Employment

Many international students will be employed at some point during their studies at NC State University. Employment – whether it is part of a graduate assistantship, or a co-operative internship with a company, or part-time employment on campus just to make a little money, can be a very useful activity, a great way to meet Americans, and help meet daily expenses. OIS advisors are very supportive of international students engaging in lawful, appropriate, and authorized employment. Certain visa types do not allow any employment whatsoever while other visa types have very generous employment benefits. Every visa type has different employment restrictions and processes. F-1 and J-1 students are able to work on campus or off campus provided they meet all the eligibility requirements, get written authorization when necessary, and the employment does not interfere with studies or delay program completion. Employment can only be a secondary or incidental objective for students on a student visa. Those who wish to work instead of –or more than – study should consider changing to an employment visa, where the primary objective is work rather than study.