Instructions for Hiring Departments | LSU International Services

Instructions for Hiring Departments

Hiring F-1 & J-1 Students

Please note: This information is designed to clarify the hiring paperwork requirements for current F-1 and J-1 international students only. For hiring US citizens, permanent residents, F-1 students with a valid EAD card while on OPT or OPT STEM, or other visa-status employees, please contact the Payroll Office or Human Resources for more information. 

Overview

  • The most common employment categories for F-1 and J-1 students are student worker or graduate assistant positions. It is our understanding from PS-28 that students should not be hired as transient or contingent.
  • Employment for F-1 and J-1 students is highly restricted (maximum 20 hours per week on campus); thus, our office is very careful with employment advising and authorizations.
    • Please remind your faculty and staff who supervise F-1/J-1 students that the students cannot exceed 20 hours per week and are not eligible for Additional Compensation (Ad Comp), since that would put them over the limit.
    • It is a good idea to track the hours of those on assistantships to make sure they remain within their appointed hours (no more than 20 hours/week for a 50% appointment and no more than 10 hours/week for a 25% appointment).
  • Paper Vendor Work Permits are necessary only for those employers who are not in the LSU Payroll/Workday system, such as the LSU Bookstore (Barnes and Noble), LSU Dining (Chartwells), etc.
  • Students must meet eligibility requirements for their specific immigration status, no matter their job appointment category. If you have questions about hiring an F-1 or J-1 student, check with HR and Payroll to see if the student is eligible for the position and to make sure that all required forms are filled out.

New/Initial I-9 Documents

There are very specific documents that a current F-1 or J-1 student must provide to prove their status and employment eligibility for their I-9 documentation. The student must provide the following:

  1. Valid, unexpired passport,
  2. Valid, unexpired I-20/DS-2019, and
  3. Their most recent I-94 printout.

The student can print their most recent I-94 Entry record from the Customs and Border Patrol Website. Please see the USCIS Handbook or I-9 Central for further details about filling out the I-9 for an F-1 or J-1 student.

Reverification of I-9 Documents

Currently and continuously employed F-1 or J-1 students may have expiration dates on their I-9 forms; the form should be reverified by the expiration date.

  • The expiration date will depend on the student's I-20/DS-2019 end date, since the I-94 usually says D/S, duration of status.
  • The passport expiration date does not trigger reverification. However, passports may affect other F-1 or J-1 benefits, ability to travel, and proof of status, so it is recommended that our international students maintain a valid passport at all times.
  • Please see I-9 Central for further details about reverification of an F-1 or J-1 student's I-9.

Hiring a Newly Arrived Student

New students who have just arrived at LSU must complete a few additional steps before being eligible for employment. 

  1. Students must attend International Student Orientation. Orientation is scheduled early, before the start of the semester. At Orientation, we provide handouts and information so that students will be aware of their employment responsibilities. If the student is unable to attend Orientation, they must make a check-in appointment with our office in 101 Hatcher Hall. 
  2. Students must be in the U.S. for a minimum of 10 days after their Orientation or check-in appointment before completing the next step. (See below.)  
  3. If the student has never worked in the U.S. before, they must apply for a U.S. Social Security number (SSN) for employment. For their application, the student must provide a letter with the following information:
    • Proof of LSU campus employment: The letter should include an original, official job offer letter from the hiring department. Your department will need to prepare this one-page letter on LSU letterhead and give it to the student; they will bring it to ISO so that we can fill out our section on the same letter. 
    • Designated School Official (DSO) authorization: Authorization from International Services.

For more information on Social Security applications, see the Social Security section of our website. The beginning of the semester is always a busy time, so there may be delays in processing documents, and the student's first paycheck may be delayed if they have not completed all requirements with ISO or if they do not yet have a Social Security Number.

If the students or their employing departments are not able to access Workday documents, please contact HR.

If there are questions about how to fill out tax forms, please contact LSU Payroll at 204 Thomas Boyd Hall, 225-578-3321.