For Faculty & Staff

For Faculty and Staff

• Forms & Requests

  Please use our applications site for requests, including hosting a J-1 scholar. This site holds the forms, applications for work authorizations, letter requests and more for our students. If you are working with an international student who is pursuing an internship or needs an updated form, please direct them to this site.

  Learn more

   

• Hiring an International Student or Scholar

  On-campus Hiring

  • F-1 students are eligible to work on campus for up to 20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters. They may work up to 40 hours per week during the winter and summer breaks. Consult with the Payroll Office for any questions related to paperwork.
  • J-1 students are eligible to work 20 hours per week on campus (and 40 hours during breaks), but only if their program sponsor has approved the employment. The program sponsor may be Bucknell or an outside institution or agency. Please check with International Student & Scholar Services if you wish to hire a J-1 student.
  • If you or your department wishes to bring a visiting international scholar to campus, regardless of whether they will be paid, they will likely need special visa accommodations. Consult with your dean and the General Counsel's Office first. If a J-1 visa is needed for the scholar, ISSS will help you through this process.

  Off-campus Hiring

  • F-1 students are only eligible to work off campus after securing work authorization.
  • Curricular Practical Training (CPT) work authorization is directly related to a class and authorized by ISSS. Proof of employment authorization is shown for your worksite, printed on the second page of the student's I-20.
  • Optional Practical Training (OPT) work authorization requires the student to apply for authorization through USCIS. This approval is an actual plastic card with the student's photo on it. OPT periods are generally valid for 12 months.
  • OPT is automatically extended if there is a pending (approved) H1-B application. The student should contact ISSS in order to request an updated I-20 showing the extended dates.
  • Students with STEM degrees working for an E-Verify employer may also qualify for a 24-month OPT extension.

   

• BRIDGE Host Family Program

  

  Home Away from Home Reception

  The BRIDGE Host Family Program is a great opportunity for Bucknell faculty and staff to connect with the University's international students and form friendships across cultures.

  This program matches American host families with international students based on shared interests or demographics and is a way to meet new people and share culture and community.

  Students and families alike can choose the level of interaction. Though all students live on campus, local host families can invite students over for dinner or to stay over breaks. Often, students and families meet for concerts, festivals, hiking or trips out of town.

  Complete a host family application in the summer or early fall; our typical deadline is around September 10th.

  Apply to be a host family

  you can also contact iss@bucknell.edu or call 570-577-3216 with questions.