On-Campus Employment | Center for International Education | SIU

While you are studying in the U.S. as an F-1 or J-1 international student, it is important to remember that you are not able to work off-campus; however, these student visa classifications do allow for employment on-campus. At SIU, students are able to be employed in the student employment program and as a graduate assistant (teaching, research, administrative, etc.) for graduate level students. 

J-1 Visa holders must obtain permission from their sponsor to work on-campus. If SIU is your immigration sponsor, you may obtain approval from your Responsible Officer (RO) at the Center for International Education (CIE) and the visa status verification issued  will serve as your written permission to work. If your sponsor is not SIU but another agency like IIE, USAID, CAPES, AMIDEAST, et cetera, then you will need to obtain written permission from that agency to work. This written permission must provided to the RO at CIE to obtain a visa status verification authorizing your employability on-campus. For any questions, please email issinfo@siu.edu. 

On-Campus Employment Guidelines:

• Must be present in the U.S to hold an on-campus employment position.
• Permitted to work only for the duration of your I-20/DS-2019 program dates.
• DO NOT exceed the maximum number of hours allowed for the semester: 20 hours per week while school is in session and 37.5 hours per week during break periods with more than 5 consecutive days. The full-time work allowance during break periods is not applicable for graduate assistants with 25% or 50% FTE appointments.
• Maintain a valid passport and Active F-1 or J-1 immigration status.

Student Employment Program:

The student employment program was designed to provide students with part-time employment experience, supplemental income, and educational benefits outside the classroom. Student employment also offers opportunities to make contacts with role models in their respective fields and to secure employment references.

SIU Carbondale is known nationwide for its extensive student employment program. SIU Carbondale's students fill over 2,000 jobs on campus each semester. 

Student employment jobs are posted to the on-campus filter in Hire a Saluki powered by Handshake. 

• When applying for student employment jobs on-campus, international students retrieve the student work referral from SalukiNet.siu.edu. 
• After obtaining a job offer, international students may begin hiring paperwork with the unit offering them a position. One additional item that you need is a social security (SSN) letter (applicable only if you do not already have a social security number). The social security letter will require endorsement from the hiring unit and will need to be submitted to the International Student and Scholar Services at the Center for International Education.
• Once complete, you will bring the SSN letter to the CIE office and request a visa status verification form. If you already have a social security number, you may skip the SSN letter step and directly request the visa status verification. The visa status verification is required to complete the I-9 form as part of the hiring paperwork with the unit that is hiring you. To request the visa status verification, the CIE office will need to review your I-20/DS-2019, passport, and I-94.
• Additional paperwork related to international tax and payroll should also be completed with the human resources. You may contact this office by emailing intltax@siu.edu.   

For more information, please review the student employment handbook or the Student Employment office's website.

Graduate Level Assistantships:

Graduate assistants are assigned to an academic department or administrative office on-campus, usually relating to the student's area of study or skillset. Eligible students can benefit from an assistantship because the experience serves as a contribution to a graduate student's intellectual development. An assistantship also entitles a graduate assistant to a tuition waiver and a stipend. A student may be offered an assistantship upon admission or after arrival on-campus.

• To apply for graduate assistantships, you may browse available postings here. Be sure to review the qualifications and pay specific attention to the instructions on how to apply set forth by the hiring unit.
• After obtaining a job offer, international students may begin hiring paperwork with the unit offering them a position. One additional item that you may need is a social security (SSN) letter (applicable only if you do not already have a social security number). The social security letter will require endorsement from the hiring unit and will need to be submitted to the International Student and Scholar Services at the Center for International Education.
• Once complete, you will bring the SSN letter to the CIE office and request a visa status verification form. If you already have a social security number, you may skip the SSN letter step and directly request the visa status verification. The visa status verification is required to complete the I-9 form as part of your hiring paperwork with the unit that is hiring you. To request the visa status verification, the CIE office will need to review your I-20/DS-2019, passport, and I-94.
• Additional paperwork related to international tax and payroll should also be completed with the human resources. You may contact this office by emailing intltax@siu.edu. 

For more information, please review the graduate assistantships website.

For information related to social security number, visit this website.