Completing the International Organization Application

Step 1. Processing with OIA

Upload the following items to OIA's Supplementary Documentation Submission  Form:

  1. Formal job offer letter on the organization's letterhead.
  2. Request for Work Authorization Form
    •  Mark that you are applying for International Organization
    • Be sure to fill in the "work authorization start and end dates" as listed on your job offer letter
  3. Form I-765, "Application for Employment Authorization": Do not submit this form electronically. Print a hard copy to give to our office for our review. You will receive this application back with your new I-20 for mailing. Please carefully read and follow the directions on form I-765, and also note the following:
    • Make sure to mark one of the boxes where it asks, "I am applying for..."
    •  #1. Print neatly, your entire name as it appears on your passport and I-20 and spell out your middle name.
    • #3. Enter your address in the Chicago area. We recommend that you include the last 4 digits to the end of your zip code to help with mail delivery of the EAD card.  Check the U.S. Postal Service website to look up your full zip code.  If, for some reason, your United States address during the period of application will not be in Illinois, ask OIA how to proceed. If you decide to use a friend's address, where your name is not on the mailbox, you should write "c/o" (for "in care of") and your friend's name all on the same line with the street address.
    • #10. Enter the eleven-digit serial number from your I-94 Departure Record card or online arrival/departure record if you were issued a electronic I-94 upon entry.
    • #15. Enter "F-1 Student."
    • #16. Enter (c)(3)(ii). Above the three sets of parentheses, write "F-1 International Organization."
    • Make sure all questions on the form have an answer. If a question is not applicable to you, write n/a (for "not applicable").

We require one week to process requests.  When your new I-20 showing a recommendation for International Organization work authorization on the top of page 3 and reviewed Form I-765 are ready for pick-up, you will receive an email from our office.

Step 2. Documentation to Assemble

Gather the following items for your application once you receive your new Form I-20 with the International Organization recommendation from our office.

  1. Form I-765, "Application for Employment Authorization," with fee and photographs stapled to it (see items #2 and #3 below).
  2. Two photos to the standards of the Department of State specifications. These pictures are passport style photos in color. On campus, satisfactory photos are available, for a charge, at the Chicago Card Office located in Regenstein Library. On the back of each photo, print your name lightly with a pencil. Put the photos into a small plastic bag or envelope and staple it to the top of Form I-765.
  3. A check for the filing fee (see the USCIS website for the current fee) payable to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security." You may use a personal check or money order. Staple your completed and signed check to the front of the I-765.
  4. Copy of job offer on the organization's official letterhead.
  5. A photocopy of your Form I-20 (the one with the International Organization recommendation on it), all pages. Do NOT send the original.
  6. Documentation of your I-94:
    • If you entered the U.S. on or before April 29, 2013: Photocopy of your I-94 Departure Record card, front and back.
    • If you entered the US on or after April 30, 2013: Get a copy of your I-94 from the USCBP website to retrieve and print out a copy of your electronic Form I-94.
  7. Screen shots from SEVIS of OPT and CPT use (you will get this from OIA with your new I-20).
  8. Photocopies, front and back, of all previous EAD(s) issued to you for OPT.
  9. Photcopies, front and back, of all I-20s from any previous U.S. institution before the University of Chicago.
  10. Photocopies of the identity pages of your passport. This includes the page that has your photograph and biographic information.
  11. Optional document: Form G-1145, "E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance," if you want to be notified by email and/or text message when your application is received.

Step 3. Mailing Your Application

Applications from Illinois go to a USCIS Lockbox facility in Phoenix, Arizona.  The address to use is:

USCIS
PO Box 21281
Phoenix, AZ 85036

Use the U.S. Postal Service's certified mail, return receipt requested. 

If you want to use a non-Illinois address, your application may go to another location.  Contact your OIA adviser before proceeding.

Before you mail, make photocopies of your entire application plus supporting documents, and keep them with your mailing receipt.

Step 4. Tracking Your Application

If you filed Form G-1145 (see above), you should receive an initial email or text from the USCIS Lockbox in Arizona confirming that your application was received, and providing you with a receipt number.

Approximately 4-6 weeks after mailing your application, USCIS will send you by mail an official notice of receipt on Form I-797.  That notice will also give you your receipt number.  You can check for updates and sign up to receive email notifications when updates are made to your case online at the USCIS Case Status website.

Resource: U.S. Department of Homeland Security's FAQs on Employment with an International Organization