J-1 students are eligible to work on-campus during their academic program if they are maintaining their J-1 status. The work does not need to be related to the student’s field of study; however, special authorization from the International Student Services Office is required.
Part-Time (20 hours per week or less) is permitted.
Full-Time (more than 20 hours per week) is permitted.
If summer is your first or final semester, on-campus employment is limited to 20 hours per week.
More than one on-campus job is permitted, so long as you do not exceed the permitted number of hours per week explained above.
If you are authorized for Pre-Completion Academic Training during the Fall/Spring semester, you may not exceed 20 hours per week between both Academic Training and any on-campus employment.
Before beginning any on-campus employment, J-1 students with DS-2019s issued by the University at Buffalo must submit an employment offer letter to the International Student Services Office. ISS will then enter your on-campus employment into SEVIS and provide you with written authorization to work before you begin employment. Follow the directions below to submit your on-campus employment request to ISS:
Within 5-7 business days, ISS will provide you with a letter authorizing on-campus employment.
You may not begin working until you receive this work authorization letter and the start date has passed.
Your on-campus employment eligibility ends:
Any student who will work in the U.S. must apply for a Social Security Number. The employer must use the SSN to report wages and taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA). J-1 students are eligible to apply for an SSN even if they do not have employment. Please read our Social Security page for information on how to apply.
After receiving your SSN, you must report it to the University using Form W-9(S).
Contact the Office of the Registrar for assistance.
We recommend using the Career Services' job search tool, Handshake. This database advertises both on-campus and off-campus jobs. Filter your search to only look for on-campus jobs, since off-campus work requires separate authorization. The Career Services website also offers helpful tips for your job search, how to apply, accept an offer and more.