It is necessary to understand the policy of working in the United States

The U.S. government and schools have their own regulations on students working, especially the regulations for students working outside the school are stricter. If international students plan to work in the United States, they must understand these relevant laws and regulations to avoid working illegally and being severely punished.

Generally speaking, the U.S. government does not have many restrictions on students working on campus. As long as international students register and maintain full-time student status, they do not need to apply for special permission. However, the government has clear regulations on the working time of students, that is, students cannot work more than 20 hours during school and 40 hours during holidays.

Off-campus work can only be done after applying and obtaining permission.

First of all, the company where international students work must be a company approved by the Immigration Bureau or the Labor Department. International students are not allowed to work in companies that are not approved.

Secondly, students must hold a legal student visa and have grades above the general standard before they can apply to the school’s international student consultant nine months after enrolling.

Finally, the validity period of the international student work permit is 12 months. If you want to extend it, you need to apply again.

Students who need to work off-campus due to financial difficulties caused by some unexpected circumstances can submit corresponding certificates to the international student consultant and apply for a special work permit after one year of enrollment. If successful, they can work off-campus. The scope of this kind of permission is broader than the scope of the previous work permit. Students holding this kind of permission can freely choose companies without being subject to special restrictions.

However, everyone must abide by the regulations. If there is any illegal work, the U.S. government will cancel the legal status of the student, and even the visas of the student’s spouse and children will be invalid, and they will be subject to immigration restrictions. Deported out of the country. Therefore, no matter how urgent the reason is, international students must make all preparations before working.

Where do international students generally find part-time jobs?

Working on campus

According to the regulations of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), international students holding F1 student visas can work freely and legally on campus. No special permission is required, but you must hold a valid F1 visa; working hours are generally limited to 20 hours per week during the semester; you can work full-time (up to 40 hours/week) during holidays and vacations. Since the opportunity to work in the school is limited, even if you work on campus, the job cannot be used as a source of income, and the job cannot be related to studies. At the same time, part-time work is not allowed in the first school year. Before working on campus, the general school All require permission from USCIS.

It is understood that on-campus jobs in the United States are generally relatively easy, and you can work in university cafeterias, bookstores, libraries, health clubs, or university administrative offices.

Off-campus work

It is understood that off-campus work for students holding U.S. F-1 international student visas is regulated by federal law. The first and most important thing is that students are allowed to come to the United States for study and research. They must prove that they are able to afford study and living expenses before entering the country, so they should not expect to be allowed to work "off campus." Secondly, students will only be allowed to work off-campus if they encounter "serious financial difficulties" after enrolling, or are in an "emergency environment" specified by the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, students must have been enrolled in school for at least one academic year and have good academic performance, and they are unable to obtain the opportunity of "on-campus work"; or the salary of "on-campus work" is not enough to meet the student's financial needs. Only in these cases can students Can be allowed to work off campus. The working hours of off-campus work shall not exceed 20 hours per week. In addition, the validity period for authorizing off-campus work is usually one year. If a student is working off-campus and the time limit for his permission to work has expired, he cannot continue to work. F-1 students should apply to the Division of Citizenship and Immigration to renew their EAD card no later than 6 months to 90 days before their Authorized Employment Card expires.

Internship project

According to reports, American universities can provide CPT (Curricular Practical Training) during school, after completing most of the courses, or during holidays. The total is one year and can be used several times. CPT is an internship program of American universities. During CPT, students are in full-time positions and enjoy the same treatment as employees of the company or institution where the internship is held. CPT can not only meet the financial needs of international students, but is also very helpful in finding a job after graduation. But in principle, CPT work must be related to the major studied. Mainly refers to two situations: one is that the internship is an integral part of the project, which means that the internship is required, which is relatively rare; the other is that you work outside and register for 1-N credits at the same time For practical courses, credits are not required for graduation, but registration is required. The probability of the second situation happening is relatively high.

Short-term internship after graduation

OPT (Optional Practical Training) refers to the short-term internship for F-1 students in related fields. It is granted by the U.S. government to international students after completing a degree in the United States. A period of work internship in a related major, usually 1 year. The internship training period for international students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics can even be extended to 29 months.

It is understood that before applying for OPT, you must first apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The International Affairs Office can help and guide students to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Before applying for EAD, there is no requirement. You have found a job, but you must have the relevant documents, forms, photos and fees ready. It takes more than 12 weeks to apply for EAD. Students can start working after obtaining a work permit.

How to save money while studying in the United States, let’s take a look at the following good ways to save money

1. Mobile phones are life, compare the prices of various communication providers

As For those who do not have access to the Internet, the first thing they do when coming to the United States is to buy a phone card. The more well-known communication companies in the United States include AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and Alltel.

In addition, there are many communication companies. Children can check online for plans that suit them and then compare prices to choose the most cost-effective plan.

The United States has discount packages such as family plans. If 2 to 5 people share a contracted package, and everyone pays equally, the price will be relatively cost-effective. Therefore, even single people should stay together, and unity means saving money~

The monthly subscription plans of most telephone companies in the United States have free calling hours between 21:00 to 7:00 the next morning and on weekends. Try to do it in the evenings or on weekends to save money every minute.

2. It saves money to book tickets in advance

You can also save money on transportation in the United States. If you book railway tickets in advance, you may buy special early bird tickets. The fare is relatively reasonable. Site Available throughout North America, very convenient.

3. There are many discounts with student ID cards

In the United States, being a student is a great status! You can take public transportation within the scope of school regulations without any money, insurance, or electricity* , gyms, etc. will have discounts. It would be a shame not to buy some discounts. For example, if you show your student ID when buying an Apple computer, you can get a $200 discount.

When going to major stores, remember to ask if there are student discounts, because even if some stores have student discounts, they will never mention it if you don’t ask. Otherwise, there is a saying: No negotiation for anything. Ahem...

Many clothing brands such as J.Crew, Topshop, Madewell, etc. have discounts. While you are still young and a student, try your best to take advantage of student discounts!

4. Buy second-hand books

When you first come to the United States to study, what will surprise you more than seeing your own grades must be the textbooks The price... any book costs forty or fifty dollars, easily hundreds of dollars. If you are not a book-obsessed academic, you can actually buy second-hand books or rent them.

You can buy and rent books at the school’s buying and selling forum or on Amazon.

Or use your own people (beauty) and connections (color) to ask seniors to lend you books~

5. Top students should work hard to apply for scholarships

What? Are you Do you want to be a top student? Then please go to the International Student Office of the school ahead to consult how to apply for a scholarship!

The scholarship system in the United States is mostly divided into three categories:

Scholarships unrelated to need (Need Blind) , generally applicable to extremely outstanding academics, probably neither you nor me;

Need-based scholarship (NeedBased), which is more suitable for American students, that is neither you nor me,; < /p>

Merit Based Scholarship, this is for you and me.

If you are a top student, remember to apply for a scholarship. If you apply, you will save a lot of money. So if you study well, you can really save money!

6. Study hard and not fail the class

It doesn’t matter if you are not a top student, at least don’t be a scumbag who will fail the class. Or Xue Mo. The United States adopts a credit system, and tuition fees are also calculated based on credits.

If you fail a course, you will need to retake it. If you retake it, you will need to pay tuition again. Not only will you have to endure the pressure of study, but you will also have to suffer a secondary loss of money. So believe in yourself, study hard, and strive for a 60-point pass!

7. Plan your courses reasonably and graduate early

The United States charges fees by semester. If you can graduate one semester early, you will save tuition fees. It’s quite impressive, especially the better the university, the more expensive the tuition! When studying in universities in the United States, as long as they plan their course selections reasonably, many students will graduate early and will not experience too much pressure to study.

Consult the school’s course selection counselor when you enroll and ask them to help plan the courses for the next few years. You can choose courses step by step and graduate early. The money you save can also be used for a graduation trip.

I’ll take you, you take the money you saved, and we’ll go eat and buy together~

8. Learn to use credit cards

When I come to the United States, with one card in hand, I have the world. In the United States, international students can also apply for bank credit cards, but different credit card types have different discounts or benefits. For example, some credit cards offer quarterly cash rebates, and some credit cards offer discounts on car gas. To be specific, you need to compare several banks to see which one is more suitable for you.