I\u2019ve been working in international education for several years now. Students often ask me if they are permitted to work in the US. Many more students ask themselves that question before they even come to America to study\u2014they want to know if they\u2019ll be able to earn extra money, get valuable work experience, and have extra financial support once they come to the U.S.<\/p>\n
So can you work in America, once you arrive here on a student visa? The short answer to that question is \u201cyes.\u201d The longer, more complicated answer to that question starts with \u201cMaybe, but it depends.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are the basic facts:<\/p>\n
These basic facts probably leave you with a lot of questions. Which on campus jobs may not be worked by international students? How can you know if an off-campus job is considered study-related? How do you report changes in the amount of hours you work during school and on break? How do you get permission from your school to work? Is it possible to accidentally break the rules? And if so, what are the consequences?<\/p>\n
To get the answers to all of these questions and a few more, I interviewed my colleague Othman Zaimi. Othman, known as \u201cOzzie\u201d to his friends, is a former international student from Morocco. Ozzie and I both went to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin. Ozzie now works as the Intercultural Programs Manager in the University of St. Thomas\u2019s Office of International Student Services<\/a>. In his job, he helps international students know and understand their work rights and find good jobs. Listen to Ozzie and I chat here:<\/p>\n