Stranded foreign students in US can apply for off-campus work permit

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a federal US agency on Tuesday announced that thousands of stranded international students in the USA including Indian students who are facing economic hardships can apply for off-campus work authorization.

The announcement is a major relief for thousands of international students who are having a tough time for the past several weeks.

In a statement, the federal agency said that if anyone experiencing severe economic hardship because of unforeseen circumstances beyond control, they may request employment authorization to work off-campus. However, they should meet certain regulatory requirements. Also, all the applications are subject to approval on a case-by-case basis.

Examples of unforeseen circumstances include, but are not limited to, loss of financial aid or on-campus employment through no fault of their own; substantial fluctuations in currency value or exchange rate; and inordinate increases in tuition or living costs.

Unexpected changes in the financial condition of the source of support; and medical bills have also been listed by the USCIS as unforeseen circumstances.

A large number of international students, including those from India, have been left stranded and in many cases are facing financial distress after their education institutions were shut down after the announcement of social mitigation measures by the White House on March 13.

The students were also asked to vacate their dorms for the rest of the academic session. The academic session only begins in late August.

There are an estimated 250,000 Indian students in the US.

Many of them were able to get back home before India shut down its airspace on March 22. However, hundreds of Indian students, many with meager resources, have been left stranded.

The USCIS said that their off-campus work authorization application, which would allow students to work anywhere in the US, must be signed by their educational institution.

Under normal circumstances, international students are allowed to work within the university campus for a limited number of hours per month.

"Your Form I-20 (application) must include the employment page completed by your Designated School Official, certifying your eligibility for off-campus employment due to severe economic hardships caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond your control.

"If your request is approved, you may be able to work off-campus in one-year intervals up to the expected date of completion of your current course of study," the USCIS said.

The USCIS has stated that Special Student Relief is the suspension of certain regulatory requirements by the secretary of Homeland Security for F-1 students from parts of the world that are experiencing emergent circumstances.

Examples of emergent circumstances include natural catastrophes, war and military conflicts, and national or international financial crises.

Meanwhile, the US also announced that non-immigrant visa holders, who are facing challenges due to Covid-19, might be provided special consideration or expedited processing on a case-by-case basis.

In the Indian context, non-immigrant visas prominently include B-1 and B-2 visas for business or travel purposes, F-1 visas for students, J-1 visas for exchange visitors mainly research scholars and physicians, H-1B for IT professionals, and L1 for intracompany transferees in a managerial or executive position.

USCIS said that has taken steps to help individuals, employers, and others address some of the immigration-related challenges they face as a direct result of the coronavirus emergency.

For those in the United States in need of an extension of their nonimmigrant stay, the USCIS may extend their stay depending on the circumstances, a USCIS spokesperson told news agency PTI.

Check out our coverage of how COVID-19 is affecting universities, international students, and study abroad aspirants