| Bryn Mawr College Home |
ACADEMIC TRAINING
|
|
Office of International Programs Homepage For International Students and Scholars:
Study Abroad: |
You should always consult with the Office of International Programs (OIP) before beginning any employment. Please note that it is your responsibility to comply with all immigration regulations which apply to students in J-1 status, including employment regulations. Working without the proper authorization is a serious violation of your status; it renders you illegally present in the United States . Any illegal employment—even for one day, even if you did not know it was illegal—poses a grave threat to your ability to remain in or return to the U.S. Make sure that you have the necessary employment authorization before you begin work. Eligibility RequirementsAcademic training is designed to allow students in J-1 status the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a practical work experience off campus. It is available during the course of study as wll as after completion of studies. As long as you stay within the stipulated time limits, academic training allows you to work part-time while classes are in session and full-time during vacation periods; and, under certain circumstances you may interrupt study to work full-time, for example while you are writing a thesis. Bryn Mawr College 's J-1 program (P-1-0278) is administered by OIP. If you are under the visa supervision of another exchange visitor program (e.g., IIE, AMIDEAST, or ACTR) you should contact your program sponsor for instructions on how to proceed. To be eligible for academic training you must meet the following conditions: • You must be in good academic standing at Bryn Mawr • The employment is directly related to your major field of study. Throughout your period of academic training you must maintain permission to stay in the United States in J-1 student status, and apply for extensions as necessary. You must also maintain health insurance coverage for yourself and any J-2 dependents throughout your academic training period. Available Time Periods Your employment may be authorized for a period of time necessary to complete the goals and objectives of the training as approved by your dean or academic advisor, and the Responsible Officer. It cannot exceed "the period of full course of study" or 18 months, whichever is shorter. However, if you are a PhD student, you may be authorized for a total of 36 months of post-doctoral training. Part-time employment for academic training counts against the 18 or 36-month limit the same as full-time employment. Any academic training approved prior to the completion of your program must be deducted from the total period available. Once employment is authorized you must maintain eligibility or you may lose your right to continue employment, even if it was authorized in writing. Application Procedures To obtain academic training authorization, you must first obtain approval in writing from the Responsible Officer. The Responsible Officer evaluates the proposed employment in terms of your program of study and your individual circumstances, and then decide whether it would be appropriate or not. Please provide the Office of International Programs with the followings: • Job Offer The regulations require that authorization only be given for "firm job offers." In addition, you must receive a job offer prior to graduation, although your actual employment may begin later. If you do not have a firm job offer prior to graduation, your J-1 status ends and you lose the opportunity for academic training. 2. Academic Advisor Recommendation (a form is attached) Your dean or major advisor must supply a letter of recommendation stating: • Your name • Certification of full-time status, major field of study and expected completion date of study • The goals and objective of the specific training program (i.e., the employment) • A description of the training program (position title and responsibilities), including its location, the name and address of the training supervisor, number of hours per week, and starting and ending dates of the training. It may be helpful to provide your academic advisor with a copy of your letter of offer from your prospective employer that includes the information outlined above. • How the training relates to your major field of study • Why the training is an integral or critical part of your academic program The Office of International Programs will review the paperwork and determine if your request for academic training is warranted, appropriate and in compliance with the regulations. If so, a letter of approval will be provided. If necessary, you may also be issued a new Form DS-2019 which will extend your stay to cover the period of authorized academic training. Extending J-1 Academic Training Authorization The regulations require that the J-1 sponsor evaluate the "effectiveness and appropriateness" of your academic training. The Office of International Programs will authorize the initial six months of the academic training period. Along with your letter of authorization you will receive a J-1 Student Academic Training Evaluation Questionnaire which you must complete and return to OIP before the remaining period of academic training can be authorized. Travel Abroad While on Academic Training If you plan to leave the U.S. after you complete your program of study and reenter the country for J-1 academic training, you must obtain academic training before you leave. To re-enter the U.S. in J-1 student status, you must have have all of the following: • a valid passort • a valid J-1 visa stamp in your passport • your original DS-2019 endorsed for reentry • your original letter of academic training authorization by the Office of International Programs If you do not have all of these document, particularly a valid J-1 visa stamp, you should not travel abroad without first consulting with the Office of International Programs. Employment Eligibility Verification Within the first three days of beginning work you and your employer must complete an USCIS Form I-9 entitled Employment Eligibility Verification . This form will be kept on file by your employer and must be updated each time you receive a renewal of your work permission. Taxes In general, J-1 students who have been in the U.S. less than six calendar years are exempt from social security (FICA) and Medicare taxes. You should bring this to the attention of your employer because many employers are not familiar with this provision of the tax laws. If you need further information about the J-1 student social security and Medicare tax exemption, please contact the Office of International Programs. You are subject to all other taxes that may apply: federal, state and local. However, check Publication 901 U.S. Tax Treaties to see if your country is one of the few that has a tax treaty with the U.S. allowing students to exclude a limited amount of earned income from federal taxation (available for downloading at http://www.irs.gov/ ). Dean's or Major Advisor's Recommendation for J-1 Academic Training J-1 academic training is designed to allow students in J-1 status the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a practical work experience off campus. To obtain authorization for academic training, the student must have a job offer and a letter from his or her dean or major advisor recommending the student for academic training. For authorization to work after graduation, the Department of State regulations require that the student must receive a firm job offer prior to the date of graduation, although employment may begin later. Whether the period of academic training will occur during or following the student's completion of studies, the dean's or major advisor's letter should provide a detailed rationale for any off campus employment related to the J-1 student's field of study. To meet the eligibility requirements, the recommendation letter must state the following:
The student should furnish the dean or major advisor with the information required in Item 6, preferably in the form of a written position description. The dean or major advisor can then integrate the necessary information for point 8 into the letter. Letters of recommendation must be on College letterhead. The beginning of the letter may read as follows: [DATE] [STUDENT NAME] is a full-time student in [UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES, OR GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL RESEARCH]. She/he is working for the [DEGREE] in [MAJOR FIELD OF STUDY], which she/he expects to receive in [COMPLETION MONTH & YEAR]. I recommend that [STUDENT NAME] be authorized to engage in a period of academic training employment. The goals and objectives of the academic training are… Items 6, 7, and 8 should then follow, closing with the signature of the dean or major advisor. |