There are many unknown facts about hiring international students, and this page highlights the most common.
International students bring great value to any organization and contribute to its success in many ways. This page highlights the ease, legality, and cost-effectiveness of hiring an international student. For example, most of the paperwork is handled by the students and there’s no extra cost; employers can save money if the international students are eligible for exemptions from tax requirements.
At the core is a commitment to diversity, emphasizing the valuable contributions international students bring to the workplace.
Resources
- For any questions, please contact Dan Neuwirth at neuwirtd@uwm.edu.
Practical Training
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an employment authorization for F-1 students.
CPT is not a separate visa category and does not require “sponsorship” from an employer. Students must have an offer of employment related to their major field of study before they can apply for CPT.
International students on F‐1 visas may be eligible for CPT authorization while completing their degree program. CPT is only available before they complete their degree program and cannot be used to extend the SEVIS program end date/degree completion.
Eligible students may seek authorization to participate in an internship, co-op, or practicum that is directly related to their major field of study. The purpose of CPT is to apply the knowledge and skills they are gaining in the classroom to practical experience in the U.S.
Additional Information
- Duration: CPT is intended as a short-term learning experience. There is no limit, but 12 months of full-time CPT eliminates eligibility for OPT. Part-time CPT employment should not affect eligibility for OPT.
- Employer Role: Applying for CPT is solely the responsibility of the student and therefore requires no action on the part of the hiring organization. (The employer must issue a letter confirming the internship offer.)
- Cost and Processing Time: There is no cost to the employer. CPT processing and approval time is usually within 5-10 working days after complete submission.
CPT authorization is granted for one semester at a time. Students must be enrolled for the semester that they are applying for CPT authorization before they submit their completed CPT application to the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) office. ISSS may take 5-10 business days to evaluate their CPT request. Students may begin employment only after they receive the CPT work authorization on their I‐20 form (immigration document).
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is an employment authorization for F-1 students.
OPT authorization allows students to work in a job directly related to their major field of study. The purpose of OPT is for students to apply the knowledge and skills gained in the classroom to practical work experience in the U.S.
OPT is available for 12 months per degree level, as long as students progress in degree levels. (Example: A student earns a bachelor’s degree and uses 12 months of OPT. They return to school to earn a master’s and earn eligibility to apply for another 12 months of OPT at the master’s level).
Students can request to work:
- Duration: 12 months.
- Employer Role: Applying for OPT is solely the responsibility of the student and therefore requires no action on the part of the hiring organization. OPT can be granted to the student with or without an offer of employment.
- Cost to Employer and Processing Time: There is no cost to the employer. The USCIS processing time for OPT takes an average of 60-90 days; therefore, students are encouraged to apply as early as 90 days prior to graduation. The new employee must have the EAD card in hand, and the authorization start date has been reached to start working.
Students who obtain a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) may be eligible for an additional 24 months of OPT called Extension.
Extension can be authorized for an additional 24 months if the student both…
- Is currently on post‐completion OPT after completing a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
- Has a job or job offer from an employer registered in the USCIS E-Verify Program.
- Be enrolled and in good standing with E-Verify.
- Prepare and implement a formal training program to support the student’s academic learning through practical experience. The training program is signed by both the employer and the student and submitted to the International Student and Scholar Services office.
- Complete the required STEM OPT reporting for employers.
- Be prepared for a government agent worksite visit to verify STEM OPT program requirements are being met.
- Provide an employment opportunity similar to U.S. workers in duties, hours, and compensation. Attest that:
- The company has enough resources and trained personnel available to train the student appropriately;
- The student will not replace a full- or part-time, temporary or permanent U.S. worker; and
- Help the student attain his or her training objectives.
For more information, visit this page.
STEM OPT Cost and Processing Time:
- There is no cost to the employer.
- The International Student and Scholar Services office processes the student’s STEM OPT recommendation within 10 working days after complete submission. The USCIS processing time for STEM OPT takes an average of 90 days.
- The STEM OPT Extension must be filed before the initial OPT period expires. If students file their STEM OPT extension applications on time and their OPT period expires while their extension application is pending, their work authorization is automatically extended for 180 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please have them visit the Center for International Education’s webpage.
F‐1 students may be eligible for curricular practical training before completing their studies and an additional 12 months of optional practical training. Students who complete degrees in the STEM field may be eligible for 24 additional months of optional practical training at an E‐Verify employer.
Once an F-1 student has obtained a job offer, they become eligible for a Social Security Number. If an international student has never worked in the US prior to your job offer, they will need an SSN but are not required to have it before they begin working.
Students can read more about the SSN procedures on our website.
Employers can read more about the SSN for foreign workers on this Social Security Administration webpage.
No.
International students must have the work authorization before they begin actual employment, but not before they are offered employment. Many F‐1 students will be in the process of obtaining work authorization while they are interviewing for employment. Students can give employers a reasonable estimate of when they expect to receive work authorization.
No.
Federal regulations permit the employment of international students on F‐1 visas within certain limits. F-1 visas allow students to work in jobs related to their major field of study with appropriate authorization. F‐1 students can work with authorization for “practical training.”
No.
American employers are not required to document that a citizen of another country did not take a job from a qualified American if that person is in F-1 status and have appropriate employment authorizations.
There is no need to apply for or sponsor any visas during CPT and OPT periods. F-1 students are allowed to work if they have valid CPT or OPT authorization. US Permanent Residency (Green Card) is not a requirement when hiring an international student. Hiring F-1 students does not automatically make employers obligated for future sponsorship.
You should check with the international students if they are eligible for full-time CPT or OPT authorization.
If you are interested in hiring someone who is on STEM OPT extension, please check the employer’s role under STEM OPT extension session.
Please refer to USCIS STEM OPT Employer Requirements and Responsibility for details. You can also visit here to learn about Employer STEM OPT reporting requirements.
When students apply for CPT, they will be required to submit a CPT employer letter. An employer must provide the student with the CPT employer letter, which includes the following:
- Name of the company/organization
- The physical address of the employment
- Start and end dates of the employment
- Number of work hours per week
There is no cost to register in the E‐Verify program. Information on E-Verify and the enrollment procedure can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/everify.
No.
The only cost to the employer hiring international students is the time and effort to interview and select the best candidate for the job. Fortunately, there is little paperwork for an employer who hires F‐1 students.
An employer could sponsor an international student for a H1B visa and hire the student to continue to work for them in the H‐1B visa category for a total of six years (authorization is granted in two three‐year periods).
Please refer to Foreign Students, Scholars, Teachers, Researchers and Exchange Visitors | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) for more information.
The F-1 Visa (Academic Student) allows students to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program. Immigration documents for students who are on F-1 status include form I-20, F-1 visa stamp, I-94 record, and passport.
Students who have received OPT authorization will be issued an EAD by the USCIS. Their name, photo, and valid dates of employment are printed on the EAD. Employers should note that the average processing time for USCIS to issue the EAD is two or three months.
For Optional Practical Training, F‐1 students receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) from USCIS. For Curricular Practical Training, F‐1 students receive authorization from the school on the back of the student’s I‐20.
International students are authorized by the university’s International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) office to work under Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for Optional Practical Training (OPT).
There are no extra costs to employers.
For your reference:
The Code of Federal Regulations are as follows:
F‐1 students: 8CFR 214.2 (f) (9) & (10)