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Kansas State University

Work Permits

The International Student and Scholar Services in conjunction with Human Resources has revised the procedures for work permits for international students and scholars in the hope we can streamline the process. Two major changes to procedures are Personnel Specialists will request the student work permits and hourly student work permits will not be required each semester if the student is returning to the same department.

The Request for International Student On-Campus Work Permit is now available in an online form.

The Policy and Procedures

All on campus work permits will be issued by the International Student and Scholar Services for all non-immigrants at K-State. This includes work permits for hourly students, graduate students, classified and unclassified employees. On campus work permits include an expiration date. Work permits must be renewed prior to that date to remain on the payroll.

F-1/J-1 Students
  • Personnel Specialists will submit a Request for International Student On-Campus Work Permit to International Student and Scholar Services.
  • International Student and Scholar Services will complete the work permit and email it to the requesting Personnel Specialist. Use the "Comments" section of the permit to convey any necessary information to the department such as the fact the student has a second job in another department on campus and the number of hours working in that department.
  • Work permits will be completed every time there is a change in employment, which includes a change in department or a change in the type of employment, i.e. hourly vs. assistantship.
  • Students whose work permits expire because of expiration of passport will need to come to the International Student and Scholar Services with the extended passport.
  • Students whose Work Permits expire because the I-20 expired will need to make an appointment with an Advisor regarding an extension of the I-20. If the I-20 is extended then a new work permit can be emailed to the department contact.
  • J-1 sponsored students must have permission from their sponsor to work. Once we have a request for a work permit, we will check the file. If permission from the sponsor is not in the file, we will email the student requesting a letter granting permission. Once that is received we can email the work permit to the department contact.
H-1B
  • H-1B work permits will be sent directly to the Personnel Specialist as soon as we are able to issue one, that is at the time of approval in the case of a Change of Status; at the time of arrival, in the case of Consular Visa Processing; at the time the Receipt Notice is received if filing for portability or an extension.
  • Works permits can be issued on a case by case basis if filing for portability or extension and we have proof that the petition has been received by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services but the Receipt Notice has not been issued.
J-1 Researchers/Scholars/Trainees; TN; F-1 on OPT
  • Must come to International Student and Scholar Services with necessary documents, passport and I-94 for a work permit.

Contact the International Student and Scholar Services at 532-6448 if you have any questions.

Departments have access to an online report on active employees who have a Visa/Work Permit Expiration Date specified in HRIS. This report may be ran at any time and for any range of dates and is an excellent tool for tracking employees whose work permits will expire. Report instructions can be found at Work Permit Expiration (pdf)

F-1 OPT STEM Extension

Employees can now be employed at Kansas State University on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM extension. An F-1 academic student who received a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) may apply for a one-time 17-month extension of his or her OPT. To qualify, a student must have completed a degree included in the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List found on the website for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

If the student's Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) expires while his or her STEM extension application is pending, he or she is authorized to work until USCIS makes a decision on his or her application, but not more than 180 days from the date the student's initial OPT Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) expires.

The student's expired Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766), together with his or her Form I-20 endorsed by the designated school official recommending the STEM extension are acceptable proof of identity and employment authorization for Form I-9 purposes. Record these documents in Section 2 under List A of Form I-9. You should re-verify employment authorization no later than 180 days from the expiration date of the previous Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766).

As with all cases of employing someone on OPT, you must request a work permit from International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). ISSS will need a copy of the EAD, I-20 and passport. If the STEM extension application is pending, then ISSS will also need a copy of the Receipt Notice proving it has been filed in a timely manner with USCIS.

Questions on the Stem OPT extension process can be referred to (ISSS). Questions on completing the Form I-9 can be referred to Human Resources.