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F-1 students who experience severe economic hardship because of unforeseen circumstances beyond their control have the option of . Examples of unforeseen circumstances include (but are not limited to):

• Loss of financial aid or on-campus employment (through no fault of your own);
• Substantial fluctuations in currency value or exchange rate;
• Inordinate increases in tuition or living costs;
• Unexpected changes in the financial condition of your source of support;
• Medical bills; and
• Other substantial and unexpected expenses.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply for severe economic hardship work authorization, all of the following must be true:

1. You have been in F-1 status for one full academic year (fall and spring semesters);
2. You are in good standing as a student;
3. You are carrying a full course of study;
4. Acceptance of employment will not interfere with your carrying a full course of study;
5. The employment is necessary to avoid severe economic hardship due to unforeseen circumstances beyond your control; and
6. On-campus employment is unavailable or is not sufficient to meet the needs that have arisen due to the unforeseen circumstances.

Application Considerations

Applying for severe economic hardship work authorization is a long process and may not make sense for every student, even if you do meet the eligibility criteria.

• Processing Time. It may take several months to hear back from USCIS about your application. You can view current USCIS processing times for the Form I-765 on the .
• Application Fee: There is a to file the Form I-765. It is possible to submit your application with a  instead of the filing fee, but historically the fee waiver has generally not been accepted. 
• Employment Limitations: Severe economic hardship work authorization is limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session. Students may work more than 20 hours per week during official school breaks.
• Adequate Documentation of Economic Situation: You should collect as much documentation about your current financial situation as possible in order to make a compelling case that you qualify for the authorization. The more documentation, the better.

Applying for Severe Economic Hardship

1. Prepare documents you will need to upload in the
   • Letter of Explanation: Write a letter describing the unforeseen hardship and explaining your resulting financial need. Outline how you have been supporting yourself financially and how your financial circumstances have changed (since obtaining F-1 status) due to an unforeseen circumstance. Include why on-campus work is not sufficient to cover your expenses.
   • Other Documentation: Provide documentation of the unforeseen financial hardship (e.g., proof of currency devaluation, impact of COVID-19 pandemic etc.)
2. Submit the
   • ISSS will review the request and, if appropriate, an advisor will create a new I-20 which recommends Severe Economic Hardship work authorization and issue a letter of support
   • ISSS will email these documents to you when they are ready
3. Assemble all of your USCIS application materials and mail a complete application to USCIS (at this time I-765 applications for Severe Economic Hardship are not eligible for online filing)