It is important for F-1 international students to understand their options for legal employment and to not engage in unauthorized employment while in the United States. Unauthorized employment can result in immediate termination of F-1 status.
Contact the International Student Office for help with any of the following employment.
Review the F-1 Employment Presentation (on-campus, CPT, OPT, SEH)
On-Campus Employment
F-1 students in valid F-1 status are eligible to work on-campus at ACC without further DSO authorization. Review the on-campus employment criteria:
- F-1 student may not begin on-campus employment more than 30 days prior to the actual start of classes.
- Employment must occur on campus at any ACC campuses.
- F-1 students are eligible to work throughout their course of study but not after the program end date listed on the Form I-20.
- Can be in any on-campus position that does not displace a U.S. worker; does not have to be related to course of study.
- Limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session; can be full-time during official school breaks.
- F-1 students must maintain good academic standing while employed on-campus.
Find a Job on Campus
Check with the campus supervisor each of the following areas:
If a position is not available currently, F-1 students are encouraged to continue checking for on-campus employment opportunities at the beginning and end of semesters when students graduate and schedules change. (F-1 students are not eligible for work-study positions.)
ACC’s Career Services lists information about available jobs and internships. View job postings.
Apply for a Social Security Number
After being offered an on-campus position, F-1 students will need to apply for a Social Security number (SSN) in order to begin working. Students who already have a Social Security number do not need to reapply for a new SSN.
To apply for a Social Security number, use the Social Security Employment Verification Letter for your hiring manager to complete the top portion. Return the form to ISO for a DSO signature.
Next, visit the local Social Security Administration Office with the following documents:
- Employment Verification Letter
- Current and signed I-20
- Valid Passport with F-1 Visa (or change of status I-797 Approval Letter)
- Most Recent and Travel History I-94 record
Add Social Security Card Information to Student Record
after receiving the Social Security number, present the card to your supervisor and to the International Student Office to have the number put into your student record to allow for payment. A Social Security number is NOT a work permit and cannot be used to obtain alternate employment off-campus.
Off-Campus Employment
There are two types of practical training opportunities for F-1 students to gain job experience in their field of study. You must be enrolled for one full academic year and maintain your F-1 status in order to apply.
You are not allowed to work off campus without prior approval from International Student Office and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
With Curricular Practical Training (CPT) you can legally work at an off-campus internship while receiving credits that count toward completion of your program of study. Speak with your academic program department about internship opportunities that earn college credit.
Once you arrange an internship, submit an application for CPT to the International Student Office. Upon approval, you will receive an updated I-20 with a CPT endorsement. Do not engage in any CPT employment without first receiving the updated I-20.
IMPORTANT: If you engage in full-time CPT for 12 or more months before graduation, you are not eligible for post-completion optional practical training.
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
With Optional Practical Training (OPT), you can engage in temporary employment to gain practical experience in your field of study. If approved, you will receive authorization to work in the U.S. for up to 12 months.
Plan ahead: Contact the International Student Office at least 90 days before the program end date in the graduating semester because OPT applications can several months for USCIS approval. Check USCIS processing times for the Form I-765.
OPT Workshops: Meet with a DSO to learn about the benefits of OPT, USCIS processing expectations, and answer questions about OPT. Workshop registration Link
Location: Highland Campus (HLC) – Building 2000, Room 1550 (Lecture Hall)
Dates:
- Monday, February 9, 2026 at 9am
- Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 12pm
Eligibility requirements:
- Active F-1 status
- Full-time enrollment for one full academic year.
- OPT is granted once per higher degree level. Students who have completed OPT at ACC, or at the bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD level are not eligible for OPT at ACC.
- Exception: A student who completes an Associate’s degree at ACC and advances to a Bachelor’s degree is eligible for OPT at both levels.
- Students who completed an Associate’s degree and OPT are not eligible for OPT if completing a second Associate’s degree.
- Has not completed full-time Curricular Practical Training for 12 months.
When to apply: F-1 students can apply for post-completion between 90 days before the graduation date and up to 60 days after the graduation date.
How to apply: Submit OPT documents to ISO using the OPT I-20 Application Request. Upload the following documents:
- Valid Passport
- F-1 Visa or I-797 Approval Letter
- Most Recent I-94
- F-1 Student OPT Application Packet (F-1 OPT Policies and Regulations, and ISO Legal Advice Statement of Understanding)
- F-1 Student Graduation Eligibility
A DSO will review the OPT application for eligibility. If eligible, the DSO will create a new OPT Requested I-20 in SEVIS. The student will use the new OPT I-20 to apply for an EAD card with USCIS using Form I-765.
Other Reminders:
- Do not apply for an EAD card with USCIS without the DSO recommended OPT Requested I-20.
- Submit the application to USCIS within 30 days from the date the DSO creates the new I-20.
After OPT is approved, F-1 students are responsible for working in a field that is directly related to their major area of study. F-1 students are required to maintain their information in the SEVP Portal. All updates must be reported within 10 days of the change.
- Review the SEVP Policy Guidance on determining a direct relationship between employment and a student’s major area of study.
- Review the SEVP website for information on OPT.
- Review how to update your employment in the SEVP Portal.
- Review how to update your address and phone number in the SEVP Portal.
For more information on the SEVP Portal visit Study in the States.
Severe Economic Hardship (SEH)
Under special circumstances, USCIS may grant F-1 students who are experiencing severe economic hardship with temporary employment authorization in one year increments or until the program I-20 end date. Employment is limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session. Review the eligibility criteria below and contact ISO to speak with a DSO:
F-1 students must be enrolled in an academic program for at least nine months or longer and must demonstrate documented severe and unexpected financial hardship.
- Must have been in active F-1 status for at least one full academic year.
- Must be in good academic standing with ACC.
- Must prove to USCIS that employment is necessary due to severe economic hardship caused by circumstances beyond the F-1 student’s control and circumstances arose after obtaining F-1 status.
- Must demonstrate that acceptance of off-campus employment will not interfere with the F-1 student’s ability to maintain a full course of study in the fall and spring semesters.
- Must demonstrate that on-campus employment is unavailable or otherwise insufficient to meet the needs that have arisen as a result of the unforeseen circumstances.
For more information on about Severe Economic Hardship visit Study in the States.
Volunteer Versus Employment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an employee as a person hired to perform a job or provides services or labor for an employer for wagers, salary, payment, or other remuneration. Remuneration can include something of value such as no-cost or reduced-cost meals, lodging or other benefits in exchange for labor or services performed by the employee. For more information on volunteering see Study in the States.
The Department of Labor states the following, “Individuals who volunteer or donate their services, usually on a part-time basis, for public service, religious or humanitarian objectives, not as employees and without contemplation of pay, are not considered employees of the religious, charitable or similar non-profit organizations that receive their service.” See more information about volunteering from the Department of Labor.
The US Department of Labor uses Section 203(e)(4) and Section 203(e)(5) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to define the term “employee”.
- (4)(A) The term “employee” does not include any individual who volunteers to perform services for a public agency which is a State, a political subdivision of a State, or an interstate governmental agency, if—
- (i) the individual receives no compensation or is paid expenses, reasonable benefits, or a nominal fee to perform the services for which the individual volunteered; and
- (ii) such services are not the same type of services which the individual is employed to perform for such public agency.
- (5) The term “employee” does not include individuals who volunteer their services solely for humanitarian purposes to private non-profit food banks and who receive from the food banks groceries.
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division The Test for Unpaid Interns and Students
Courts have used the “primary beneficiary test” to determine whether an intern or student is, in fact, an employee under the FLSA. In short, this test allows courts to examine the “economic reality” of the intern-employer relationship to determine which party is the “primary beneficiary” of the relationship. Courts have identified the following seven factors as part of the test:
- The extent to which the intern and the employer clearly understand that there is no expectation of compensation. Any promise of compensation, express or implied, suggests that the intern is an employee—and vice versa.
- The extent to which the internship provides training that would be similar to that which would be given in an educational environment, including the clinical and other hands-on training provided by educational institutions.
- The extent to which the internship is tied to the intern’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.
- The extent to which the internship accommodates the intern’s academic commitments by corresponding to the academic calendar.
- The extent to which the internship’s duration is limited to the period in which the internship provides the intern with beneficial learning.
- The extent to which the intern’s work complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid employees while providing significant educational benefits to the intern.
- The extent to which the intern and the employer understand that the internship is conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship.
Examples of Volunteer Work
In many cases, the nature of religious, charitable and similar nonprofit organizations and schools allows individuals to volunteer their services in some capacity, usually on a part-time basis, but not as employees or with the expectation of pay for services rendered. For example:
- Individuals may help out in a shelter or workshop
- Individuals may assist people in hospitals or nursing homes to provide personal services for the sick or the elderly
- Individuals may assist in a school library or cafeteria as a public duty to maintain effective services
- Individuals may volunteer to perform tasks such as driving vehicles or folding bandages for the Red Cross
- Individuals working with children with disabilities or disadvantaged youth
- Individuals helping in youth programs as camp counselors, scoutmasters, or den mothers
- Individuals providing child care assistance for needy working mothers
- Individuals soliciting contributions or participating in benefit programs for such organizations
- Individuals volunteering other services needed to carry out their charitable, educational, or religious programs.
The activities outline above, performed under such circumstances, do not create an employee – employer relationship. However, for immigration purposes, US immigration authorities may consider any position, if normally occupied by a paid employee or worker, as “employment”, even if uncompensated and thus no longer considered volunteering. (Matter of Hall, 18 1& N Dec. 203(BIA 1982))
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