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International Student Orientation

Employment
On-campus employment is allowed for both F-1 and J-1 visa holders. F-1 students have an I-20; J-1 students have an IAP-66, which will soon change to a DS2019. Students planning to work or receiving scholarships will need a Social Security number. There is a maximum of 20 hours per week while school is in session and 40 hours per week when school is not in session that a student can work. Many employers, even on campus, are not aware of this law. If you break this law, it is your responsibility, not your employer’s. Please do not let this happen.

Some students have assistantships, which are contracts to work a specific number of hours per week for a set sum of money, as well as hourly paid employment. The contract hours plus the hourly paid time can not equal more than the 20/40 numbers previously mentioned. Assistantships are cause to have less than a full-time course load. See Foreign Student Advisor for more information.

Off-campus employment is not allowed in most cases. Severe, unexpected economic need and practical training are exceptions. Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Academic Training (AT) are types of employment available to most students after at least 9 months of school. Other requirements do exist. Contact the CIE for details and requirements at least 4 months in advance for OPT, as approval comes from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). CPT and AT can be authorized by our office. Advance notice of at least one month is requested.

Employment for F-2 dependents is not allowed. Employment for J-2 dependents is allowed with permission from the INS. Information and forms are available at the CIE, located in the Joyner House on the North West corner of 10th Avenue and 20th Street.

Social Security Numbers
Currently there are up to 12-week delays in assigning Social Security numbers to international students. If interested in applying for a Social Security number, please contact our office for the procedures, application form, and a required recommendation letter. At UNC, applying for a number is not sufficient to allow working. Working is dependent upon receiving a Social Security number.

Address Changes
Students checking in at CIE are given an AR-11 form, Address Change for Aliens, required by the INS. Every time an international student moves, the form must be filled out and submitted. We always have them available in our office. Just fill it out and give it to us. We update your file and forward the information to the INS. Students subject to Special Registration will fill out AR-11SR. This would include students from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Armenia.

Many students move out of the dorms or their current apartment over the summer. The AR-11 must be filed and Webster should be updated every time. Also, the CIE always needs to know all students’ current phone number and email address. We communicate primarily through email – some are urgent, some are just notices, and some are invitations. Please check the email account listed with us frequently.

Course Load
International students are required by the INS to carry a full-time course load. For undergraduate students, that’s 12 credits. For graduates, it’s 9 credits. You cannot go below this level without permission from our office in advance. There are a few exceptions to this rule. If you’re having problems, please make an appointment to discuss your situation with Dee Buettner BEFORE you drop any classes. Starting in January, this information will be sent to the INS. Asking permission after the fact will be considered incorrect. This will cause you to be out of status, which necessitates paying a fee and applying for reinstatement. Reinstatements can be denied, which would invalidate your visa to study in the United States.

Health Insurance
UNC requires all students to carry health insurance. A policy is available through the Student Health Center. Please contact them at 351-2412 for more details. http://www.unco.edu/ship/main/international.htm

J-1 students must carry a special type of health insurance while in the United States. It must have repatriation coverage (pays to transport individual home in case of medical emergency). If the J-1 visa holder plans to stay in the US after classes end (up to 30 days allowed), the insurance must still be valid. This is also true during Academic Training. The consequence for failure to maintain the appropriate health insurance is deportation. This means the individual must go home and cannot apply for reinstatement of status while in the US.

Concurrent Enrollment
Sometimes students want to take a course that will apply towards their degree but is not offered that semester at UNC. This is allowed IF the proper procedures are followed. A copy of these procedures is available at the CIE.

If the course will not be counted toward full-time status, you may take classes at other institutions without prior permission from our office. Exchange students are not allowed to take courses at other institutions.

Dependents/Visits of Family Members
If you have dependents (spouse, children) that will be traveling separately, we can issue the paperwork necessary for them to get visas. If you would like a parent, sibling, or your child to visit for a short period of time on a tourist visa, we can provide a letter supporting the visit, which should help them get the requested visa status. Ask us for details if needed.

Maintaining Status
Being “out-of-status” means INS rules have been broken. Some violations are considered minor offenses. In these cases, students can apply for reinstatement to be “in status” with the help of the CIE. Being out of status for a long period of time, even for a minor violation, will prevent reinstatement. Other violations are considered to be too serious and students must return to their home country. The follow is a summary of areas where the rules must not be broken.

• Don’t work off campus.
• Don’t work more than the maximum number of hours per week. This is not averaged.
• Don’t let your F-2 dependent work – anywhere.
• Don’t drop below the minimum number of credits authorized.
• J-1 visa holders must carry the appropriate health insurance.
• If a mistake is made, contact the CIE and apply for reinstatement immediately.
• If you want or need to take a class at another institution, come to the CIE and follow the procedures.
• If granted practical training, keep in touch with the CIE and fill out the necessary forms.

Questions?
Contact Helen O'Keefe, Center for International Education, Joyner House, 1947 10th Ave., Greeley, CO 80639 (970) 351-2396, helen.okeefe@unco.edu