252 Main Street
Farmington, ME 04938
Phone: (207) 778-7122
FAX: (207) 778-7879
TDD: (207) 778-7000
e-Mail:
exchangeprograms@umf.maine.edu
Which are you thinking about?
Employment Before Graduation or
Employment After Graduation?
The
only options for legal employment
of foreign students before
graduation are:
1.) On campus for up to 20 hours
per week
2.) Required or recommended
internships
3.) Work permission based on
documented severe economic
hardship.
In all cases, the work must be
recommended by your advisor
and/or USCIS before you can begin
work. For more information about
any type of work, you must make an
appointment to see the
international advisor.
Procedures to request
work permission after
graduation / completion of your
studies:
Persons who are in F-1 status
must request work permission from
the US Immigration and
Citizenship Services (USCIS)
before they can be legally
employed anywhere in the U.S.
including on-campus. F-1 status
holders who have been granted
work permission by USCIS will
receive a plastic card, known as
the Employment Authorization
Document (EAD).
NOTE: Students may
NOT work on campus after
graduation without an EAD, and
the work must be related
to the student's major field of
study. Regular on-campus
employment eligibility ends on
the day of graduation. To obtain the
EAD, it is necessary to apply by
mail to USCIS. The request must
be made before
completion of studies and before the program end
date on your I-20. Processing
time is approximately 90 days.
Step I
Submit the following
documents to the Enrollment Services and
Exchange Programs Office:
Check or money order
for $340.00 made payable to U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.
Letter
from Academic Advisor, Dean, Associate Dean,
Department Chair, (see sample in the OPT
packet).
Completed EAD
Handling form (can be found in the OPT packet).
Completed form I-538
(can be found in the OPT packet).
Completed form
I-765 (can be found in the OPT packet).
Photocopies of
current and all previous I-20s, front page and
“travel signature” page.
Photocopy of any
previous EADs if you have any (clear, clean,
legible copies).
Photocopy of I-94
Card, front and back, even if there is nothing
written on the back.
Photocopy of
passport pages, picture/biographical information
page(s), visa page; clear, clean, legible
copies.
Two (2) photos
with a white background taken no earlier than 30
days before submission to USCIS. Photos should
meet specifications for full frontal/passport
photos. DO NOT CUT THE PICTURES. The
photos cannot be digital. With a pencil,
lightly print your name, date of birth and I-94
number on the back of each photo.
Step II
The Enrollment Services and
Exchange Programs Office will review and process
your application. Please allow 2 weeks for
processing time, plan ahead.
Step III
For a fee, the Enrollment
Services and Exchange Programs Office will mail
the application to the USCIS Vermont Service
Center for you, unless you prefer to do it
yourself. It will be mailed via an
express mail service (e.g. UPS or Federal
Express), you must pay the cost for this
service. The application will be mailed to:
United States
Citizenship & Immigration Services
Vermont
Service Center
75 Lower
Welden Street
St. Albans, VT
05479-0001
Collect the following
documentation and assemble in the
order listed:
Photocopy of
the I-94 card in your
passport, *both sides
Photocopy of
your I-20 (endorsed by
international student advisor**
for work permission
recommendation)
**The
advisor must sign some of the
forms before you can mail the
application, therefore, after you
have assembled all of these
documents, schedule an
appointment with the advisor.
*Send by certified mail, receipt
requested. Keep your postal
record. After filing your
application and paying your fees,
you will receive a receipt
number. These receipt numbers are
very important. You will use this
number if you write to USCIS
about your case, or whenever you
contact them to find out about
the status of your case. The
Employment Authorization Document
(EAD) will eventually be mailed
to you at the address you
provided in the I-765. Expect to
receive the EAD 1-3 months after
you have mailed the application
to USCIS.
If you have an Application Receipt Number, you can check the status of your
application on line,
visit the CIS
website
