Hiring International Students
Employing International Student Interns
Summary: International students can be authorized to engage in an internship while enrolled as a student as long as the work is related to their field of study and it is connected to their academic program. Depending on the visa type of the student, the work permission is known as, "Curricular Practical Training” (CPT) or “Academic Training”. The great thing is that employers do NOT need to “sponsor” a student or do much of anything to hire the student. The work permission is authorized by the school.
What does the student need to do? At the University of New Mexico (UNM) students must enroll in an internship or Cooperative Education course (Coop) to get the work authorization. The student needs to have the internship supervisor, international and academic advisor sign off on a form to get the approval.
What does the employer need to do? The employer needs to sign off on the internship or coop course forms and needs to check in twice during the semester with the course instructor of record to report that the student is doing the required work. The employer also needs to be sure the student has been properly authorized for the work on his/her immigration documents before the student begins working.
How do I complete the I-9 form? For purposes of the I-9 employment eligibility verification, you would use the student's passport, I-94 and I-20 or DS-2019 form that shows the work authorization for your organization for the specific dates of the internship.
How much can the student work? Students can work part-time during the fall and spring semesters (up to 20 hours per week) and full-time between semesters (winter and summer breaks), as long as the student has received the authorization for the specific employer in advance for the dates of the internship and the authorization appears on their immigration documents (I-20 or DS-2019 form)
If you have questions about any of the information above, please do not hesitate to contact the Global Education Office at UNM at iadvisor@unm.edu or 505-277-4032.
