Hi everyone,
So in addition to the quarter, midterms, projects and life, as an international student you have to apply for your working authorization for your part-time jobs or summer internships.
One common question is whether your are eligible for CPT or OPT. Here I will try to provide some information, but feel free to contact me if you have any doubts.
Basically, there are two visa status for international students: J-1 and F-1. If you was awarded with a scholarship o 50% or more of your tuition costs, you would be probably in J-1 status. Otherwise, you are in F-1 status.
F-1 and J-1 basically differ in the working restrictions. Depending on your visa status, the US government allow you to work in campus, off campus, and a certain number of hours within the first two options.
The advantages of having a J-1 status are obvious: you have a scholarship of 50% or more of your tuition! However, it is generally the case that J-1 students have more working restrictions than F-1, presumably because J-1 are expected to "compensate" for the scholarship in some way or another (going back to their sponsor country, working for the university, etc).
On the other hand, F-1 students have more relaxed restrictions on working hours. In addition, with an F-1 you are allowed to work up to 12 months, (including 12 months after graduation, ONLY IF you find a job within the next 3 months after graduation). This figure is called the OPT (Optional Practical Training).
In theory, if you work during regular quarters, your working hours are discounted from your OPT remaining time. However, many schools have an option to work during the summer using what is called the CPT (Curricular Practicum Training).
Each school has its own procedures, but the main feature of the CPT is that it allows you to work during specific periods of time without discounting your working hours from your OPT. Note that the CPT is an employer-specific authorization (in contrast to the OPT), so you will need to have a job offer to apply for it.
The OPT is issue by the US government, while the CPT is issued by your university, so it's usually faster to get it. In any case, do not start to work until you have your corresponding work authorization!
Let me know if I can help with anything!
the explanation seems dedicated to foreign students who plans to work in US. What if a foreign worker with working visa plans to study in US, is it the same as mentioned above?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you need to ask for a different visa status, even if your working visa is still valid. I know each university has its own webpage on this, but I've found ours VERY useful:
Deletehttp:\\internationalaffairs.uchicago.edu/
There are a few universities offering a work-study program for international students. They claim that one can work up to 20-40 hours / week after completion of first quarter based upon fulfilment of CPT credits per semester. What do you think of such courses? Are they legal?
ReplyDeleteI don't actually know anything about those programs. They must be legal... However, I do tell you that studying in the US (at least in my experience) has been pretty intense, but you still can manage to work about 20hours a week in paid positions at the university or in related employments. So there is a lot of opportunities is that is your concern
DeleteBut they don't actually need to be work/study programs. I think there are plenty opportunities in full time programs as well
Delete