F-1 students are those enrolled full-time in an accredited academic school with appropriate U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) authorization. You may employ them off campus during the validity period of their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or in accordance with the terms of the endorsement on the back of a currently valid Form I-20 for part- or full-time curricular practical training (CPT). Determining whether students are authorized to work and, if so, for how long, can be a headache. A good source of information about the student's ability to work is the school's Designated School Official (DSO), the individual authorized by USCIS to handle student-related immigration matters on campus. No EAD will last for more than a year in this context (though it might be renewed).

M-1 students are those enrolled full-time in an accredited non-academic school with appropriate USCIS authorization. M-1 students must have an EAD to work and the EAD will last for no longer than six months.

It can be a challenge for students to change directly to O-1B status, because it is hard to show that they meet the O-1B standards. However, exceptionally gifted students, those who were already performing at a high level and those who win prestigious non-academic competitions, for instance, stand a good chance.

It is particularly important these days that F-1 and M-1 students obtain and maintain valid, currently endorsed I-20s or I-20Ms. These are the documents issued by the school that enable the student to qualify for the F-1 or M-1 visa, and that provide evidence of their continued valid status. Further, the endorsements respecting work authorization on these forms will let a potential employer know whether the student is employable without an employment authorization document or only with one.