GENERAL INFORMATION

• Economic Hardship for F-1 students is the USCIS program that provides permission for a student to work off campus for one year. Some basic information:
• Economic Hardship is only granted if financial circumstances have changed.
• An F-1 student can be approved for 12 MONTHS of Economic Hardship at one time, and can reapply for additional periods.
• Economic Hardship is available to students who have been enrolled on a full-time basis in F-1 status for at least nine months.
• During the period that the Economic Hardship is approved for, a student can work part-time during the Fall or Spring semesters, and full-time during the Summer semester and other vacation periods.
• The job can be of any type; it does not have to be related to your course of study.
• Economic Hardship is automatically terminated if you transfer to another school.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Make an appointment with Scott Parillo, and bring the following items:

1. Your present I-20.
2. Your passport (be sure the white I-94 card is in your passport).
3. Two recent passport-style photographs. Please note that the passport photos cannot be more than six months old and must be 2" x 2" in size. If you try to submit a photo that does not meet these requirements, it can be rejected and delay your application.
4. Check for $340.00 made payable to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services).
5. Your Social Security Number.
6. A letter describing the unforeseen hardship situation and why sufficient employment is not available on campus.
7. Documentation, if available, that supports your letter (like a letter from your sponsor, or proof that your currency has devalued).

During this meeting you will complete the application. In about two weeks the USCIS will send confirmation that the application has been received. The Employment Authorization Card (EAD) should be received in about eight to twelve weeks after that.

Passport Photos

Passport photos must be 2" x 2" and not more than six months old.

Passport photos can be taken in Ashland while you wait at the following places:

• CVS Pharmacy, 418 East Main Street, Ashland, Tel: 419-289-9643
• Gerald's Studio, 141 E. Main Street, Ashland, Tel: 419-281-0551
• Drug Mart, 1631 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, Tel: 419-281-7880
• Spectrum Photo Lab, 625 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, Tel: 419-289-6481 (closest to the university, beside Domino's Pizza)

AIRPLANE

There are three airports within driving distance of the university: Cleveland Hopkins (CLE), Akron/Canton (CAK) and Columbus (CMH). Arriving Students requiring Airport pick-up must fly into Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport (CLE). 

Other transportations:

(Note: Ashland DOES NOT have public transportation or a Bus stop - when arriving ISS requires student to fly into CLE or arrive in CLE via Bus having completed an arrival form in advance. Email ISS@ashland.edu with further questions.)

• Amtrak (Train), check out www.amtrak.com/home

• Greyhound (Bus), check out www.greyhound.com

ASHLAND PUBLIC TRANSIT

• Tel.: 419-281-4869

• $140 to Cleveland, Columbus, and Akron airport—AU students get 10% off.

• Car rental--$75 per hour to any cities.

Looking for work

Vacancies are posted on the bulletin board outside of the Financial Aid Office, 3rd floor, Founders Hall.
This includes a list of both off-campus and on-campus jobs.
(You should only be looking for an off-campus job if you have already been approved for CPT, OPT or Economic Hardship.)

The Career Development Center also has a webpage that lists available on-campus jobs at ashland.edu/career.

International students are not eligible for the Federal Work/Study program (this is a government-funded program that reimburses universities for part of a students hourly wage).

If you obtain employment, there is paperwork that must be completed at the ISS office.

Please make an appointment with Scott Parillo and bring your passport and I-20.

Food Services

* While not guaranteed, Food Services does try to give hours to international students, and is the best place to look for work if you want to start very soon.
* There are threes areas, and it is best to try and find these people in person:
CONVO (Student Dining Hall)
CATERING (Special Functions): Auxiliary Services Office on the 1st Floor, Amstuz Hall
EAGLE'S NEST (Restaurant in the Student Center)

International Student Services

When a vacancy exists for one of our internship positions, students who have been at the university for at least one semester are invited to apply.

International Club

International Club positions offer scholarships. New officers are interviewed and chosen each spring semester, and begin their duties the following fall semester. Both international and American students are encouraged to apply. Open to any degree-level. Watch for announcements about when applications are available.

Other Departments

• Internships exist within other departments and applications are usually reviewed once per year. Any openings will be listed with Financial Aid.
• Resident Assistant Positions: Informational fairs are usually held around the end of the fall semesters, and applications are available at the Residence Life office (3rd Floor, Founders). Applications are usually only accepted once per year.
• Part-time jobs for students exist in many departments. Consult the Financial Aid bulletin board (3rd Floor, Founder's Hall) or the Career Development Center's CSO database.

Regular University Employment

• An F-1 student is eligible to apply for PART-TIME university employment, but only do so if you have the required qualifications.
• An F-1 student visa does not permit you to work in a full-time position unless it is related to your area of study and you have been approved for OPT (or the department is willing to sponsor you for a change of status to another visa).
• Available positions are posted outside of the Personnel office in the basement of Founder's Hall or by calling the Job Line at 419-289-7788.

Tips

• Make personal visits to each department, even if they do not have a job posted, and talk to others who already have a job in the department in which you are interested. This is called "networking," and will help others to know that you are looking for work.
• Take looking for a job on campus seriously. Dress neatly and consider making up a mini resume to take along.
• Get involved. This method of networking can lead to many opportunities. Volunteer, join clubs, ask your department or college for advice and leads.
• Read the LENI and check the bulletin board outside the ISS office. If the ISS office hears of anything, we will often let you know through one of these methods.

Immigration Guidelines

• No more than 20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters
• You can have a job in more than one department, as long as your hours do not total more than 20 per week
• Can work more hours during all break periods (summer semester, Christmas, etc.)
• Forms must be completed with Susan Rosa before you can start work, please make an appointment, and bring your passport and I-94
• Some sponsoring agencies do not allow their students to work while studying, please check with your agency first if this applies to you.

Social Security, Your Pay Check, and Taxes

• In order to start working on campus, you must have applied for (or received) a Social Security Number. Check with the ISS office for more information.
• The payroll department will deduct Federal, State and Local (Ashland) taxes automatically from your pay check. You SHOULD NOT have any taxes deducted under the MEDI or FICA categories. If so, please visit the Business Office to have this corrected.
• You will have to file a tax return in the spring semester (deadline is April 15). The ISS office will provide workshops to assist you with this important task.

Optional Practical Training for F-1 students is the USCIS program that provides permission for a student to work off campus in a job related to their area of study. Some basic information:

• An F-1 student is eligible for a MAXIMUM OF 12 MONTHS of OPT.
• Students in English language training are not eligible for OPT.
• While on optional practical training, the former student must still report address changes and employment information to Ashland University.
• OPT is available to students who have been enrolled on a full-time basis in F-1 status for at least nine months.
• Optional practical training is available in the following cases:
  1. Part-time or full-time during the student's annual vacation and at other times when school is not in session if the student intends to register for the next term of the session
  2. Part-time while school is in session
  3. Full-time after completion of the course of study
• Students may apply for OPT up to 90 days prior to completion of studies or up to 60 days after (We recommend that you apply at the beginning of your last semester.) Authorization to engage in OPT is automatically terminated when the student transfers to another school or begins study at another educational level.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Make an appointment with Scott Parillo in ISS, and bring the following items:

• Your present I-20.
• Your passport & I-94 card (either in passport or printed from online)
• Two recent passport-style photos. The passport photos cannot be more than 6 months old, and must be 2" x 2" in size. If you try to submit a photo that does not meet these requirements, it can be rejected and delay your application.
• Check for $410 made payable to U.S Department of Homeland Security.
• Your Social Security Number.

During this meeting you will complete the application. In about three weeks the USCIS will send confirmation that the application has been received. The Employment Authorization Card (EAD) should be received in about eight to twelve weeks after that.

Passport Photographs

Passport photos must be 2" x 2" and not more than six months old.
Passport photos can be taken in Ashland while you wait at the following places:

• CVS Pharmacy, 418 East Main Street, Ashland, Tel: 419-289-9643
• Gerald's Studio, 141 E. Main Street, Ashland, Tel: 419-281-0551
• Drug Mart, 1631 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, Tel: 419-281-7880
• Spectrum Photo Lab, 625 Claremont Avenue, Ashland, Tel: 419-289-6481 (closest to the university, beside Domino's Pizza)

IMPORTANT NOTES about OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING

• A student may not legally begin working until he/she has been issued an Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) by USCIS (even if your card is late in arriving!). You may, however, begin looking for work. Visit the Career Development office if you need help with your resume, interview skills or job-hunting. 
• Once the application is submitted or the EAD card issued, travel outside of the country is not prohibited. However, an immigration officer may refuse you reentry if you do not have a job to return to.
• The post office will not forward your EAD card to a new address, and since students frequently move after graduation, we recommend that you use the ISS office as your address on the application.
• Students making a trip outside of the United States while on practical training after graduation will need a signature from a DSO in the ISS Office on their I-20 within the last six months for re-entry into the U.S.
• If you have received your EAD card and have a job, you may leave the U.S., but when returning should present a letter of employment from the present employer. 
• You have until the end of the practical training period marked on the EAD, plus 60 days, to stay in the U.S if you have not applied for a change of status to another valid visa. Other visas could be an H or B visa (you cannot work on a B visa).
• While you are on OPT, health insurance is still available through Ashland University. Contact the ISS office for information. Any current insurance policies expire on August 12th of each year. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have health insurance.
• Authorization to engage in OPT is automatically terminated if you transfer to another school or begins study at another educational level.
• While on OPT, you are still on an F-1 visa with Ashland University. Therefore, you must notify our office of any address or employment changes. In other words, let us know where you are and what you are doing!
• If you need to renew your driver's license, you will need to have the EAD card with you so that the expiry date of your license can be matched to the expiry date on the EAD card. They will not be able to renew the license until you have the card to show them. Otherwise, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will only be able to renew the license up to the "complete date" on the I-20. The driver's license cannot be renewed beyond the expiry date on the EAD card, even though you do not have to leave the country for another 60 days.
• Once your employment period begins, you will have 90 days to get a job (and report this information to ISS). After the 90 days, you must leave the country or switch to another status.
• If you lose your job, you can use up any of the days leftover of the 90 days to look for a new job. For example, if you found a job 30 days after the start of your OPT card, then you can have another 60 days to find another job.

SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System that requires all colleges and universities in the US to report electronically to the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) information about F-1 students and J-1 students and visiting scholars.

We have listed the basics below, but if you want to read the complete and legal listing of regulations, you will need to search for 8 CFR, Parts 103, 214, 248, and 274a at this link of the Federal Register.

Or, you can view the website that the government has created to provide helpful information at: http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/

For a quick overview of your responsibilities as an F or J visa holder, please note that you must inform the International Student Services office BEFORE you:

• Move to a different apartment, house or dorm room. Please fill out the New Housing Report Form.
• Change your major or program of studies.
• Drop below full-time status.
• Participate in an internship or off-campus work experience.
• Transfer to another school.

F-Visa Information

The ISS office must now report to SEVIS of a student's:

• failure to enroll (termination of studies);
• dropping below full-time without ISS authorization;
• any other failure to maintain status, such as unauthorized employment or failure to complete program;
• change in legal name and address;
• disciplinary action taken by Ashland University as the result of the student being convicted of a crime;
• students graduation prior to expected end date as listed on the I-20 and,
• start date of students next session.

FULL-TIME ENROLLMENT REQUIREMENT

Regulations require all undergraduate students to enroll for 12 credit hours per semester, and graduate students must enroll for 6 credit hours per semester.

COURSELOAD REDUCTION

ISS must report to SEVIS each semester whether students are full-time or part-time. Those who do not maintain a full course of study will be considered out of legal status by USCIS and must depart the US immediately.

There are, however, six INS approved reasons for students taking less than full-time. They are:
1. initial difficulty with the English language or reading requirements, unfamiliarity with American teaching methods, or improper course level placement (allowed only during the first semester, and undergraduates must enroll for at least 6 credit hours);
2. last quarter of study;
3. concurrent enrollment (total combined enrollment at each institution must meet the full-time definitions as stated above);
4. temporary illness or medical condition for a period of time not to exceed an aggregate of 12 months while the student is pursuing a course of study at a particular program level. Documentation from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist is required and must be provided for each new quarter that a student is ill.

US ADDRESS REPORTING REQUIREMENT

Students must notify ISS within 10 days of an address change, which can be done at addresschange.html These address changes should also be reported to the Registrar's Office and, if you are working, to the Business Office as well.

F-2 DEPENDENT STUDY

Individuals in F-2 status are no longer able to study for a degree on either a part-time or full-time basis.

EXTENSION OF I-20

Students must obtain an extension of their I-20 PRIOR to the program end-date noted on their current I-20 by coming to ISS. Students who do not obtain a new I-20 prior to the program end-date violate their status.

CHANGE OF MAJOR

Students who change their majors can also complete the addresschange.html form to let the ISS office know; we must notify USCIS within 21 days of this event.

GRACE PERIODS

F-1 students have a 60-day grace period following completion of study or completion of optional practical training to 1) depart the US, 2) transfer to another institution, or 3) change status.

However, students who terminate their studies before completion of their academic program do NOT receive a 60-day grace period. These students MUST notify ISS BEFORE terminating studies in order to receive a 21-day grace period to depart the US.

F-1 students who do not notify ISS before termination of studies receive no grace period and must leave the US immediately.

SAFEKEEPING DOCUMENTS

Never throw away any I-20 after receiving an updated form. USCIS may request to see these forms in the future.

TRANSFERS

• Students must now notify ISS prior to leaving Ashland University for another institution. Students will not be able to receive an I-20 from the new school unless the following steps are completed:
• Notify Ashland University of your intent to transfer and provide the name of the new school to which you intend to transfer;
• Ashland University will update your record in SEVIS as a transfer out and indicate the name of the school to which you intend to transfer, along with a release date. The release date is usually the last day of the semester or the date of expected transfer;
• You may request that Ashland University cancel the transfer out at any time prior to the release date;
• As of the release date, the new school will have full access to your SEVIS record and assumes responsibility for you, at which time the new school will issue you a SEVIS Form I-20;
• Student must contact the international office at the new school within 15 days of the start date listed on the SEVIS I-20 to avoid violating their status;
• The new school will verify enrollment with SEVIS, thereby acknowledging that the student has completed the transfer process; and
• In the remarks section of the students SEVIS Form I-20, the new school must note that the transfer has been completed, indicating the date, and returning the I-20 to the student.

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

F-1 students may work on-campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session, and more than 20 hours per week during breaks. F-1 students may not begin on-campus work more than 30 days prior to the actual start of classes. Other employment in the US requires recommendation or authorization by USCIS and/or ISS. Please visit these links for more information on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT).

REINSTATEMENT TO LEGAL STATUS

F-1 students may make a request for reinstatement through the ISS office. F-1 students must not have been out of status for more than five months at the time of filing the request for reinstatement and not have a record of repeated or willful violations.

Students and their dependents who fail to timely report a change of address (see above) are not eligible for reinstatement.

J-visa Information

EXTENSION OF DS-2019 AND MAXIMUM PERIOD OF STAY

Scholars must obtain an extension of their DS-2019 PRIOR to the program end date noted on their current DS-2019 by coming to the ISS office. Scholars who do not obtain a new DS-2019 prior to the program end date violate their status.

GRACE PERIODS

After the end-date on Form DS-2019, a scholar has a 30-day grace period following completion of their program to 1) depart the US, 2) transfer to another institution, if eligible, or 3) change status, if eligible.

TRANSFERS

Scholars must notify ISS prior to leaving Ashland University for another institution. Scholars will not be able to receive a DS-2019 from the new institution unless the following steps are completed:
1. Notify Ashland University of your intent to transfer and provide the name of the new institution to which you intend to transfer, along with that programs Exchange Visitor Program number;
2. Ashland University will update your record in SEVIS as a transfer out and indicate the name of the institution to which you intend to transfer, along with a release date and exchange visitor program number. The release date is usually the date of expected transfer but before the expiration of the current DS-2019;
3. You may request that ISS cancel the transfer out at any time prior to the release date;
4. As of the release date, the new institution will have full access to your SEVIS record and assumes responsibility for you, at which time the new institution will issue you a SEVIS Form DS-2019;
5. Scholar must contact the international office at the new institution within 15 days of the start date listed on the DS-2019 to avoid violating their status; and
6. The new institution will verify the scholars participation in its program and update the scholars address with SEVIS within 30 days of the effective date of transfer, thereby acknowledging that the scholar has completed the transfer process.

REINSTATEMENT

Scholars may request ISS to submit an electronic request for reinstatement to DOS through SEVIS. ISS must submit the initial request along with the required supporting documentation justifying the reinstatement and the required, non-refundable fee (paid by scholar), to DOS within 30 calendar days after the SEVIS submission date. Under no circumstances is reinstatement possible after 270 days. If approved, DOS will enter the approval in SEVIS, and ISS will then print the new DS-2019 and notify the scholar.

Exchange visitors and their dependents who fail to timely report a change of address (see above) are not eligible for reinstatement.

EMPLOYMENT

On-campus
J-1 students holding assistantships and associateships may work on-campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session.

With prior approval from ISS, J-1 students other than those holding assistantships and associateships may work on-campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session and more than 20 hours per week during breaks. Ashland University will update the J-1 students SEVIS record to reflect the details of such employment. J-1 students may not begin on-campus work more than 30 days prior to the actual start of classes.

Off-campus
Only J-1 students who can demonstrate to ISS serious, urgent, and unforeseen economic circumstances that have arisen since acquiring J-1 status may request authorization for off-campus employment. ISS will update the J-1 students SEVIS record to reflect the details of such employment.

Academic Training
J-1 students remain eligible for academic training work authorization as before. However, ISS must electronically report the authorized period of academic training in SEVIS prior to the first date of employment.