This provides the basic process and regulatory overview of the steps needed to hire a student on an F-1 or J-1 visa. This process provides information regarding the immigration requirements. Please remember to consult with Human Resources for questions regarding UT specific policy and on-boarding best practices.
Important, International Student and Scholar Services has recently come into alignment with Department of Homeland Security policy on electronic issuance of form I-20s. As such, F-1 students are not issued a physical form I-20 or employment stamp. If additional verification of this update is needed, please find the signed letter below.
Per federal regulation 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(i), current students in F-1 immigration status and per federal regulation 22 CFR 62.23(g), current students in J-1 status are authorized to work on campus as long as they meet the following criteria:
The student must be in good academic standing and enrolled in full-time coursework;
the student may not work more than 20 hours per week (totaling all university employment) while classes are in session;
the students approval is only valid until the program end date on their I-20 form shown in the “Program of Study” section on page 1 of the I-20 or until the “to” period in box 3 of the form DS-2019.
All new F-1 and J-1 students must complete an initial check in with immigration before Social Security Numbers can be issued or the form I-9 process can be completed. This can be determined by a quick look at the student’s immigration document.
To check if an F-1 student has been registered, ask for their form I-20. Look at Form Issue Reason. If this reads “Continued Attendance,” the student has been registered with immigration and can proceed with the hiring process.
To check if a student with a DS-2019 has been registered (validated), ask for their form DS-2019. The form DS-2019 must be a physical copy. Note, Department of State regulations require that the DS-2019 be a physical document. If you see a travel signature on the form DS-2019, the record has been validated, and you can continue with the hiring process.
If the student does not have an SSN, you will need to issue an SSN Memo following the instructions at Issuing a Social Security Memo for an F-1 or J-1 Student. If the student does have an SSN, you can skip this step and proceed to step four.
Complete the form I-9 following the process from Human Resources. You can refer to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publication Handbook for Employers M-274 for information on what documents to use for the I-9. The specific sections are 6.4.2 F-1 and M-1 Nonimmigrant Students and 6.4.1 Exchange Visitors (J-1).