Employment

You can search for jobs on Workday, which is the LMU student on-campus job search engine. International students are only eligible for jobs labeled “Non-Work Study”. Your on-campus job does not have to relate to your field of study.  

If you need support with building your resume and improving your interview skills, please refer to Career and Professional Development, who has a career advisor specifically for international students.  

Yes. All international students are REQUIRED to apply for a Social Security Number before they start working. Please note that you are only eligible to apply for a Social Security Number if you have a job. As soon as you receive your SSN card, you are required to create a Glacier account for tax filing purposes and report your SSN to LMU by inputting your SSN in PROWL. 

You may refer to our Social Security Number webpage for further instructions.

You are required to complete the following steps BEFORE working. OISS has Hiring Instructions for On-Campus Supervisors of International Students if your employer needs more information.  

1) Begin the Student Employment Hiring Process. Your supervisor will need to fully hire you in Workday. Please refer to Student Employment Services if you or your employer require further instruction.  

2) Submit an On-Campus Employment Request on MyStatus if this your first job on campus. You will need your supervisor’s name, email, and contact information so, they can verify your employment.

3) Pick up your On-Campus Employment Verification Letters from OISS once your request has been approved. One of these letters will be signed by OISS and the other letter will need to be signed by your employer. (Please note this takes approximately 3-5 business days) 

4)Take the letter to your employer and have them physically sign it. This letter cannot be signed digitally or else the Social Security Office will deny your SSN application. 

5) Take printed copies of the following documents to the nearest Social Security Office: 

• Most recent I-20 or DS-2019 
• Most recent I-94
• Valid Passport 
• Valid Visa 
• Properly endorsed Employment Verification Letters from OISS and employer 
• Completed SS-5 form 

6) Follow instructions from the email you will receive from GLACIER, LMU’s tax portal for international students.  

7) Finish the Student Employment Services Onboarding tasks on Workday and complete your I-9 verification process with Human Resources. 

If you have completed all of your tasks on Workday, have applied for your SSN, and (if it is your first on-campus job position) had your Permission for On-Campus Employment request approved on MyStatus, you are able to begin working. If you are still unsure, please contact Student Employment Services to confirm. 

During the academic year, F-1 students are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours per week total. Students can work more than 21 hours per week during winter and summer breaks. Do not work over the maximum number of hours per week as this is considered unauthorized employment. 

Some examples of unauthorized employment include but are not limited to: 

• Working before receiving approval from OISS
• Working without having applied for a Social Security Number
• Working over 20 hours per week during the academic year
• Working in an internship or off campus without proper CPT authorization (regardless if unpaid or paid) 

Engaging in any unauthorized employment is an F-1 visa status violation and may result in termination. If you are engaging in unauthorized employment, your reinstatement request would be automatically denied. DSOs are required to report unauthorized employment.  

Yes, you are required to file taxes as an international student whether or not you worked in the U.S.

• If you do not have a job, you are still required to complete and submit Tax Form 8843.
• If you were/are employed, you are required to submit both Tax Form 8843 and file your taxes.  

If you have questions about taxes, please refer to Sprintax for guidance as the provide webinars for how to file your U.S. nonresident tax return or refer to Amy Winger (amy.winger@lmu.edu) at the LMU Controller’s Office. OISS staff members are not tax consultants and therefore cannot assist international students with tax advice.  

If you have already applied for and received a Social Security Number, then you can speak with Student Employment Services about removing yourself from the job position in Workday. If you apply for another on-campus employment position, you will only need to do the Workday processes since you already completed the OISS On Campus Employment requirement.   

If you have not applied for a SSN, you must speak to Student Employment Services about removing yourself from the job position in Workday. If you are hired for another on-campus job position, you will need to do submit a new On-Campus Employment Request on MyStatus to be able to apply for an SSN.  

There are a few reasons that your On Campus Employment Request has not been approved yet: 

• You could have been contacted about missing information and OISS is waiting for you to submit the changes in MyStatus 
• OISS may still be waiting for your employer to confirm your employment. Please verify that you input the correct supervisor and email 
• MyStatus requests are processed in the order they are received; it takes approximately 3-5 business days for this request to be approved.

OISS receives the largest amount of On-Campus Employment requests at the beginning of the academic year so we appreciate your patience.  

If you still have questions about employment as an international student, please attend the OISS Virtual Drop-in Hours that are available Monday to Thursday to speak with an advisor.