Decling an international intern

DB

I know so little about the international employee process that I'm not even sure I know how to frame this question.

We posted an intern position for the Planning & Zoning dept that could be anything from a summer intern to a 12 month intern, depending on the availability of the student and the fact that some schools require internships of a certain length.

What work status issues should I be concerned about for an international student who is currently studying in the US? What about an international student studying in her home country who wants to intern/work in the US for a different experience?

I don't want to discriminate against anyone but I also don't want to drive myself insane with gov't requirements when US citizens have reasonably similar qualifications. Can we disregard a resume because hiring that person could be a paperwork nightmare due to citizen status?

Crout

Is the internship paid or unpaid?

DB

Paid. Range of $10-12 an hour. They would be a true employee - albeit a temporary/seasonal type of status.

Don D

If you have applications from foreign students from a school in your area, the college has a representative (whose title will vary but might be International Student Liaison) whose responsibility it is to coordinate and approve things like this. He or she can tell you if the student's current student visa allows them to work at other than the school and, if so, what limitations there are. If the international student is the one you want, and the current student visa does not allow them to work off campus, move on to another candidate. You won't have much, if any, federal paperwork to fool with other than maybe a form for the school.

TN HR

There's two ways to tackle this one. An F1 (true student visa) will allow off-campus employment under certain conditions commonly referred to as "practical training". Not a very difficult process at all considering this is an internship.

In terms of bringing a student over, I would encourage you to do it under the J1 (commonly called the exchange visa). Much less restrictive in terms of employment options.

Nothing that I mentioned above should be construed to mean that these visas should be fraudulently used.

Hunter1

Also check with your payroll people. You may have to deal with tax treaties and the like, different for different countries.