Haitian F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship from the Jan. 12, 2010 Haiti earthquake eligible for employment authorization. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has approved special relief for certain F-1 Haitian students who have suffered severe economic hardship as result of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. This relief applies only to students who were lawfully present in the United States in F-1 status on Jan. 12, and enrolled in an institution that is certified by ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
The suspension of certain regulatory requirements, by notice in the federal register, allows eligible Haitian F- 1 students to obtain employment authorization, work an increased number of hours during the school term, and, if necessary, reduce their course load while continuing to maintain their F-1 student status. F-1 students granted employment authorization by means of this notice will be deemed to be engaged in a full course of study if they meet the minimum course-load requirements specified in the notice.