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Working
F-1 students are allowed to work in the United States only with specific permission. Limited opportunities are available:
- On-campus employment - F-1 students are allowed to work on campus as long as they maintain status. F-1 students may take part-time on-campus employment that provides services to students. Student workers must complete a Student Worker Agreement, provided by the employing department, and F-1 students must have the agreement signed by the foreign student advisor before the form is submitted to Human Resources. Students will have to complete certain paperwork for Human Resources before they can be paid. Students may work on campus full time during breaks and in summer if not enrolled. Students may work on campus only until their SEVIS record is transferred to a new school or until their program end date, but not after.
- Cooperative Practical Training - Very limited CPT opportunities are available to students who have been in status at NGCSU for at least one academic year. The work experience must be an integral part of an established curriculum. This work permission must be coordinated with the academic advisor, the specified employer, and the ISSO.
- Optional Practical Training - F-1 students who have been in status at NGCSU for at least one academic year may apply for a year of OPT work permission, to begin within 60 days after the end of the student's program. The student may be given permission to work in his or her field for any employer during that year. An application fee is associated with this work permission. A student who has taken a year of OPT is still eligible for an additional period of OPT at each higher level of study. Caution must be exercised in travel during the year of OPT: to return to the U.S. after program completion, the student should have an unexpired F-1 visa, an I-20 endorsed for travel, the EAD card (work authorization), and an employment letter. The student must not work past the end date on the EAD, and within 60 days of that date, the student must be admitted to a new program or leave the U.S. For students in certain science, engineering, technology, and math programs of study, a 17-month extension of OPT may be available. Check with the ISSO for more information.
- Severe Economic Hardship - In limited circumstances, a student may be eligible to apply for work permission based on severe economic hardship. The student must have been in status at NGCSU for at least one academic year in order to be eligible and must be able to provide proof that the hardship arose because of circumstances beyond his control. An application fee is associated with this work permission. Permission, if granted, extends for one year but may be renewable for an additional period. The work permit allows the student to work part time (20 hours or less per week) for any employer.
In order to be paid, a student must first have a Social Security Number. To apply for a Social Security Number, an F-1 student must have a letter from the ISSO, a letter from the employing department, a completed SS-5 application, and passport, I-94, and I-20. The student will take these documents to the Gainesville Social Security Administration no less than 10 days after first entering the U.S. The number will be made available to the student generally within one week.
Various taxes are withheld on earnings in the United States. Most students will be able to have most if not all of these taxes refunded to them in the following tax year. The International Student Services Office provides income tax preparation assistance to NGCSU F-1 students in the spring of each year. It is imperative that all F-1 students complete and submit certain income tax documents every year even if they had no income. All necessary information will be provided at the income tax workshops.
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