Severe Economic Hardship

Severe economic hardship employment was established to provide students who have experienced a legitimate and unforeseen economic hardship since obtaining F-1 status the opportunity to obtain employment authorization.

Contact OISP

Contact Information

Phone: 614.797.4700
Email: oisp@franklin.edu

Address:
Franklin University
Office of International Students and Programs
201 S. Grant Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215
USA

Office Hours

Available virtually and by phone:
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Available in person by appointment only:
Monday - Wednesday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

All times listed are Eastern Time (ET).

Schedule An Appointment

Prospective Franklin students: click here to schedule an appointment with a member of the international admissions team.

Current Franklin students: click here to schedule an appointment with an international advising coordinator.

For in-person appointments, free parking is available in lot adjacent to the Paul J. Otte Center for Student Services. Notify the Welcome Center staff when you have arrived.

When scheduling a phone appointment, provide a U.S. phone number, and we will call you at the scheduled time. If you do not have a U.S. phone number, please schedule a virtual appointment.

When scheduling a virtual appointment, provide an email address you check regularly, and we will send you a link to a Microsoft Teams meeting. View Microsoft Teams instructions.

Severe Economic Hardship

The change in your financial situation must be unforeseen and through no fault of your own. Just what constitutes a legitimate and unforeseen economic hardship is debatable. Some examples would include: loss of on-campus employment: unexpected loss of a scholarship; serious currency devaluation when the funds come from abroad; excessive tuition and fee increases; medical bills; burglary or robbery (with a police report); substantial increases in living costs; disruption of a sponsor’s income; death of a sponsor etc.

You will need to document to OISP your severe and unforeseen economic hardship. If the circumstances are determined to be severe and unforeseen we will recommend to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approval of your application for work authorization. If granted, the work permit is valid for part-time employment (20 hours a week or less while school is in session) and full-time during scheduled breaks. OISP’s recommendation does not guarantee approval of your application.

Severe Economic Hardship Checklist

A complete application to USCIS must include:

Form I-795 using the code (c)(3)(iii) in the Eligibility Category field
Form I-765 Application Fee
Copy of Form I-20 requesting off-campus employment
Documentation that on-campus employment is unavailable or otherwise insufficient to meet the needs that have arisen as a result of the unforeseen circumstances
Copy of Form I-94
Copies of current status documents, visa, and passport ID pages
Copies of all previous I-20s
Copies of any previous EADs
Transcripts to prove one year of enrollment in a full course of study
Two passport-style photographs
Optional: Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
Optional: Form G-1145 E-Notification of Application/ Petition Acceptance

We recommend that you include a letter explaining the circumstances and explaining that acceptance of employment will not interfere with your maintaining a full course of study.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for severe economic hardship work authorization you must:

Have been in F-1 status for at least one full academic year
Be in good academic standing
Prove to USCIS that employment is necessary due to severe economic hardship caused by circumstances beyond your control that arose after obtaining F-1 status
Demonstrate that on-campus employment is unavailable or otherwise insufficient to meet the needs that have arisen as a result of the unforeseen circumstances
Demonstrate that acceptance of employment will not interfere with your maintaining a full course of study

Procedures

An application for severe economic hardship work authorization can be stressful during a difficult time, so OISP is here to help.

First, begin gathering all application materials. Once your application materials are ready we will ask you to submit a request for a “Severe Economic Hardship” I-20.

If you have any difficulties gathering application materials or completing forms, contact OISP can give you advice or point you to helpful resources. We recommend scheduling an appointment to review the application with your international student advisor.

Once you are ready to submit the application to USCIS, send your application file by certified mail or courier. You will receive a receipt number from USCIS, which you can use to track the status of your application online.

If you move before the application is received or adjudicated, you must notify OISP of your address change and change your address online at https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange, or call 1-800-375-5283. Failure to update your address with USCIS can have serious effects on your status in the U.S.

Keep in mind that this work authorization is granted by USCIS in increments of one year at a time, or until your Program End Date, whichever is shorter and that the work authorization ends if you transfer schools or programs.

Severe Economic Hardship

Contact OISP

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