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Human Resources

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

There may be governmental restrictions placed on students from foreign countries who work while attending school. For information on employment regulations for International Students, visit the International Student and Scholar Services website by clicking here. Their contact information is:

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS)

(801) 422-2695 | 2400 WSC | ISS@BYU.EDU

Guidelines

International Students need to carefully monitor their hours, so that they won't lose their right to work in the U.S. The following are guidelines for International Student work eligibility:

  • Undergraduate students must be enrolled in at least 12.0 credit hours per semester (ELC students do not fall under this guideline).
  • Graduate students must be accepted into a BYU graduate program and be enrolled in a least 9.0 credit hours unless otherwise authorized by International Services.
  • Employment for International Students must not exceed twenty hours per week while school is in session. Any violation of this policy, by any amount of time, will result in immediate termination of the student's employment and may result in his/her deportation.
  • International Students that are graduating must end their work responsibilities on the day of convocations, or the last day of final exams (whichever comes last).

See Student Employment Policy for official University Policy.

English Language Center (ELC)

The English Language Center (ELC) at Brigham Young University is under the direction of the Department of Linguistics and the Division of Continuing Education. The program is designed to provide students in the department with opportunities to practice teaching English and to offer high-quality English language instruction to those seeking to learn the language (i.e. ELC students).

ELC students are not technically BYU students. However, they are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week while enrolled in the ELC program. ELC Students must renew work permits for each new semester of enrollment. For more information on the ELC program, visit their website here. For questions regarding work eligibility of a student, feel free to call HR Operations at 801-422-9675.

Vacation, Holidays, & Breaks

All students are allowed to work more than their normal hours during holidays and days when there are no classes as listed on the Holiday/Break Schedule. International students occasionally take an ISSS explicitly approved vacation when they can work over 20 hours (see Annual Vacation Policy). International and ELC students also have very short breaks between semesters and terms where they are allowed to work over 20 hours (see Holiday/Break Schedule).

Social Security Card

To maintain work eligibility on campus, all students are required to present a social security card (SSC) to the Student Employment office. For international & ELC students who do not already have a SSC, please complete the following steps:

  1. Departments must complete this form, and give it to the student.
  2. The student should then submit a Letter of Certification Request eForm to obtain a recommendation letter from the ISSS office.
  3. The student must apply online for a new social security number here.
  4. After steps 1 through 3 are completed, an appointment to visit the Social Security Administration (SSA) office can be set through the application website (if appointments are too far in the future, walk ins are possible). Students must visit the SSA office within 45 days of their application with all of their documentation and aforementioned paperwork.

Please give HR Operations a call or feel free to contact the SSA office directly with any questions:

Social Security Administration Office

88 W 100 N, PROVO, UT 84601 | (866) 366-9549 | MON-FRI 9am-4pm

International Student Over-Hour Restrictions

International students have a maximum weekly work limit of 20 hours. Given that an F-1 or J-1 visa is designated for academic purposes, prioritizing school studies over employment is crucial. The U.S. Federal code limits how much international students can work. Consequently, exceeding the 20 hour limit, even by one minute, can lead to lawful status termination.

International Student Employees Flyer

Download a printable version below

Attached Documents
department_verification_of_employment_for_international_students.pdf
internationalstudentsback.pdf