PLEASE NOTE: At this time ONLY students from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines may benefit from this provision.

F-1 Students who are from one of the five countries listed above may apply for special employment authorization by completing an application with the service center having jurisdiction over the student's place of residence.

For an application to be complete, it must contain:

1. A properly completed Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) including the $70 fee or a waiver of the fee explaining why the applicant deserves the fee to be waived.
2. Form I-20 with written notation by the Designated School Official (DSO), signed and dated, stating the recommended starting and ending times for the Special Student Relief.
3. A copy of Form I-538 (Certification by DSO), containing a notarized signature by the DSO stating that:
   1. The student's means of financial support is from one of the five countries listed above.
   2. The student is in good standing as a student and is carrying a full course load at the time of the request of employment authorization.
   3. If the student can not carry a full course load because of acceptance of employment, the student is registered for at least 6 semester or quarter hours for each academic term.
   4. The off-campus employment is absolutely necessary to avoid serious economic hardships to the individual (the DSO must note this on Form I-538).

To help speed-up adjudication of the student's application, the student should:

1. Ensure the application includes everything listed above.
2. Send the application with "SPECIAL STUDENT RELIEF" clearly written on the bottom-right side of the envelope.

If the service center approves the student's application, the student will be sent an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766). This form will allow the student to work, and contains the date for which their special relief expires.