Immigration Advising
J-1 | Employment
On-Campus Employment
J-1 students may engage in employment if:
- Student is in good academic standing
- Student continues to engage in a full course of study while school is in session
- The ISSS advisor or designated program sponsor has approved the specific employment in advance and in writing.
On campus employment is defined as employment which occurs on KU campus. Positions include teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and student hourly employment (KU Dining Services, Library, etc). Note: International Students are not eligible for Student Work Study positions.
J-1 students are eligible to work on campus a maximum of 20 hours per week during the Fall and Spring academic semesters. During breaks and official school vacation periods, J-1 students are eligible to work more than 20 hours per week on campus. A student who has a valid DS-2019 and intends to enroll for the next regular term may work on-campus incident to status.
Please note that on-campus employment is not permitted after completion of a degree or program unless the student has been issued a DS-2019 to begin a new academic program or has been granted Academic Training.
Academic Training (AT)
Academic Training is work, training, or experience related to a student's field of study. Training may be paid or unpaid, with several employers, U.S. or foreign employer, involving sequential or simultaneous activities as long as approval procedures are followed for each employer and the time limits are not exceeded.
Students in degree programs are permitted an overall limit of 18 months, including all academic training, whether before or after completion of studies. The total training period may not exceed the amount of time spent in a full course of study. The overall limit is 36 months for postdoctoral training after completion of a U.S. PhD degree.
The following criteria must be met by the student:
- Must be in good academic standing
- Must be in the U.S. primarily to study rather than engage in academic training.
- Academic training must be done with a specific employer or training site and be directly related to the major field of study listed on DS-2019
- Must receive written approval in advance from an ISSS advisor for the duration and type of academic training.
When to Apply for Academic Training
The student should request the training prior to the DS-2019 expiring; however, the student can request it within 30 days of finishing his/her program. The employment must be authorized no later than 30 days after the date studies are completed; however, the employment does not need to begin within 30 days of finishing school. Nonetheless the eligibility clock is ticking. For example, if degree is completed May 17, but job does not begin until August 1, then AT authorization needs to be obtained by May 31 and the authorization will begin June 16.
How to Apply
Consult your J-1 program sponsor. Your sponsor must authorize academic training in writing. The Academic Training Handout is for students sponsored by The University of Kansas:
While on academic training, you are required to maintain your J-1 status, including having health insurance coverage for you and any J-2 dependents here in the U.S.
Economic Hardship
Off-campus employment may be possible because of serious, urgent and unforeseen economic circumstances arising since acquiring exchange visitor status. Student must be in good academic standing, continue to engage in a full course of study while school in session, and sponsored by KU.
How to Apply
See the Employment due to Economic Hardship handout for procedural details.
Work is limited to 20 hours per week when class is in session. You may work more than 20 hours per week during official school breaks and vacation periods. If you work on campus as well, those hours also count towards the 20 hours per week cap.
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