How do international students get hired in the U.S.?

International students bring tangible global experiences and varied backgrounds working in a range of functions. The hiring process is much more complex for international students than domestic students in the United States; this page serves to provide a brief overview of some of this complexity, although we recommend speaking with a TCS specialist for case-specific advice.

• Hiring for internships
  • International students at Iowa are typically on an F-1 student visa. This allows them to take on summer employment with minimal paperwork on the employer’s part through what is called Curricular Practical Training (CPT). With CPT, the University of Iowa issues the work authorization.
• Hiring for full-time positions
  • Certain Iowa grads can apply to work longer in the United States after graduation if their majors are STEM-designated. This allows international students to work under Optional Practical Training (OPT) for 24 months before employer sponsorship is required. To see if your major qualifies you for OPT, compare the CIP code on your I-20 to this list. Majors appearing on the list are STEM-designated as of 2024.
  • At the end of the OPT period, the employee will need their employer to sponsor a visa to continue to work in the United States. The most common type of work visa in these situations is an H-1B visa.

The most important things to remember about the H1-B program are the annual cap and the application timeline. The U.S. government allows a finite number of H1-B visas every year and in recent years they have been reaching that quota on the day the application opens.