On-Campus Employment

 

F-1 and J-1 students and exchange visitors enrolled at the University of Hartford may be authorized to engage in on-campus employment opportunities by the Citizenship and Immigration Service or the Department of State. Depending on your visa class, you may be required to have specific authorization from the CIS or DOS.  Before beginning on-campus employment, we suggest that you contact the International Center to insure your eligibility to be employed.

F-1 Employment - Immigration and University Guidelines

International students who are engaged in off-campus employment, including internships, CO-OP, "economic hardship" employment,  or any form of pre-completion practical training, may not work more than 20 hours per week while school is in session (exception is made only for those undergraduate students officially enrolled in an "alternating" CO-OP program). Students who simultaneously participate in both off- and on-campus employment are restricted to no more than 20 hours of work per week, in the aggregate, while school is in session.

Students who wish to work on-campus are required to go to the Social Security Administration Office in Hartford to apply for a Social Security identification number. Generally, students are not required to pay social security taxes though they may be required to pay federal and state taxes based on income earned during the course of a year.

Students are required to complete the I-9 form (employment eligibility form) and W-4 forms (federal and State withholding tax forms) at the time they begin employment. These forms are provided to the student employee by their supervisor or the Human Resource Department (HRD).

J-1 Employment - Immigration and University Guidelines

Under certain circumstances, exchange visitors may be authorized on-campus or off-campus employment which is not directly related to their J-1 program description.

Matriculated Exchange Visitor Student Requirements

To be employed on or off-campus, an exchange visitor student must show that the employment is:

      In addition:

Please note that approval for employment must be terminated when the above stated conditions are not met.

Documentation

Exchange visitor students seeking employment on campus must secure work approval from the Responsible Officer of their exchange program before employment may begin. Those students who are sponsored by the University of Hartford must submit a written request for on campus employment permission to the International Center to the start of employment.

Exchange visitor students seeking permission to be employed off-campus due to unforeseen economic hardship must also apply to the Responsible Officer of their exchange program. The following documentation is required:

Procedures

The Responsible Officer will review the exchange visitor's request for employment. If approved, the Responsible Officer will issue a letter to the student authorizing employment and stating the duration of time the student will be allowed to work (not to exceed twelve months per authorization).
 

Employment Pursuant to the Terms of a Scholarship, Fellowship, or Assistantship 

An exchange visitor student enrolled in a full-time degree or certificate program may engage in employment for pay, if that employment is pursuant to the terms of a scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship. The employment must be on-campus and be directly related to the exchange visitor's course of study. In some instances, employment may be on a full-time basis if that is a requirement of the program (e.g. Co-Op). The Responsible Officer should be made aware of any offers made to exchange students under these provisions.
 

Non-Matriculated Exchange Visitor Students

Exchange visitor students who are enrolled in non-degree programs of study at the University of Hartford (e.g. summer or other short-term exchange programs), are prohibited from seeking on or off-campus employment while in the U.S. unless they meet the requirements as stated above for degree seeking students.
 

Professors, Scholars, Lecturers and Researchers

Exchange visitors under any of these categories may be employed by the University, but only in accordance with the program description on their DS-2019 form. Federal regulations stipulate that an exchange visitor who engages in activities that both produce income from U.S. sources and are unrelated to the participants program, ceases to maintain lawful status. Under certain conditions, exchange visitors in these categories may participate in occasional lectures or consultations off-campus and receive reimbursement for travel, lodging and other out-of-pocket expenses (these types of reimbursement are not considered to be "compensation" by the United States Information Agency). The occasional lectures or consultations must:

Permission to participate in outside lectures or consultations must be granted by the Responsible Officer of the exchange program. An exchange visitor must present a letter outlining the terms or conditions of his or her employment offer (e.g. dates, compensation, program description) as well as a letter from the appropriate department chairperson or college dean recommending the activity. The R.O. will issue a letter to the exchange visitor indicating that participation has been approved by the University (if the individual is sponsored by the University of Hartford).

Note:
An exchange visitor may not engage in gainful employment that both produces income from U.S. sources and is unrelated to the visitor's program except as stated above. Unauthorized employment is deemed a violation of exchange visitor status and a visitor's program may be subject to termination.