅官网 International Services. In August, contact our office about applying for a continuation of more than 20 hours per week on-campus employment for the fall semester. Your I-20 has to be endorsed by 美高梅官网 International Services to work full-time once school is in session.

How do I apply for special off-campus work authorization?

Complete the forms as indicated in our work permission packet and scan and email them to Ron Cushing at聽cushinrb@ucmail.uc.edu聽for review. Ultimately, the documents will be sent to USCIS for approval.

What documents do I need to provide?

You must scan and email the following documents to 美高梅官网 International Services:

Documentation of reason for severe economic hardship
Bank statement
Listing of monthly expenses and income
Copies of current I-20, Passport and I-94 card
Completed
A check for $410.00 made out to 鈥淒epartment of Homeland Security鈥� or the . If you can鈥檛 afford the application fee, you can complete and submit the USCIS form , but there is no guarantee USCIS will waive the fee.
2 .听Photos must include the following:聽color photos with a white background taken no earlier than 30 days before submission to the USCIS; photos should be un-mounted; printed on thin paper; glossy; and unretouched. The photos should show the front of your face, in passport style. Your head should be bare unless you are wearing a headdress as required by a religious order. Lightly print your name and your A#, if known, on the back of each photo with a pencil.听PHOTOS MUST MEET THESE SPECIFICATIONS.

Once we have reviewed your documents and determined your eligibility, you will be contacted by 美高梅官网 International Services with further instructions. The entire package will be mailed to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If approved, a copy of your Employment Authorization Document must be supplied to 美高梅官网 International Services.

F-1 Student Employment with an International Organization

A special situation exists for F-1 students who have been offered employment under the sponsorship of an international organization, as defined by the International Organization Immunities Act. A student seeking permission to work for such an organization makes an application to the Department of Homeland Security by submitting:

A written certification from the organization that the proposed employment is within the scope of the organization鈥檚 sponsorship.
A Form I-20 ID endorsed for employment in SEVIS by 美高梅官网 International within the last 30 days.
A completed聽, with the fee required.

If you believe that your off-campus job fits this circumstance,聽make an appointment with our office to get your I-20 endorsed.

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