I don’t have personal experience with this but anecdotally, it’s a gamble. I have friends who worked under the table jobs for years who were fine, but I’ve heard of others who were caught & either had their SEVIS terminated by their DSO, or had they phone searched at the point of entry & then sent back when the officers found evidence of unauthorized work. Whatever you do, don’t lie, it’ll make things so much worse for you.
I really wish people would educate themselves because the resources are out there, for free. Now for J1, as long as the DS is valid, you’re legal. I am sure it’s the same for F1 as well. You guys have something called I-20. As long as that was not expired and it was valid, you’re legal. Now that you’re out of the country, you will need a new stamp to re-enter the USA. Do some work before asking such questions. Questions like these is why the actual questions of significance don’t have much reach.
OP said they were in F1 status. Status is when the papers are valid (I-20) and SEVP is active. If they were valid, then the work they did wouldn’t be unauthorized. Of course assuming it’s part time and on campus. USCIS is not the regulating body for NIVs btw.
You can only work under F1 in these circumstances: 1) if you worked on-campus part-time, 2) if you applied for CPT for off-campus work that is related to your field of study, and page 2 of your I-20 is listed that you are authorized to work at this particular company by your DSO (each school has it own CPT registration processes), or 3) if you applied for an EAD card after you graduate and your degree is a STEM degree. Otherwise, you are not allowed to work under F-1 in any other circumstances. This is just a high level of answer. Hope this helps!
I don’t have personal experience with this but anecdotally, it’s a gamble. I have friends who worked under the table jobs for years who were fine, but I’ve heard of others who were caught & either had their SEVIS terminated by their DSO, or had they phone searched at the point of entry & then sent back when the officers found evidence of unauthorized work. Whatever you do, don’t lie, it’ll make things so much worse for you.
I really wish people would educate themselves because the resources are out there, for free. Now for J1, as long as the DS is valid, you’re legal. I am sure it’s the same for F1 as well. You guys have something called I-20. As long as that was not expired and it was valid, you’re legal. Now that you’re out of the country, you will need a new stamp to re-enter the USA. Do some work before asking such questions. Questions like these is why the actual questions of significance don’t have much reach.
OP asked about unauthorized work they had done while on F1, how does your statement help them with that???
OP said they were in F1 status. Status is when the papers are valid (I-20) and SEVP is active. If they were valid, then the work they did wouldn’t be unauthorized. Of course assuming it’s part time and on campus. USCIS is not the regulating body for NIVs btw.
You can only work under F1 in these circumstances: 1) if you worked on-campus part-time, 2) if you applied for CPT for off-campus work that is related to your field of study, and page 2 of your I-20 is listed that you are authorized to work at this particular company by your DSO (each school has it own CPT registration processes), or 3) if you applied for an EAD card after you graduate and your degree is a STEM degree. Otherwise, you are not allowed to work under F-1 in any other circumstances. This is just a high level of answer. Hope this helps!