Carnegie Mellon

Hiring International Students

Employers, on occasion, have the perception that hiring international students can be very difficult and time consuming due to paperwork. However, many employers are willing to hire foreign students once they find out how easy it can be and how exactly they can go about hiring them.

International students who are in the U.S. in legal F1 or J1 student (non-immigrant) status are generally eligible for some type of student work authorization upon completion of their studies. These types of work authorization allow the student to work in their field of study upon completion of the degree program for a limited time frame, provided they receive the necessary authorization before beginning the employment. The amount of time for each type of work authorization and authorization procedures vary according to the student's immigration status and whether or not they used any of this work authorization while still a student.

Employers and international students can find out more about these types of work authorization by contacting the Office of International Education (OIE).