F-1: Employment Information
Types of Employment Available to F-1 Students On-Campus Employment Off-Campus Employment - Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
- Co-Op for Undergraduate Engineering Students
- Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Severe Economic Hardship Special Student Relief (SSR) On-Campus EmploymentOn-campus employment is defined as employment which provides a paycheck from Purdue University. Positions include teaching assistantships, research assistantships, some fellowships, and hourly employment (Food Services, Library, etc). F-1 students are restricted to the amount of hours per week they may work: Fall/Spring academic semesters: maximum of 20 hours per week. Semester breaks, official school/summer vacation: full-time on campus. (Exception: if a student is required to register for summer (such as with a Graduate Assistantship), only 20 hours per week maximum permitted). Employment between programs (BS to MS, or MS to PhD): On-campus employment is not permitted after program completion, unless the student has a new I-20 and plans to enroll the following semester. See an ISS counselor for details. Paperwork for on-campus employment is processed by the business office of the employing department/office. Off-Campus EmploymentF-1 students must be in full-time student status for one full academic year to be eligible for off-campus employment. Curricular Practical Training (CPT)Description CPT is employment authorization for an integral part of an established curriculum and must be directly related to a student's major area of study. It may be defined as: alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education (Co-Op) or other type of internship practicum (required or optional). Student’s must also register for a specific course in their department (contact your advisor for course details). CPT can be full-time (>20 hours per week) or part-time (20 hours or less per week). Students registered for part-time CPT during a fall/spring semester must also be registered for a full course of study. Students engaged in part-time CPT during summer vacation do not need to be registered full-time for classes. Students must be in legal status which includes, but is not limited to: How to Apply for CPT To apply for CPT you must be able to respond, "Yes," to the following: Is your I-20 valid and unexpired? Does it list your current field of study and educational level? Do you have a valid, unexpired passport? Have you been a full-time student for one full academic year? Have you been registered full-time every semester you attended Purdue:
- Undergraduate students: 12 credit hours
- Graduate students: 9 credit hours
- Graduate students with an assistantship: 6 credit hours
If you answered "NO" to any of the above questions: Speak with an ISS counselor. If you answered "yes" to all the questions: Complete the CPT online workshop. All CPT forms are available and may be downloaded from the web. The workshop is at: http://www.iss.purdue.edu/ssl/cpt/ After completing the on-line workshop: Register for an CPT follow-up session. Bring the following documents to the follow-up session: Valid passport Current Form I-20 Employer job offer including the required information: Position is full or part-time (specify the number of hours per week) Mailing (street) address of employment Specific beginning and ending dates of employment
Hand in your completed paperwork and ask individual questions. Allow 5 working days for ISS to process your CPT paperwork (collected at ISS). You will need your new CPT I-20 in order to start employment. Co-Op for Undergraduate StudentsDescription The Co-Op experience can be a strong and meaningful complement to the formal education of an engineering student. This option is sometimes open to international students. The opportunities are very limited and the expectations for a Co-Op student are high. Described below is the process for an international student desiring to be considered for a Co-Op assignment. The Schools of Engineering have a call-out every spring semester for Co-Op students. At a later date, interested students and companies interview for Co-Op placement. International students in F-1 visa status are eligible for Co-Op if they meet the academic requirements. Students must make an appointment with and ISS Counselor and obtain ISS authorization to participate in the Co-Op. The Co-Op commitments are for three regular semesters and two summer assignments. To meet that requirement, international students are recommended to use CPT for the three regular semesters (approximately 48 weeks) and optional practical training (OPT) for the two summer sessions. In this manner, students will still have some OPT time reserved for post-graduation employment. Using only CPT for a Co-Op experience would disqualify students for OPT since 12 months or more of full-time CPT employment bars students from applying for OPT. How to Apply for Engineering Co-Op Optional Practical TrainingDescription Optional practical training (OPT) is available to students in F-1 status who are lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis and have been so for at least one full academic year. An eligible F-1 student may request OPT in order to be employed in a position which is directly related to the major area of study. A total of twelve (12) months of OPT is available for qualified students to use after each degree level completion as an F-1 student. The USCIS office in Lincoln, Nebraska must grant an employment authorization document (EAD) before a student may commence employment. Check with ISS about the current processing time for EAD's. How to Apply for OPT In order to apply for optional practical training, you must be able to respond, "Yes," to the following questions: - Is your I-20 current? Does it reflect your current field of study and educational level?
- Do you have a valid, unexpired passport?
- Have you had less than 12 months of full-time curricular practical training (CPT)?
- Have you been a full-time student for one full academic year?
- Have you been full-time as an F-1 student every semester you attended Purdue? (Note: For undergraduate students, you need to complete 12 credit hours. For graduate students, you need to complete 9 credit hours if you do not have a graduate assistantship and 6 credit hours if you have an assistantship that semester.)
If you answered "no" to any of the above questions you will need to speak with an immigration counselor in ISS by phone (494-5770) or during walk-in hours. If you answered "yes" to all the questions, you will need to complete the online workshop listed below. All of the OPT forms are available online and may be downloaded from the web. Please note that the government form I-765 may be completed online if you have Adobe Acrobat. Note: Beginning with Fall 2009, students who are in their final semester at Purdue and registered Exam/Degree Only WILL BE REQUIRED to purchase the University Sponsored health insurance unless they are sponsored by their Home Government and the Home Government provides health insurance, not just funds to purchase an insurance plan of their choice. At the end of the online workshop, you must sign up for an OPT follow-up session. During the OPT follow-up session you may turn in your completed paperwork and ask individual questions of the ISS immigration counselor. Please allow 5 working days for ISS to process your OPT paperwork. You will be given a pick-up slip for your OPT paperwork when you turn it in during this session. It is your responsibility to mail your application to CIS as instructed in the mailing instructions information sheet. Mailing instructions will be given to you at the time you pick up your OPT application. The online workshop is at www.iss.purdue.edu/opt Off-Campus Employment Based on Severe Economic Hardship: Employment authorization due to severe economic hardship is difficult to obtain. It is a very limited option for students who can prove extreme unforeseen economic conditions. The application must be submitted to and approved by CIS. Students interested in this option should see an ISS immigration counselor.
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