U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance to clarify the validity period of employment authorization for F-1 students under Special Student Relief (SSR). USCIS provides SSR for students from certain regions experiencing severe economic hardship due to emergent circumstances, including natural disasters, national or international financial crises, and military conflicts.
In the past, USCIS issued off-campus SSR employment authorization for up to one year. Moving forward, USCIS may grant such employment authorization for up to 18 months. The validity period, however, cannot exceed the F-1 student’s academic program end date.
In order to be eligible for SSR, the F-1 student must:
- Be the citizen of a country specified in a Federal Register notice
- Have lawfully resided in the United States for the dates indicated in the Federal Register notice
- Have reported on time to their designated school official (DSO) and been enrolled in a SEVP-certified school since the event
- Be currently maintaining F-1 status
- Be experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of the emergent circumstance in their country
Countries and regions with current SSR provisions include: Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Hong Kong, Myanmar (Burma), Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. Eligible students wishing to apply for employment authorization under SSR must file Form I-765 with USCIS with an I-20 with SSR recommendation.