Illinois Institute of Technology · Career Services
International Student Hub
Career support built for your journey — visa guidance, work authorization, and the employers ready to hire you.
Welcome to Illinois Tech. As an international student, you bring unique perspectives and talents that enrich our community — and this hub brings together everything you need to build a career in the U.S. and around the world.
Before You Act On Anything Here
This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Rules change, and the right answer depends on your visa type, your program, and your timing. Confirm your eligibility with an Office of Global Services advisor before you accept an offer or begin any work.
Start Here
Your First Stops on Campus
Two offices are here for you from day one. Career Services helps you find internships and jobs, sharpen your resume, and prepare for interviews. The Office of Global Services handles your visa, immigration status, and work authorization. Use both — they work together, and most work authorization questions touch each of them.
Arrival Essentials
Arrival Guidelines · Visa Information · I-20 Financial Documents · Required Check-In · Health Insurance · Reduced Course Load · Policy Updates
Work Authorization
CPT, OPT & STEM OPT — Explained
As an F-1 student, you have built-in pathways to work in the U.S. CPT and OPT do not require an employer to sponsor a visa, which is often the most useful thing you can tell a hiring manager. What they do require is authorization issued in the correct order, before you start.
Read This Before You Start Any Job
CPT runs through two offices, in sequence.
Step one — Career Services. We confirm eligibility, review the offer, approve the CPT form, and issue the course registration number that ties the work to your curriculum.
Step two — Office of Global Services. You submit through the ISSS Portal, and OGS issues the updated I-20 with the CPT authorization printed on it. That I-20 is what actually authorizes you to work.
Do not begin work on a course registration number alone. Working before the authorized I-20 is issued, or outside the dates printed on it, is a violation of your F-1 status with consequences that reach well past the job.
CPT — Curricular Practical Training
Work authorization tied to your curriculum, for internships and co-ops during your program. Approved before the start date, and it must connect to a course.
Illinois Tech CPT Guide →OPT — Optional Practical Training
Up to 12 months of work in your field, typically after graduation. USCIS processing takes time, so start with OGS months before you need it.
Illinois Tech OPT Guide →STEM OPT — 24-Month Extension
Eligible STEM graduates can add 24 months, up to 3 years of work authorization total. The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, so check before you accept.
USCIS STEM OPT → · Check E-Verify →H-1B, J-1 Academic Training & Beyond
Longer-term options once you and an employer are ready. J-1 students follow a separate academic training process.
USCIS H-1B → · J-1 Training →Watch step-by-step guides: OPT, CPT & Work Authorization Video Library →
Find Employers Who Hire International Talent
Target Companies That Sponsor
A company that has sponsored before is far more likely to sponsor again, and that history is public. Start with Illinois Tech’s own network, then check a company’s filing record before you spend an afternoon on an application.
Start With Illinois Tech
Global Jobs, Internships & Sponsorships — roles tagged for international candidates
Employers Hiring International Students
Handshake Job Board
Career Fairs & Employer Events — ask about sponsorship in person
Official Sponsorship Records
USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub — official petition records
DOL Foreign Labor Data — wage & filing records
MyVisaJobs — sponsor rankings by company & role
H1BGrader — salaries & approval data
International Career Platforms
Interstride — free through Illinois Tech: visa-aware job search, sponsorship insights, country guides & webinars
Illinois Tech Alumni on LinkedIn — filter by employer and country
Search Smarter on LinkedIn
Search terms like “visa sponsorship” or “will sponsor,” follow target companies, and set alerts. Filter Handshake and Interstride for employers open to sponsorship, then verify against the federal databases — a job description is marketing, a petition record is evidence.
Build Your Career
Resources to Get Ahead
Work authorization opens the door. What gets you through it is evidence: experience an employer recognizes, credentials that verify your skills, and people who will speak for you. None of the following requires sponsorship.
Experience & Skills
Virtual Internships — global work from anywhere
Job Simulations — try a role in 60 minutes
Career Pathway Courses — four for-credit courses
AWS Cloud Certifications — recognized worldwide
Free Industry Certifications
Resume, Interview & Offers
Resumes & Cover Letters — U.S. conventions differ
Prepare for an Interview
Negotiate & Secure Your Offer
Strategic Job Search
Talking to Employers
Your Talking Points on Work Authorization
If an employer seems unsure about hiring international students, that is usually unfamiliarity rather than unwillingness. You do not need to be an immigration expert to move the conversation forward.
1Three Things You Can Say, in Plain English
Short, accurate, and enough to keep the conversation going▾
One · I Am Ready to Work
On CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT I already have work authorization, so you can hire me directly. There is no petition to file and no sponsorship decision to make right now.
Two · It Is Simpler Than It Sounds
The paperwork is lighter than most employers expect, and Illinois Tech Career Services can walk your HR team through it.
Three · Get to Know My Work First
With STEM OPT we can work together for up to three years and build a strong fit before anyone has to think about a longer-term step.
2How to Bring It Up, and What to Leave Alone
Timing, phrasing, and the line worth not crossing▾
When to raise it. You are not obligated to lead with it. Let them see your work first, then bring it up plainly once there is real interest — at a career fair, in a first conversation with a recruiter, or when an offer starts taking shape.
How to phrase it. Name what you have and its dates, in one sentence, without apology. “I am authorized to work through CPT for this internship period” tells a manager everything they need and nothing they do not.
Say Only What You Know
Describe your own authorization and its dates. Do not make commitments about future sponsorship, and do not advise an employer on immigration law. If a conversation goes further than you are certain about, it is completely reasonable to say you will confirm with your international student advisor and follow up.
Not sure how to bring it up? That is exactly what we are here for. Meet with a career coach and we will frame the conversation for your role, your field, and your timeline — and practice it together.
Your Career Has No Borders
Let’s build it together.
Career Services · careerservices@illinoistech.edu · MTCC Room 106 · 312.567.6800
Office of Global Services · global@illinoistech.edu · 312.567.3680
All external resources independently verified by Career Services, August 2026. This page is general information and is not legal or immigration advice.
