Office for International Services
International Students Internship Guide
Career Center
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Office for International Students
F-1 Student Visa Authorized to work on campus through the Office of Student Employment Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Allows you to accept an internship or employment offer from an off-campus organization or company Available to F-1 students who have been lawfully enrolled full-time for at least one academic year (two consecutive semesters or trimesters) Must be an integral part of your curriculum or directly related, and you must get academic credit of any amount for the work experience in almost all cases Optional Practical Training (OPT) 12-month employment authorization after graduation Allows you to retain F-1 status for 12-months after graduation Must have completed two semesters (or trimesters) in full-time F-1 status Does not require an employment offer for application Start applying 90 days (about 3 months) BEFORE your program end date There’s a 60 day grace period to start OPT after graduation
The Basics Consider the following: What is your visa type? a) If the answer is “F-1” (the vast majority of our international students), then they have three basic options for employment: i) On-campus – automatically eligible, no additional authorization required, our website references how to apply for an SSN to work in an on-campus position (limited to 19 hrs/ week per Fordham’s policy) ii) Curricular Practical Training (CPT) – eligible after being in F-1 status for two consecutive semesters (usually this means they were enrolled at Fordham, Fall→Spring, or Spring→Fall. It’s also possible they could have transferred to Fordham from another school where they had F-1 status, eg: Fall semester at NYU → Spring semester at Fordham, they would still be eligible for CPT after the Spring semester. CPT is tied to academics, in almost all cases, the student must request Academic credit of any amount for the authorization to work at a specific company for a specific period of time. First step is always to contact your Dean/Advisor (undergraduates) or Academic Advisor (grad students), who will submit the request directly to OIS. CPT must be authorized each semester. CPT is either “part-time” (less than 20 hours per week) or “full-time” (20 hours per week or more). If an F-1 student works 12 months or more of full-time CPT, then they are no longer eligible for OPT. There is no such limit for part-time CPT. iii) Optional Practical Training (OPT) - like CPT, F-1 students are eligible for OPT after being in F-1 status for at least two consecutive semesters. OPT is a general work authorization for up to 12 months – typically taken following the completion of the program. An F-1 student can work anywhere in the US in a position that is related to their field of study. It does not require employer sponsorship. b) If the answer is something else “J-1, H4, B-2, O-3, I don’t know, other”, please visit OIS for advise on what (if any) authorization types are available
Frequently Asked Questions for OIS Questions About the Office for International Services (OIS): What’s the easiest way for an international student to reach OIS? Email is the most reliable way to reach the Office for International Services: ois@fordham.edu. We also offer individualized appointments (through our website: www.fordham.edu/ois) and limited availability via phone: 718-817-3145. What resources does the office provide? In general, we advise students, faculty and staff about visa and immigration matters, and maintain the University’s compliance with federal visa regulations. We have an extensive website, and offer many webinars and presentations on various topics that concern our international community throughout the calendar year. Does OIS have a list of where Fordham international students have gotten work in the past? We do not maintain this list, but if we did, it would be extensive and span areas all across the country–everywhere from huge, well-known companies to smaller, or even self-owned LLCs. Can you connect students to any alumni who found jobs in the US for guidance? OIS does not maintain alumni networks of past international students vis a vis employment matters, but the Career Center does offer The Ram Career Network. Through this service, students have the opportunity to connect with alumni in their desired field, although the amount who are international alumni may vary or be a smaller pool. Where can international students go for help filling out tax documents? OIS partners with a service called Sprintax which international students can contact for tax assistance. We include their contact information in our newsletter, which is regularly sent to | all international students.
Questions About Seeking Internships: What are the most common visas and how do they impact the internship search process? 95% of the international students at Fordham are on an F-1 visa, which is primarily designed to pursue academic matters. Limited authorizations are a (secondary) benefit to the F-1 visa type. In this case, they can already work on-campus, or obtain ‘off-campus’ authorization, like CPT before graduation, or OPT after graduation in their field of study. What types of internships can international students get while at Fordham University? Where can students find internships that fit their criteria? CPT/OPT are general work authorizations and cover virtually all forms of employment (internships, externships, part-time, full-time, 1099, self-employment, etc) relevant to your program. Students can find these opportunities on Handshake and other job search platforms.
When can an international student get an internship? Do they have to be in their undergraduate or graduate program for a certain amount of time first? In general, they must be enrolled full-time for two semesters to be eligible for off-campus work authorization. There is no such requirement for on-campus. Who approves an international student’s internship or decides if it’s relevant? For undergraduate students, your Dean or Advisor–for graduate students, their Academic Advisor–determine if the internship is relevant to the program and field of study. This will allow the student to receive credit and obtain CPT authorization after the Dean, Advisor, or Academic Advisor submits the request directly to OIS. What’s the average timeline for an international student to find and get an internship? It depends on each employer. If talking about CPT, our office can generally approve the authorization within 2-3 days of receiving the request from the advisor Can an international student get paid for an internship? Does the internship have to be for credit? Is there a GPA requirement? Yes, they can get paid any amount! However, when talking about CPT, typically the student must be receiving academic credit of any amount either way. Any GPA requirement or other criteria to earn credit would be determined by each individual school or program. Can international students work over the summer when they aren’t taking classes? Yes! In general, international students can work anytime so long as they have authorization. How can an international student apply for an internship if they don’t have a social security number already? To our knowledge, having an SSN is never required to apply for a job. For international students, they must obtain employment or work authorization first before they are eligible to apply for an SSN - per SSA regulations. What struggles do international students face during the internship search process? In our opinion, usually, navigating questions around authorization and approaching employers who are not willing to provide long-term sponsorship or work with someone with a temporary work authorization. How can international students best stand out in the internship search process? What have you seen lead to the most success? Apart from navigating the work authorization questions, the Career Center is happy to help all students curate their materials to make the best impression with employers. An international student found an internship, what do they do next? Seek work authorization! For CPT, they should first contact their class dean (undergrad) or academic advisor (grad), who will determine what credit(s) they could earn. Then the advisor can submit an application with approval to OIS.
Can you provide an average timeline for international students wanting to get an internship to actually starting it? This would depend on the company hiring them. For us, once the request for authorization is received (in the case of CPT), we can issue it within a few days. Our OPT application package is turned around within 10 days, and must be submitted to DHS within 30 days. What if an international student is interested in work outside their field or program? This can be difficult given the regulations surrounding CPT and OPT. In general, the work must be related to the major(s).
Questions About Seeking Sponsorship: How do you find employers who provide sponsorship? (Seeking Sponsorship) There is no single database (to our knowledge) with this information. However, most large, multinational firms will sponsor employees’ work visas such as H1B. Many websites are dedicated to cataloging companies known to sponsor, though we cannot verify their accuracy. H1Bs in general — employer sponsored work visas are highly sought after, and subject to a statutory annual cap of 65,000. Visas are awarded in an annual lottery, usually in early spring. Certain nonprofit entities are not subject to to the annual cap and can apply for H1B candidates throughout the year. Fordham cannot advise students receiving sponsorship from their employers, and defer to the firm on all matters related to the petition and application. It is considered common practice for the hiring firm to pay the expenses and filing fees related to the H1b, and not the applicant. When should students let employers know they need sponsorship? There is no “right” answer – it depends on the student’s short, medium and long-term goals, and how forthcoming they want to be with their prospective employer. It also depends on the employer – some sponsor work visas all the time, some never do, some further would do it if you’re “worth it” How should students answer the sponsorship question on applications? See above. There is also the question of the wording and any ambiguity it allows, eg: “Do you now require sponsorship?” vs. “Are you authorized to work indefinitely?” Can a job application ask for my social security number? They can but it should not be integral to being hired. For F-1 students, they can usually only obtain an SSN after they have an approved work authorization. Many people do not include their SSN on job applications due to privacy concerns. What are employers permitted to ask about my international status? Employers are not permitted to ask about your country of birth or citizenship, but they can ask if you require work authorization. In general, we think the vague (or strict) wording of this question might be an indication of how willing an employer is to hire someone without permanent or indefinite authorization.
Additional General Questions: Where can international students go to learn more? https://www.fordham.edu/academics/academic-resources/internationalservices/students/current-students/f-1-students/working-legally-in-the-us/ What is the CPT process in general? Specific to each school, but in general, outlined here: https://www.fordham.edu/academics/academic-resources/internationalservices/students/current-students/f-1-students/working-legally-in-the-us/curricular-practicaltraining/ What is the OPT process in general? Entirely online, outlined here: https://www.fordham.edu/academics/academic-resources/internationalservices/students/current-students/f-1-students/working-legally-in-the-us/optional-practicaltraining/ What’s the process for international students to get on-campus jobs? Varies from each dept. In general, OIS cannot assist students with job searches, only advising on authorizations. Turn to the Office of Student Employment for more information. Is there a limit to how many hours an international student can work on or off campus? On campus limited to 20 hours per Fordham University policy. Off-campus there is no limit. Can an international student get work-study, and if so, how? Work-study is federally funded for which our international students are not eligible. They can, however, work on campus, just not through work-study. How can international students learn what work authorization they have? In general, it should be noted on their form I-20 (for F-1s) or DS-2019 (for J-1s) or their EAD card – if they’re not sure, they can contact OIS. If an international student is about to graduate, what are their options for postgraduation work? OPT is a general work authorization for 12 months following graduation, during which time a student can work anywhere that is related to their major. They do not need a job offer to apply for or receive OPT. Certain majors (STEM as designated by DHS) are eligible for a 24 month extension on top of the original 12 months of OPT. F-1 students are allowed one 12 month period of OPT (and if eligible 24 month STEM ext) per degree level. If you’re considering other options, OIS can provide general insight on the wide-variety of visa classes, their qualifications or conditions, how to obtain a new status, restrictions, and more. You may also consider retaining a reputable immigration attorney for further guidance, which OIS can recommend a few. Please connect with OIS if you have any further questions about your current or future work authorization status, as well as any concerns you may have about a specific employer
Office for International Services