J-1 Economic Necessity

This type of off-campus work permission is for J-1 students who can demonstrate that they are experiencing serious and unforeseen economic hardship. This hardship must have occurred after the student acquired J-1 status. This may include loss of funding due to no fault of the student, a substantial change in the value of the student's home currency, or significant unexpected expenses.

Please note the following:

Authorization can be granted one year at a time and the employment does not have to be related to the student's academic program.
Employment must be no more than 20 hours per week during the academic year but may be full-time during the summer.
Students must maintain full-time enrollment during the academic year.
Students must make an effort to find on-campus employment

You must schedule an appointment with an international student adviser to be considered for Economic Necessity. You may not begin working until your request is approved. If approved, you will be issued a letter from ISSA authorizing your off-campus employment.

Please note: You may not combine on-campus employment and economic necessity employment in order to work more than 20 hours per week during the academic year.