F-1 & J-1 On-Campus Employment

Both F-1 and J-1 students are eligible to work on-campus. On-campus employment is work performed on the premises of Georgetown University Law Center, including employment on Georgetown University Main Campus, the School of Continuing Studies, or with on-location commercial firms which provide direct services to students on-campus, such as the bookstore, dining facilities, or gym. Working for a bar review company does not qualify as on-campus employment.

STEP 1: LEARN ABOUT GUIDELINES FOR ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT

General Guidelines

A student in valid F-1 or J-1 status may engage in on-campus employment.
F-1 and J-1 students may legally work part-time up to 20 hours per week on-campus when school is in session.
On-campus employment may be more than 20 hours per week or full-time during official school breaks or vacations, such as the summer session.
Approval for on-campus employment is automatically withdrawn when the student’s program is completed or terminated.

F-1 Specific Guidelines

F-1 students may begin on-campus employment up to 30 days prior to the program start date listed on the student’s Form I-20.

J-1 Specific Guidelines

J-1 students may begin on-campus employment on or after the program start date listed on the student’s Form DS-2019.
J-1 students can only be issued on-campus employment authorization with a duration of up to one year at a time.
J-1 students MUST obtain on-campus employment authorization before their first day of each on-campus employment opportunity.
J-1 students MUST renew or extend on-campus employment authorization before expiration to continue work in the same on-campus employment opportunity.
J-1 students MUST obtain additional on-campus employment authorization for any increase of worked hours during official school breaks or vacations (ie: you normally work 15 hours a week during the fall semester for the library, and will work 30 hours per week for the library during Winter Break).

STEP 2: RECEIVE ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT JOB OFFER

STEP 3 (F-1): REPORT ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION

Do you have a Social Security Number (SSN)?

STEP 3 (J-1): REQUEST ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION

This step MUST be completed prior to the your first day of work.

Visit Employment Services in McDonough 583 to obtain a J-1 On-Campus Employment Authorization Form*. Employment Services will fill out and sign the Hiring Department section, and print the form on Georgetown letterhead. Afterwards, visit the Office of Graduate & International Programs in Hotung 5000 to have an International Student Advisor sign the form. Keep the form as proof of J-1 employment authorization in your personal immigration records.

Do you have a Social Security Number (SSN)?

YES: Move on to Step 5.
NO: Move on to Step 4.

*If you are not sponsored by Georgetown, contact your immigration sponsor for their J-1 on-campus employment authorization form.

STEP 4: APPLY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

Please use this guide to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN).

If you already have a SSN, move on to Step 5.

STEP 5: COMPLETE ON-CAMPUS EMPLOYMENT ONBOARDING

During the first week of employment, F-1 and J-1 students will complete onboarding paperwork with the hiring department, Employment Services and the Tax Department.

Onboarding Paperwork

Your hiring department may ask you to complete some office forms as part of their onboarding process.

Additionally, Employment Services will request you to complete onboarding paperwork in GMS. Contact Employment Services with any questions. Employment Services is located in McDonough 583.

I-9 Process

Federal law requires Georgetown to verify the identity and the legal ability to work of all its employees before the third day of employment. This process is known as the I-9 Process.

You will be asked to choose from a list of documents that establish your legal status and to provide the originals of those documents to Employment Services. The complete list of documents is available on the Form I-9.

The following combination of documents are most commonly used for F-1 and J-1 students working on-campus:

Taxes

As a non-U.S. citizen, you may need to complete additional paperwork for the Tax Department to:

figure out your tax residency;
determine if you are eligible for any income tax treaties, and
collect tax-related information to ensure proper tax withholding out of your paycheck and generation of income tax documents after the end of the current tax year.

The Tax Department uses a software called Glacier to help with the above tax tasks. You will automatically receive an email invite from the Glacier system once you complete your onboarding paperwork in GMS. Access to Glacier is granted through an e-mail from support@online-tax.net containing a link to Glacier as well as a temporary user ID and password.

Please visit the Tax Department Non-U.S. Tax and Glacier Software pages for more information. Email NRAtax@georgetown.edu for any questions.