International Student Employment
Federal immigration regulations limit employment for F-1 and J-1 students: the kind of employment, the number of hours per week and the periods of employment. You should verify that you have authorization with the ISSS before beginning in any form of employment.
International students cannot qualify for Federal Work Study (which may exclude them from Work Study ONLY positions), but are eligible for on-campus student employment.
Hours
International students can work a maximum of 20 hours per week while school is in session.
- The 20-hour/week limit applies to the total number of hours worked in a single workweek among all on-campus positions.
- Full-time (more than 20 hours per week, but no more than 40 hours per week) during official school breaks: Fall break, Winter break, Spring break & Summer break.
- Note: Block breaks are not considered official school breaks
- Note: Block breaks are not considered official school breaks
Obtaining your Social Security Card
After you've been hired for a position and completed your International Student Employment Paperwork, you must apply for a Social Security Number. You have 30 days after your start date to obtain your Social Secuirty Card (SSC). Once you receive your SSC in the mail, you must bring it to the Office of Student Financial Services so a copy of it may be obtained.
International students are permitted to continue working until their SSN has been received, so long as they have taken steps to complete the process.
To begin the process of applying for a Social Security Number, please read the Social Security Number Webpage and follow the steps. After you have the necessary letter from your supervisor, email the supervisor’s letter to the International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) team: isss@coloradocollege.edu. The ISSS team will assist you with the Social