Information for Potential Employers

J-1 Exchange Employment - Information for Supervisors

International students in J-1 status are eligible to work on campus during the duration of their studies under the following circumstances:

• The student may work in any field, but it must be on-campus employment at UAF
• the student must remain enrolled full-time at UAF during each semester they study at UAF
• while classes are in session, the student may not work more than 20 hours per week (there are no exceptions to the maximum number of work hours)
• while classes are not in session (such as between the fall and spring semesters) the student may work full-time
• the student's employment may not extend beyond the last day of the semester during which they are studying at UAF

If you have offered a job to an international student, the student will first have to complete paperwork through the ISSS office before they can apply for their U.S. Social Security Number and/or begin working or training for the position. As part of this authorization process, the student's supervisor will need to complete a letter of offer to the student. Requirements for the letter are as follows:

• The letter must be on department/company letterhead.
• The letter must be an original document, with an original signature
• The letter must include the following information about the position:
  • Position title
  • Supervisor's name
  • Physical location of the position, such as a physical address
    • if a physical address is unavailable, such as for a remote field location, please include that location's geographic coordinates
  • If there will be multiple physical locations for the position and the student will be there for more than 10 consecutive days, a physical address or geographic coordinates must be provided for each location
  • Mailing address of the position
  • Exact dates for the start and end of the employment (month, day, and year); the start date may be contingent upon work authorization from our office
  • Exact number of hours per week
  • Brief description of position duties
  • Compensation details (may be per hour, per day, per week, per month, or total), and must include other benefits if applicable, such as room and/or board
• A template of the letter of offer can be found here: Sample Offer of Employment Letter.docx