The following information is intended only as a reference about employment and training for students with a J-1 visa type. If you have specific questions or concerns, speak directly with a VISA advisor in The VISA Office by emailing visa@case.edu.
As a J-1 student, you are eligible for a variety of work opportunities in the United States, based on two different types of employment with their own criteria and limits:
- employment related to academic funding, on-campus work, or economic necessity, and
- academic training related to the course of study.
Employment without proper authorization is a serious violation of your status so remember that before you start any kind of employment, you must first consult your sponsor, whose written approval is necessary in advance.
Employment Related to Academic Funding, On-campus Work or Economic Necessity
J-1 students may engage in employment if they:
- are engaged in a full-time course load during the academic year
- work no more than 20 hours per week during the academic year (more work may be done during designated official school breaks),
- receive written authorization from their sponsor.
Procedure for CWRU Sponsored Students
ISS can either provide or obtain the required written authorization for employment in all three instances. For students receiving academic funding, the student and ISS will work with the academic department to verify the work.
Students pursuing on-campus work can complete and submit an Employment Verification Form to ISS. Students seeking employment based on economic necessity should consult with an international student advisor to obtain the written authorization.
Procedure for Students Not Sponsored by CWRU
Contact your sponsor to go over the required steps and procedures to obtain written employment authorization.
Keep in mind that your plans to work can directly impact your plans to transfer and vice versa. You must have an active DS-2019 and written authorization from your sponsor who issued that active DS-2019 in order to be eligible to work. If you have questions about this, be sure to consult with your sponsor about the timing of your transfer.
Academic Training
A J‑1 student is eligible to participate in academic training while enrolled in school or after completion of the program if the sponsor deems the specific opportunity to be directly related to the field of study as listed on the DS-2019.
Written approval of the academic training must be provided by the sponsor before completion of the program for an opportunity to be done upon completion of the academic program. Academic training may be either paid or unpaid.
A student at the undergraduate or master’s level is eligible to work in academic training one month for each month spent in the academic program, up to 18 months. Students who have completed doctoral programs may be authorized up to 36 months to engage in postdoctoral research training.
Procedures for CWRU-Sponsored Students
Complete and submit the J-1 Academic Training application to Terra Dotta. If you are currently enrolled in coursework, you can use single sign-on to log in. If you have graduated, separate credentials for logging in must be provided. If you do not have those credentials, please email visa@case.edu so that we can provide them.
After you submit your completed application, a VISA staff member will review the documents. An updated DS-2019 reflecting Academic Training authorization will be issued to eligible students.
Be sure to set up an appointment with an international student advisor in advance if you have any questions or concerns.
Procedures for Sponsored Students
Consult with your sponsor about the procedure and standards for granting academic training.