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This page is designed for both F-1 & J-1 students. It should provide you with an understanding of:
- Eligibility requirements
- How "on-campus employment" is defined by the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), which is different in some important respects from commonly-held definitions
- Employment regulations
Eligibility Requirements
You are eligible to work on campus if:
- You are maintaining F-1/J-1 status.
- You do not work more than a total of 20 hours per week (including any off-campus work you may have been authorized to perform) while school is in session.
- You may be employed full-time during holidays and vacation periods, including summer vacations, provided you are eligible and intend to register for the next school term.
Although federal regulations allow for full-time on-campus employment during vacations, your program or department may have other restrictions and policies that limit the amount of on-campus employment during vacation periods. If this is the case, then these policies take precedence. Check with your department for any restrictions.
NOTE: Students on fellowships and assistantships may not qualify for on-campus employment.
For F-1 students, no employment authorization is required for on-campus employment from either the I-Center or USCIS.
J-1 students must apply for work authorization with their Responsible Officer. If Stanford is the sponsor that is listed on your DS-2019, please download the “J-1 Student Employment Approval” and submit your request to the I-Center. Contact your sponsoring organization if Stanford is not your J-1 sponsor.
You are required to receive work authorization before beginning employment.
Jobs Which Qualify as "On-Campus Employment"
- Employment by Stanford
On-campus work performed at Stanford is usually acceptable, whether it is employment in the library, the computer center or the housing office, or work required by a scholarship or assistantship.
- Other Employment on the Stanford campus
Work performed on the Stanford campus is "on-campus employment" as long as the employer provides direct services to students. Employment at the Bookstore or the Jamba Juice at Tresidder, both of which provide direct services to students, is acceptable even if the Bookstore or Jamba Juice is operated by a private, commercial firm.
Work for a construction company that is erecting a campus building is not acceptable since the construction company does not provide direct student services.
- Work Off-Campus Which Qualifies as On-Campus Employment
Immigration regulations allow students to work at an off-campus location as “on-campus employment” provided:
- The location is educationally affiliated with Stanford.
- The educational affiliation is associated with Stanford’s established curriculum or is related to a graduate level research project which Stanford has contracted to perform.
- The work is an integral or important part of your program of study (e.g. if your field of study is marine biology, working at the Hopkins Marine Station would be defined as “on campus”).
Note: This type of employment is rare.
Jobs That Do Not Qualify as “On-Campus Employment”
- Working for a Professor 's personal project (e.g. translating, coding, research, etc.)
- House cleaning for your Advisor
- Editing papers for other students
- Participating as a research subject for a non-Stanford project
- Working from an on-campus location (e.g. your dorm room) for an off-campus employer
One way to determine if your employment is truly on-campus is to verify if you will be receiving a paycheck from Stanford. If you are not clear about whether your employment meets on-campus employment requirements, please contact the I-Center.
On-Campus Employment When Transferring to Another School
If you:
- Are in lawful F-1 status,
- Have received a Form I-20 from a new school where you wish to continue study and
- Intend to enroll at the new school for the next regular academic term or session,
you may continue on-campus employment at Stanford until your SEVIS record is transferred to your new school and you may begin employment at your new school immediately even though you may not yet be attending classes at that school.
On-Campus Employment After Degree Conferral
You will no longer be able to continue your on-campus employment after your conferral date (see program end date on your I-20/DS-2019), unless you have applied for and been granted permission to engage in either "Post-completion Optional Practical Training" (F-1) or “Academic Training” (J-1) and the work is directly related to your field of studies.
Failure to Comply with Employment Regulations
It is your responsibility to comply with all immigration regulations that apply to F-1/J-1 students. Staff in the I-Center has responsibility for advising and counseling you regarding your responsibilities. If you fail to comply with your responsibilities, you may not be eligible for benefits normally granted to F-1/J-1 students and, in some situations, you may be subject to deportation.
