VISA DESCRIPTIONS
Visa
Type
Description
Eligibility
UM student: Eligible up to 20 hours/week during school or 40 hours during
school breaks. This includes employment elsewhere on campus.
F-1
Full-time student
Non-UM student: Need authorization to volunteer at Umich - Usually in the
form of Curricular Practical Training.
F-2
Dependent of F-1 full-time student
Defined volunteer placement only; not lab
Can volunteer for defined volunteer placement.
For lab volunteering:
J-1 student at UM: needs authorization from J-1 advisor to work or
volunteer on campus. Hours per week limited like F-1.
J-1
Exchange visitor who could be full-time
student
J-1 student not at UM: unlikely to see many of these. Will need
authorization call Academic Training to engage in activities off of their
home campus. This will be on the DS-2019 and in a letter.
J-1 non-student (short term scholar, research scholar, professor, specialist,
etc): is here for a specifically defined program and should not be
volunteering outside of that program unless authorized by their J-1
sponsor.
J-2
Dependent of J-1 exchange visitor
If no EAD, defined volunteer placement only; not lab
Can volunteer in hospital defined volunteer placement.
H-1B
H-4
UM employee in particular occupation
Dependent of H-1B employee
Jackie Shilling/Michael Olech – Immigration Compliance
Rev. 6/25/14
Is here for a specifically designated and approved employment activity at a
specific site. These individuals would generally not be permitted to
volunteer in a lab unless that has been authorized as part of their
employment.
If no EAD, defined volunteer placement only; not lab.
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VISA DESCRIPTIONS
Can volunteer in hospital defined volunteer placement.
TN
NAFTA Specialty Occupation Employees
(Canadian, Mexican)
TD
Dependent of a NAFTA Employee
Is here for a specifically designated and approved employment activity at a
specific site. These individuals would generally not be permitted to
volunteer in a lab unless that has been authorized as part of their
employment.
If no EAD, defined volunteer placement only; not lab. It would be rare for a
TD visa holder to have an EAD.
Can volunteer in hospital defined volunteer placement.
E-3
E-3D
Australian Specialty Occupation Employee
Dependent of Australian Specialty Occupation
Employee
Is here for a specifically designated and approved employment activity at a
specific site. These individuals would generally not be permitted to
volunteer in a lab unless that has been authorized as part of their
employment.
If no EAD, defined volunteer placement only; not lab
Can volunteer in hospital defined volunteer placement.
O-1
Foreign national with extraordinary ability in
Sciences, Arts, Education, Business or
Athletics
O-3
Dependent of extraordinary ability visa
employee
If no EAD, defined volunteer placement only; not lab
L-2
Dependent of an L-1 Intercompany Transfer
Employee (we don’t have L-1s at UM, but we
do see their dependents once in a while trying
to work or volunteer here)
If no EAD, defined volunteer placement only; not lab
Jackie Shilling/Michael Olech – Immigration Compliance
Rev. 6/25/14
Is here for a specifically designated and approved employment activity at a
specific site. These individuals would generally not be permitted to
volunteer in a lab unless that has been authorized as part of their
employment.
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VISA DESCRIPTIONS
B-1
Visitor for business
Not eligible to volunteer
B-2
Spouse/child of recreation/travel visitor
Not eligible to volunteer
R-1
Visitor for religious work
Not eligible to volunteer
R-2
Spouse/child of religious worker
Not eligible to volunteer
DACA
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
Eligible, with employment authorization card
Green
Card
Permanent resident
No restrictions
Employment Authorization Card
Allows visa holders to volunteer in lab
EAD
STEM
Optional Practical Training extension for those
who graduated in the STEM fields and who
This is an extended EAD card that allows foreign nationals to volunteer in
are working in those fields at an employer that labs
participates in E-verify.
OPT
Optional Practical Training
I-20
This is the form that F-1 students have in
conjunction with I-94 to show legal status.
I-94
This is an arrival/departure record that shows
legal status in the US. No longer issued in
paper form except in limited cases. Printable
from online.
DS2019
This is the form that J-1 visa holders will have
in conjunction with their I-94 to show legal
status
Jackie Shilling/Michael Olech – Immigration Compliance
Rev. 6/25/14
1-year work authorization after graduation
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