On-Campus Employment for F-1 Students

Our Career Center and the graduate assistantships program are the best sources for on-campus employment information.

Eligibility

• Students must be enrolled full-time to be eligible. For summer employment, a student must be registered for summer or fall semester.

  • Violation of the student's F-1, such as falling below a full course load without authorization, automatically nullifies any employment authorization.

• Students must not exceed 20 hours/week while school is in session. 

  • The student may hold more than one job. The total number of hours, however, may not exceed 20 per week during academic terms.

• Employment may be 40-plus hours per week during vacations and breaks. 

  • Students are eligible to work full-time when school is not in session, such as during the annual vacation, provided the student will continue to be a full-time student the term following the break.

• Employment is terminated upon completion of studies, or upon transfer of your SEVIS record to another school.

Social Security

If you don’t yet have a Social Security number:

• The on-campus department hiring you must complete and print the Verification of F-1 Student's Employment on Campus form on the department's official letterhead. The department must complete the top portion of the form and sign in ink. Digital signatures or copies of the form are not acceptable.
  • In the field for the employee's name (Name-- F-1 Student), the hiring department must enter the student's full name according to passport spelling in this format: FirstName MiddleName LastName.
• Drop the original, signed form off at the Center for International Studies in Lawrence Hall Room 101. Processing time varies depending on the time of the semester (expect at least 7 business days).  If this is your first semester at St. Cloud State University, you are required to have checked in with the Center for International Studies and be enrolled in a full-time course load prior to submission.
• You will receive an email when the form is ready to be picked up. Further instructions will be included in the e-mail. Pick up the letter and take it with your immigration documents to the Social Security office to apply for a Social Security number. 
  • Please note: Students may apply for an SSN up to 30 days before the employment start date listed on the employment letter. It is OK to apply fewer than 30 days before the work start date. 
  • For more information, please visit our webpage for Social Security Information.
• Notify your department and payroll that you have applied for the Social Security number. 
• You may begin working without your Social Security number if you can provide proof to the payroll department that you have applied for it.

Taxes

IRS - Foreign Students and Scholars

• International students are subject to state and federal taxes.
• International students here for fewer than five years are exempt from Medicare and Social Security taxes.