Special Student Relief
In specific situations, an F-1 student may be eligible for off campus employment, authorized by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services who is experiencing severe economic hardship as a direct result of humanitarian crises, natural disasters, armed conflict and other emergent circumstances.
Special Student Relief (SSR), is the suspension of certain regulatory requirements by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for an F‑1 student from parts of the world that are experiencing emergent circumstances. Regulatory requirements that may be suspended or altered for an F-1 student include: duration of status, full course of study and employment eligibility
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for Special Student Relief (SSR), F-1 students must meet the following criteria:
- Be a citizen of a country specified in a Federal Register (FR) notice
- Have been lawfully present in the United States for the dates indicated in the FR notice
- Have reported on time to their designated school official (DSO)
- Be enrolled in an SEVP-certified school since the event
- Be currently maintaining F-1 status
- Be experiencing severe economic hardship
Current Countries Eligible for SSR
Visit and scroll to the bottom of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) page to the “Special Student Relief” section to review the full list of eligible countries for SSR.
To apply for SSS, you must complete the following.
- Obtain a new I-20 with an endorsement from your Designated School Official (DSO) by submitting the Special Student Relief request via the International Services Portal, uploading the personal statement and supporting documentation.
- Create a USCIS Account or Sign In to your already existing account.
- Complete the I-765, Application for Employment Authorization accompanied by the required fees and supporting documents, using the Code: (c)(3)(iii) within 30 days of the DSO endorsement located on the students I-20. .
- Required Documents to Upload:
- I-20 issued within 30-days with your DSO Special Student Relief Employment endorsement
- Personal Statement and evidence documenting unforeseen circumstances
- Official Transcript. Visit our website for details: Order Your Transcript
- Enrollment Letter. Visit our website for details: Enrollment Verification
- All previously issued I-20’s
- Most recent I-94 Arrival Document
- 2 X 2 inch color photo taken within 30 days: Photo Requirements
- Valid Passport
- F-1 Visa (most recent one)
- Evidence of previously authorized off campus employment
- Pay the Required Application Fee: The current fee is $520 (this is subject to change). USCIS Filing Fee
- Check Your Case Status: Sign In to your already existing account for details on the status of your case.
- Track Your Application: Use this tool to track your application status. USCIS Case Status Online
- Approval for off-campus employment is good for one year. If the F-1 student needs to continue working off-campus, the student must re-apply.
- The employment authorization is automatically terminated whenever the student fails to maintain status.
If the application is approved, USCIS will issue you an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The EAD will expire on or before the end of the temporary relief granted.
