Part-Time Jobs in the USA for Nepali Students

F-1 status permits on-campus employment up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session, and full-time (no hour limit) during official school breaks — winter break, spring break, and summer, as long as you intend to enroll the following term. This 20-hour cap applies per week regardless of how many campus jobs you hold combined.

Off-campus work is not permitted on a standard F-1 visa. The only legal routes are Curricular Practical Training (CPT, tied to a specific course requirement, available from year one for some programs), Optional Practical Training (OPT, available after each degree level, 12 months plus a 24-month STEM extension), or a rarely-granted severe economic hardship work authorization. Working off-campus without one of these authorizations — including remote freelance work for a foreign employer, or informal cash jobs — is a status violation that can lead to SEVIS termination.

The US federal minimum wage is USD 7.25/hour, but campus jobs almost never pay this — most pay USD 12-18/hour, and in high cost-of-living states (California, New York, Washington) campus roles pay USD 16-22/hour. At 20 hours/week and USD 15/hour, that's roughly USD 1,300/month (approximately NPR 198,000 at current rates), before tax.

Realistic annual earnings from on-campus work alone run USD 8,000-15,000/year (approximately NPR 12.2-22.9 lakh/year) — enough to cover personal expenses, textbooks, and some living costs, but not a meaningful dent in tuition. Budget for tuition and most living costs from savings, loans, or scholarships; treat campus earnings as a supplement, not a funding plan.

Working off-campus without CPT/OPT authorization is the single most common and most serious mistake — this includes remote gig work, food delivery apps, and informal cash-paid jobs, all of which count as unauthorized employment even though no one is physically checking. Unauthorized employment is grounds for SEVIS termination and can bar future US visas.

Exceeding 20 hours/week during the semester by combining multiple campus jobs is a second common error — the cap is a total across all campus employment, not per job. A third mistake is not applying for a Social Security Number (SSN) correctly: you need an on-campus job offer letter first, then apply at the SSA office — trying to apply before securing a job, or working without one where required, causes payroll and tax filing problems later.