U.S. lifts work ban on RI students

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian students in the United States can now work full-time on or off campus while pursuing their studies in order to allow them to support themselves financially, the U.S. Embassy said yesterday.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service has temporarily lifted certain employment restrictions for F-1 Student Visa holders from Indonesia to help them afford to continue their studies there, the U.S. Information Service (USIS) said.

This facility is also extended to students from Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand, it said.

It said the Asian crisis has caused economic hardships for many of the estimated 80,000 students from these five countries who are currently enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities.

The move, which became effective as of June 10, came in response to a request from the Secretary of State and is part of the government's larger effort to mitigate the impact of the Asian economic crisis, it said.

Students from the five countries are permitted to take up employment of more than 20 hours per week either on or off campus while school is in session. The government has also waived the requirement that a foreign student cannot work outside the campus in his first year of study in the United States.

The government will no longer insist that students must be enrolled for full-time courses to take up employment. However, undergraduates must register for a minimum of six credit hours per semester and graduate students must register for three credit hours.

The special relief program is in place indefinitely and will be terminated by the Attorney General when it is determined to be no longer warranted by economic circumstances, USIS said.