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International
Education

Caution

IN ORDER TO WORK, ALL VISA HOLDERS MUST HAVE THE PROPER AUTHORIZATION. All J-1 visa holders must meet with the International Student Advisor (ISA) before accepting employment on or off campus.

Visiting scholars should consult with the Office of the International Education before engaging in any employment, occasional lecture or consultation outside of the University.

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Academic Training

Academic training is permitted while the student is enrolled in school or after completion of studies. Completion of studies is the program end date of the exchange program as indicated on the DS-2019.

When do I need to apply for academic training if I plan to undertake an internship during the semester?

Internships during the semester must be approved at least 1 week in advance of the internship start date.

When do I need to apply for academic training if I plan to undertake an internship after I complete the exchange program?

A student must be authorized by the Responsible Officer (RO) to participate in academic training by the end date of the DS-2019.

How Do I qualify?

• Your primary purpose in the U.S. must be to study.
• The academic training must be directly related to your major field of study.
• You must be in "good" academic standing.
• You must receive written permission in advance from the RO
• The period of time for academic training cannot exceed the length of study in the US and has a maximum of 18 months. Students studying at Richmond for one semester can apply for academic training for a maximum period of 14 months. Students studying at Richmond for two semesters can apply for academic training for a maximum period of 28 months.

How Do I Apply?

Students must submit Academic Training Forms to the RO.

When can I begin academic training?

You can begin academic training within the time frame you have been authorized by the RO to begin training.

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On-Campus Employment

To receive permission to work on-campus, the student must consult the ISA. J-1 students are eligible to work part-time up to 20 hours per week while school is in session and 40 hours per week during vacation periods as long as they maintain full-time student status. New J-1 students are advised to work no more than 10 hours per week for on-campus employment until they have successfully completed their first semester of study. Students may not work on campus after the completion of their exchange program unless they have been approved for academic training. If a student's enrollment drops below full time, s/he will not be allowed to work under the Student Employment Program without special approval from the ISA.

On-campus employment must meet certain criteria and the student must meet certain conditions.

What is qualifying employment?

The proposed employment must meet one of the following conditions:

• is pursuant to the terms of a scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship paid through the University
• occurs on the premises of the University of Richmond

How Do I qualify?

• You must be in good academic standing and engaged in a full-time course of study (at least 12 credit hours for undergraduates and 9 for graduate students) unless you receive special approval by the ISA.
• Proposed employment may not exceed more than 20 hours per week while school is in session except during official school holidays. If the student will enroll for the following semester, employment can be 40 hours per week during semester breaks. Visit http://oncampus.richmond.edu/~urworkin/intl.htm for the maximum hours that can be worked on a given holiday break. If a student has a salary position, the hours assigned to that job must be counted toward their 20 hour per week total.

What is the procedure for an on-campus job?

1. Obtain an employment authorization letter from the International Student Advisor (ISA) in the Office of International Education. This letter will explain the immigration requirements of your employment.

2. Obtain an on-campus job and a copy of the Job Approval Form (JAF) stating the details of your employment from your on-campus job supervisor.

3.  As soon as the first two steps have been completed, email Nancy Colon in the Office of International Taxation (OIT) at ncolon@richmond.edu for an appointment to complete tax and I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification form) paperwork. Please do not wait on this step as your ability to continue your on-campus employment may be put in jeopardy.

OIT knows the tax implications and/or treaties between the U.S. and other countries, thus all international students must complete their paperwork in OIT in Maryland Hall (not Student Employment).

Bring to the appointment the following:

• ISA letter
• copy of the JAF for hourly employees or contract letter for salaried or special pay employees
• immigration documents (passport, visa, I-94, and I-20 or DS-2019)
• social security card (if applicable)

At the appointment, you will complete the following:

• Foreign National Information Form
• I-9 Form (Employment Eligibility Verification form)
• W8-BEN (Certificate of Foreign Status)
• SS-5 (social security application form for those who do not have a social security number)
• W-4 and VA-4 if applicable (tax forms)
• Form 8233 (if treaty benefits are allowed)

If you do not have a social security card, your immigration documents will be sufficient for you to complete the I-9 form. If you have questions about the I-9, please contact the Office of International Taxation.

You must have a social security card to work in the U.S. This can only be done after you have been in the U.S. for at least 10 days and have reported to the International Student Advisor. The actual start date of the job can be no more than 30 days from the date of your social security application. The Office of International Taxation will work with you to help you through the application process.

4. Once OIT verifies your employment eligibility, they will give you a Release to Work (RW) form which must be given to the supervisor of the department that will be employing you. This will allow you to work on campus.

New students cannot work on campus until the supervisor receives the RW form. International students who have worked on campus before and been set up in Banner can start working immediately without a RW form. Contact Student Employment if you are not sure.

When Can I Begin Working?

You may not begin working on-campus without authorization from the ISA, which consists of a work authorization letter, and the Release to Work form from OIT.

Once I have permission to work, how do I find a job on-campus?

The Student Employment office, located in Sarah Brunet Hall, has a listing of available positions online at http://oncampus.richmond.edu/~urworkin/. International students may apply for "Student-hourly" jobs on campus labeled as University Work Study (UWS). J-1 and F-1 students do not qualify for Federal Work Study (FWS) job listings.

What should I do if I have a question about work regulations?

USCIS regulations regarding permission to work are strict and complex. Therefore, it is important to consult the International Student Advisor in order to make certain that the correct procedures are followed.

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Office of International Education | University of Richmond VA 23173 | Phone 804-289-8836 | Fax 804-289-8904