Employment regulations for international students are more strict than regulations for domestic students, due to US immigration laws. International students are allowed by immigration regulations to work on campus, but they need to fulfill three conditions:
- they must be full time registered students;
- their work cannot be more than 20 hours per week when school is in session; and
- J-1 students must obtain written authorization from the Visa Sponsor (International Student Advisor if DS-2019 was issued by MIT) for any on campus work other than assistantships.
International students who hold full time research or teaching assistantships (equal to 20 hours per week) are not allowed to take any other employment on campus when school is in session. Questions concerning off campus employment in addition to full time research or teaching assistantships should be directed to the department and the International Students Office (ISO) to determine eligibility. See the International Students Office website for additional details.
Note that the summer and IAP term are not considered a period of regular enrollment for immigration purposes unless these terms are your first or final term in your program. Thus, during these terms only, international students may be eligible to work additional hours on campus (for MIT only) along with their 100% RA or TA appointment. Pursuing off campus employment will require department, ISO, and US government authorization; see the ISO site for more information.
