J-1 On-Campus Employment

On-Campus Employment

On-campus employment is employment at Wesleyan on the Wesleyan campus.  You can work on-campus if:

  • You have valid J-1 status
  • You are enrolled full-time in a Wesleyan program
  • You have an unexpired passport
  • You have a valid, unexpired Form DS-2019 signed by your RO
  • You have an I-94 record annotated "J-1 D/S"

Requirements for On-Campus Employment

  • Students who are outside the U.S. are not eligible to work.
  • Your employment MUST take place at a Wesleyan office or department, or at an established off-campus agency that provides direct services to students.  On-campus employment also includes graduate assistantships or fellowships.  Please contact GSS for more information about J-1 approved on-campus job opportunities.
  • According to J-1 student immigration regulations, you may work on a part-time basis, and no more than 20 hours per week, during the academic year (September-May). Employment can never exceed 20 hours in any given week during the academic year.  F-1 students may work up to full-time during the winter and summer break.  You may work for more than one on-campus employer, but the cumulative total must never exceed 20 hours per week during the academic year.
  • Your on-campus employment position cannot be college work-study.  Work-study is a U.S. government funded financial aid program for U.S. citizens and permanent residents only.  International, non-U.S. students are not permitted to accept work-study positions.
  • Your employment may, but is not required to be related to your field of study. 

Employment at Wesleyan University

If you applied for and have been offered a job on the Wesleyan campus or at an approved off-campus agency that provides direct services to students, you MUST DO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING AND RECEIVE APPROVAL BEFORE YOU BEGIN TO WORK:

  1. Complete, sign, and date Section 1 of the I-9-Employment Eligibility Verification form.  Upload a clear and legible copy of your completed I-9 form to the New Graduate International Students Secure Dropbox
  2. Upload clear and legible copies of your I-20, Passport page, F-1 Visa page, and I-94 Entry stamp to the
  3. New Graduate International Students Secure Dropbox.  
  4. Complete and Submit the online Immigration and Tax Assessment Form Foreign National Information Form (FNIF).
  5. Follow the instructions to Apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) within 30 days of receiving your job offer from the University. It is imperative that you obtain a SSN for tax reporting purposes. 
  6. Once you have opened a U.S. bank account, complete the Student Direct Deposit Authorization Form and upload a clear and legible copy to the New Graduate International Students Secure Dropbox. 

Upon submission of the documents and forms in steps 1-3, ICT will schedule a meeting with you to review your required tax forms and U.S. tax reporting responsibilities.  You must meet with ICT before you can begin working. 

Students Not Intending to Work

Even if you do not intend to work, you will likely receive other types of income during your attendance at Wesleyan.  Income can include scholarships, stipends, fellowships, prizes/awards, reimbursements, etc.  In order to create an Accounts Payable account for you to receive any type of payment, you must submit the forms and documents in Steps 1-4 in the above Employment at Wesleyan University instructions.  Please make every effort to submit your documents and forms and create an account during your first semester of attendance.

NOTE:

After completing your course of study (i.e., complete all requirements for the degree indicated on your DS-2019) you may continue employment at Wesleyan University only if you have been issued a new DS-2019 for a new degree program or if you are authorized for Post-Completion Academic Training and the employment is in your field of study.  All on-campus employment must otherwise cease upon completion of studies.