Employment for J-1 Students

Students on J-1 visas have the opportunity to be employed in on-campus work or off-campus academic training. The appropriate work authorization must be obtained before starting any type of employment. Working even one day without proper authorization constitutes illegal employment. Meet with the ISSS office before starting employment and avoid violating your visa status.

As a J-1 visitor/student, you may qualify for the following types of employment:

On-Campus Employment

On-campus employment is defined as work done on the premises of the school. On-campus employment is limited to 20 hours a week (part-time) during the academic year and 30 hours or more a week during official university breaks. J-1 students must obtain authorization from the ISSS office prior to the employment start date. Search for open positions here. Please note, any job openings marked ‘FWS’ are not available to international students. Once hired, you can apply for a Social Security number by following the instructions here. 

Once you have secured a job offer at NLU, make an appointment with ISSS and bring your offer letter.

Academic Training in Your Field of Study

Academic training is work, training, or experience related to a student's field of study. All academic training is counted full-time. 

You must have a job offer letter in your field of study and obtain signed recommendations for academic training from your career advisor and Responsible Officer at ISSS. Please complete the Authorization Form for J-1 Student Academic Training. Return it to the Responsible Officer at ISSS.

The time you are authorized for academic training before your program completion will be subtracted from the total time of academic training for which you are eligible. Time allotted may not exceed “the period of full course of study” or 18 months, which ever is shorter. If you received a Ph.D., your post-doctoral training may last as long as 36 months. Completing more than one degree program does not increase your academic training period.