<p>I know for a fact that it is forbidden for international students (i am from austria, europe) to work during their studies (only on campus allowed or an internship)</p>
<p>now, is also modelling considered working? I mean, sure it is work to do modelling, but you don't really have an income, at least not a regular one. would modelling bring me out of legal F-1 visa status or is it ok to do a few extra bucks with modelling such as with babysitting?</p>
<p>it would be very nice for you to answer me.
thanks a lot.</p>
<p>FYI, you are not allowed to babysit for a pay. I don't think anyone would mind if a friend of your's needed a one-time favor, but don't actively look for a job.</p>
<p>wait...internationals can not work outside of campus? I thought you could apply for some kind of student-work permit thing...this is really making me panic since if I'm wrong then my plans are ruined...</p>
<p>You can work for an off-campus employer for a total of 12 months on OPT (optional practical training), either during breaks or after graduation. Every single OPT authorization costs $340. For example, if you apply for OPT for three summer and two winter breaks, you will have to pay 5 x $340 = $ 1700. </p>
<p>Under certain circumstances you can work for more than 12 months. If off-campus work is part of your academic program and you receive academic credit for it (e.g. mandatory internships for nursing and education majors), that does not count towards your OPT eligibility as long as it is less than 12 months. Under an interim policy STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) majors can apply for an additional 17 months of OPT, for a total of 29 months of OPT.</p>
<p>A few F-1 students are eligible for a work-permit for "severe economic hardship employment". If you can prove that unexpected circumstances out of your control have affected your finances in a way that you won't be able to finance your education without an off-campus job, you might get a work permit. Possible scenarios are the death of your main sponsor, a loss of all your savings because your bank went bankrupt or a dramatic change in currency exchange rates.</p>
<p>YOU, thanks, I don't know why I didn't make that connection myself. I was thinking of mathematical modeling or modeling with clay or something like that :)</p>
<p>Franz2609, I have to agree with cooldude41 that it would be illegal for you to work as a model without proper employment authorization (which you won't get unless modeling is directly related to your college major, say for example fashion design). Modeling is considered employment if you receive money, food, housing, clothes or any other benefits for it. But if you just want to do it for fun or for your resume without pay, go ahead!</p>
<p>So say I go to a business school in NYC, can I still do internships in summers as an international from Canada? how early do I have to apply for OPT?</p>
<p>^ Canadians don't need to apply for visas to the states. And under many circumstances, they share the same privileges with U.S. citizens and permanent residents. </p>
<p>Internships are allowed for students with F1 visa.</p>
<p>To clarify what Ryan1119 said: Canadian citizens don't have to apply for a student visa ahead of time, but they still need an I-20 and acquire F-1 status when crossing the boarder. Canadians are limited to on-campus work and OPT like any other F-1 student.</p>
<p>But they don't call it student visa.
Because only the following visa categories are obligated to obtain the non-immigrant visa status:</p>
<pre><code>* Foreign government officials (A)
* Officials and employees of international organizations (G)
* NATO officials, representatives and employees assigned to the United States as needed to facilitate their travel
* Treaty traders (E-1)
* Treaty investors (E-2)
* K-1 Fianc
</code></pre>
<p>"To clarify what Ryan1119 said: Canadian citizens don't have to apply for a student visa ahead of time, but they still need an I-20 and acquire F-1 status when crossing the boarder. Canadians are limited to on-campus work and OPT like any other F-1 student."</p>
<p>so I can't get internships? give me a straight answer guys cause this could totally ruin my plans to come to the US</p>
<p>I thought I gave you a direct answer in post #6, but maybe that was not direct enough. Yes, you can do internships but under OPT restrictions. That means that your internship has to be directly related to your major, you cannot do an internship until the end of your second semester and your total internship time is limited to 12 months.</p>
<p>Applying for OPT is just a little bit of paperwork and a $340 fee. You can apply up to 90 days in advance and you don't need a job offer when you apply. The international student office at your college will help you with the application and issue you a new I-20 with a note of the OPT authorization once your OPT request has been granted by UCSIC. Note that once your OPT is granted the time is subtracted from your 12 month limit, whether or not you actually work during that time frame.</p>
<p>Lol you're allowed to work under OPT for only 1 year. After that, unless you're very lucky and/or talented, it's time to go back to your country.</p>
<p>You can apply for OPT as frequently as you would like, but your total OPT time cannot exceed 12 months. Many international students keep most their OPT for a job after graduation, in the hope that their employer will sponsor them for a work visa after that year. FYI, if you graduate in May or June, it is currently impossible to apply for a work visa right out of college because of timing issues in the work visa application process.</p>
<p>I'm confused now about the months issue. you said:</p>
<p>"whether or not you actually work during that time frame."</p>
<p>meaning that I can apply once and that gives me a year to work, or one summer internship. my opt will be wasted for the months I'm in school since I cannot somehow stop it from draining my time.</p>
<p>but your newer post seems to say that I can apply as much as I want as long as the total time from all my opt periods doesn't exceed 12 months...</p>
<p>so can I control the time or not? by control the time, I mean stop opt when my internship is over.</p>