Expert: F-1 Work Authorization Requests Need Specifics

Kerrie Kennedy, PIE News, Mar. 31, 2020

"As coronavirus continues to steer the international education sector further into unchartered territory, a webinar has revealed educators are worried about the enduring appeal of the country as a study destination if visa processing is not revived soon enough, and work rules are not clarified. ... Regarding economic hardship authorisation – where an F-1 student may request off-campus work authorisation based on unforeseen circumstances – professor of Immigration Law Practice at Cornell Law School, Stephen Yale-Loehr, said it is determined on a case-by-case basis. “We don’t know how the immigration agency is going to interpret [it] or be generous or restrictive in granting it given the coronavirus situation,” he added. “But simply stating ‘I deserve work authorisation because of COVID-19’ will not work. You need to have very specific, very individualised facts to present a compelling case to the immigration agency about that.” "