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I-9 Verification

Helpful Hints from the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS)

The purpose of the I-9 is two-fold:  to establish identity and employment eligibility.  In the case of international students and scholars, work authorization can be determined in the following ways:

Utilizing List A

An international student/scholar will usually provide an unexpired foreign passport and I-94 (admission/departure record to establish identity (The I-94 is a small white card that is a little larger than a business card).  To establish employment eligibility, the I-94 should be accompanied by either a current UNR I-20 (students) or current UNR DS-2019 (students/researchers/professors/specialists).  Those students who enter the U.S. with an I-20 are admitted in the F-1 visa class (degree seeking students).  Those students and visiting scholars that enter the U.S. with the DS-2019 are admitted in the J-1 visa class (exchange visitors).

F-1 Students

Those students on a UNR I-20, engaged in a full course of study, are allowed to work on campus up to 20 hours per week (40 hours per week during vacation periods) with any additional USCIS authorization.  Make sure that the I-20 has been issued by the University of Nevada, and is in the student name (i.e., make sure the applicant is not a dependent an F-2 dependent is NOT ever allowed to work in the U.S.).  Also make sure the I-20 has not expired (#5 complete studies no later than .  If the I-20 has expired, please refer the student to the OISS at 784-6874.

If an F-1 student has graduated and is engaged in practical training, he/she should provide an unexpired employment authorization document (EAD card) which is item #7 on list C.  These students may be restricted from certain work categories at UNR (i.e., those students no longer enrolled in courses are not allowed to continue in student positions.)

J-1 Students

J-1 students, like F-1 students are allowed to work on campus 20 hours per week or 40 hours per week during vacation periods.  The student category is indicated in section #4 of the DS-2019.  Please verify that the DS-2019 has been issued by the University of Nevada, Reno (item #2 of DS-2019) and is not expired (see item #3 for program duration).  If the DS-2019 has been issued by an agency other than UNR, the student should provide a letter of work permission from a responsible officer of that agency (examples might include USIA, IIE, AED, etc).

J-1 Researchers/Professors/Specialists

J-1 Researchers/Professors are allowed to work full-time or part-time during the period authorized (item #3 of the DS-2019) in the area specified on the DS-2019 (category and purpose in indicated in section #4).  Please verify that the DS-2019 has been issued by the University of Nevada, Reno.  If not, they should also present a letter or work authorization from the issuing agency.

H-1B Work Visas

For those in the H-1B visa category, the I-94 issued by the USCIS contains information regarding the visa class, validity dates, and petitioner.  H-1B are employer specific, therefore the I-94 should state that the petitioner is the University of Nevada, Reno. Please Note:  If you hire someone that will need to obtain an H-1B or transfer H-1B to the University of Nevada, Reno, please contact OISS at 784-6874.  It generally takes at least two months to procure or transfer an H-1B.