Economic hardships for international students

http://oia.pdx.edu/isss/forms/EconomicHardship.pdf

(this situation might come from the recent recession in Asia and the States. perhaps the ones getting scholarship or aid from here or back there, has come to a halt since ppl savings went south! or, perhaps there's been an emergency in the family and your educational fund went used up and inflated by the prices soarings, etc. this is useful for international students so they can legally work off-campus. i would recommend working in a related field of study since it adds to your resume other than doing odd jobs. this means, if you get a job a "stapler" in a great engineering firm and you're in a technical major, take that job!).

F-1 students who are maintaining their status may be eligible for off-campus employment authorization if they suffer from unforeseen economic hardship. You must have been a full time student for 9 months and have experienced unforeseen economic hardship. If you feel you qualify, you may make an appointment with an international student adviser to discuss your situation. If the international student advisor decides that your circumstances warrant application, she will recommend to the CIS that you be authorized for off-campus employment. The CIS uses very strict guidelines in determining eligibility, so an ISA’s decision that you may be eligible does not guarantee that you will be approved.

If you are approved for off-campus employment due to severe economic hardship, you will receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) valid for one year or until your academic program ends, whichever period is shorter. It will allow you to work part-time off campus – you are NOT restricted to your field of study with this type of employment authorization ONLY. You may also use your EAD card to work on-campus up to 40 hours per week. If you decide to transfer away from Portland State, your EAD will not be valid at the new school.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

To apply for economic hardship, you will need to provide the following documentation.
1. CIS Form I-765 (attached, or you may download from http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-765.pdf.
2. Check or money order made out to CIS for $340 (please check the USCIS website for the most current fee: go to http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis, click on Immigration Forms then scroll to I-765). NOTE: These fees are scheduled to be increased in Spring 2007, so please double check!
3. Photocopies of the following: identity and expiration pages of your passport, your visa, and your I-94 card (front and back). If you have had EAD’s previously, you must also send photocopies of them, as well as Economic Hardship I-20 (issued by our office after receiving all other copies/documents).
4. Two passport photos.
5. A letter explaining your situation and any supporting documentation (Ex: letter from sponsor withdrawing support, newspaper articles, bank notices, hospital bills, etc.)

One of the International Student Advisors will issue a new I-20 upon receipt of your application. You will need to return to the ISSS office to sign the new I-20 before ISSS can send the application to the CIS. The CIS Service Center usually takes about 2+ months to review Economic Hardship applications. You can expect to receive a Receipt Notice about 2 weeks after your application is submitted. Please bring this Notice to the ISSS office so that we can put a copy in your file. Your EAD will be sent directly to you by the CIS, unless you choose to use the ISSS office address (a better idea!): c/o OIA, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207.