This section is intended for scholars whose visas are not sponsored by Washington University in St. Louis.

About EADs

An EAD is a document issued by USCIS that show an individual’s authorization to work in the U.S. The EAD is date-specific; the individual must have a valid EAD in order to work. It is the individual’s responsibility to renew his or her EAD in a timely fashion, to avoid a gap in work authorization. Individuals should expect that it will take at least 90 days to receive a new EAD.

Check-In and Payroll

New employees who are paid by WashU, but not sponsored by WashU should:

  1. Check in with their sponsoring department and begin completing paperwork for WashU payroll processing. Federal form I-9 verification and payroll paperwork must be completed within three days of the employment start date. Read more information on the payroll process.
  2. Check in with at one of our offices: 
    Virtual Meeting:https://go.oncehub.com/OISSCaseyS-Zoom   or In-Person Danforth campus: https://go.oncehub.com/OISSCaseyS-DF
    Documents to bring include:
    • EAD
    • Passport
    • U.S. Entry Visa
    • Entry stamp
    • Admission (I-94) Record, available at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website
    • Status Document (i.e., H-1B Approval, DS-2019, etc.)

F-1 OPT (Not sponsored by WashU)

Maintaining Status

F-1 OPT employees should contact their F-1 program sponsor with any questions about maintaining status.

E-Verify and the 17-Month Extension of OPT

E-Verify is an Internet-based system that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. Employees on OPT who are in STEM fields are eligible to apply for the 17-month extension of OPT if the employer is an E-Verify employer. To obtain the E-Verify number for the university, please contact Vernita Smith in the Office of Human Resources.