Employment Options for J-1 Students and their J-2 Dependents

The following employment options are available provided you are in good academic standing and are enrolled in a full course of study except for official school breaks and the annual vacation quarter. Employment must total no more than 20 hours per week, except during school breaks and the annual vacation quarter, and the specific employment must be authorized in advance and in writing by your adviser in the International Student Services (ISS). If your program sponsor is not the UW, but an outside agency, you will need to obtain from that agency written authorization for employment.

• Employment pursuant to the terms of a scholarship, fellowship, or assistantship.
• Employment on the campus of the school you are authorized to attend.
• Employment off-campus which is necessary because of serious, urgent and unforeseen economic circumstances that have arisen since acquiring exchange visitor status. (Employment on account of economic circumstances may be authorized up to a maximum of 12 months at a time).
• Employment for "Academic Training": Academic Training is work related to your field of study and may be paid or unpaid. You may be authorized to participate in Academic Training during your studies or commencing not later than 30 days after completion of studies. Employment for Academic Training has an overall limit of 18 months, which includes training both before and after completion of studies. However, the total training period may not exceed the amount of time spent in the full course of study. For postdoctoral training, the overall limit is 36 months. "Postdoctoral training" implies the traditional academic use of the term "post-doc," meaning a period of mentored research, typically at an institution of higher education. All Academic Training is counted as full-time, even if employment is on a part-time basis.
  

  To apply for Academic Training you must obtain both an offer of employment and a written recommendation from your academic adviser and present these to your ISS adviser. The recommendation from your academic adviser must:

  • State the goals and objectives of the training program
  • Include the name and address (job location) of the employer
  • Include the name of the training supervisor
  • State the number of hours per week and dates of the training
  • Describe how the training relates to your major field of study
  • Explain why it is an integral or critical part of your Exhange Visitor program.

Dependents in J-2 status may request employment authorization from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Income from the J-2's employment may be used to support the family's customary recreational and cultural activities and related travel, among other things. Employment will not be authorized if the income is needed to support the J-1. Employment may be authorized up to twelve months, and may be renewed annually.

The application for employment authorization may take up to 90 days to be processed. If approved, the J-2 will be issued an employment authorization card. The card will have an expiration date, and may be renewed annually. During the period of authorized employment the J-2 may accept any kind of employment, full-time or part-time. The J-2's employment authorization is valid only while the J-1 is maintaining status.

To apply for an employment authorization document (EAD), or to renew a previously approved EAD, mail the following to USCIS:

• Form I-765. Instructions are included with the form and should be read carefully. In item 3, use an address that will not change as mail from USCIS will not be forwarded. In item 16, write: (C)(5). The J-2 applicant signs the form in blue ink.
• $340 check or money order payable to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security."
• Letter explaining why work authorization is sought, written by J-2 applicant. The letter should state that employment is not necessary to support the J-1.
• Photocopies of the J-2's and J-1's current and prior DS-2019 forms.
• Two photos. Photos should be passport style: white background, unmounted glossy, unretouched, with a full face position, and taken no earlier than 30 days before submission to USCIS. Lightly print your on the back of each photo with pencil. Place the photos in a small plastic bag or envelope and staple to the I-765 form.
• Photocopy of the identification page in the J-2's passport.
• Photocopy of the visa page in J-2's passport.
• Photocopy of J-2's I-94 card (front and back).
• Photocopies of any EAD cards issued previously to the J-2.
• Photocopy of the J-2's driver's license or other photo identification, if available.
• Marriage certificate (if spouse of the J-1), or birth certificate (if child of the J-1). Foreign-language documents should include an English tradition.

Mailing address:

    USCIS Nebraska Service Center
    Box 87765
    Lincoln, NE 68501-7765

For more information about J-1 or J-2 employment opportunties, contact the International Student Services.