Information for International Students and for U.S. Citizens Working Overseas

Compiled by Barry D. Yatt, FAIA, NCARB, CSI
IDP Educator-Coordinator for The Catholic University of America

Last Revised: 03/27/2002

The information contained on this web page is there for information only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate and is not intended to replace the counsel of a competent immigration attorney. Students are strongly advised to get counsel on all matters involving American immigration or employment law.

In addition, hyperlinks found on this site are not intended as endorsements of the sites linked or of the accuracy of information they contain.

General information for International Students

Information for international students with F-1 visas can be found at

• Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
  • General information: http://www.ins.gov/graphics/howdoi/academic.htm.
  • Forms: http://www.ins.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm. 
• State Department: http://travel.state.gov/visa;foreignstuden.html. 
• Private organizations
  • iStudentCity: http://www.istudentcity.com/immigration/imm_permission_h1b.asp 
  • Wave: http://www.wave.net/upg/immigration/students.html. 

Some basic rules

• Work while in school: International students may be allowed to work on-campus or off-campus (after the completion of the first year of study) under limited circumstances. Please see the rules on student employment in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 8 CFR 214.2 (f) . Students may also wish to discuss employment with the designated school official (DSO) at the school. Accompanying spouses and children may not accept employment.
• Work for one year after graduation: International students are allowed to stay in the United States for as long as they are enrolled full-time in an educational program and making normal progress toward completing a course of study. If approved, they also will be allowed to stay in the country up to twelve additional months beyond the completion of studies to pursue practical training. At the end of your studies or practical training, international students will be given sixty days to prepare to leave the country. See 8 CFR § 214.2 for more complete time limits.
• Required Forms: Students with F-1 visas must use recommendations by the designated school official on Form I-201D, along with Form I-765, "Application for Employment Authorization," to apply for employment authorization from the INS. The instructions on the Form I-765 should answer any of your questions about the student employment, and filing fees required, and where to file the application.
• Staying long enough to complete IDP: To stay more than the one year allowed under an F-1 visa, graduates need to obtain an H1-B visa. This allows up to six years of employment. The process of filing an H1-B visa application is quite complicated. Graduates or their employers should hire immigration lawyers to file the H1-B applications and take care of all the legal issues regarding work and tax status. The cost for an immigration lawyer is often $1,500 or more. "Do-it-yourself Kits" are available through USAVisaNow.com

So what does it all mean?

• Process: The preferred way (and in many states the only way) to become a licensed architect in the United States is through the Intern Development Program (IDP) program run by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). 
  • It requires that you work for a total of 700 eight-hour days before taking the Architect's Registration Exam (ARE). Work counts only if it happens after the third year of an undergraduate program or the first year of a graduate program. 
  • In a year with no overtime hours, an employee works fifty weeks of five days each, or 250 days. An employee who works sixty hours per week (not good for your health or social life) will finish the equivalent of 375 days in the same period of time.
  • Some or all of these hours may be worked back home in your country under the provisions of IDP Training Categories A, C, or E (See "Other Questions" below)
• Permission: In order to work, you need legal permission to do so. Your student visa will only allow you to work for one year after graduation, and then only if approved in advanced. Beyond that, you will need to get an H1-B visa. As suggested above, you might be better off finding an American firm with an office in your home country. Work there under the supervision of an American registered architect (it doesn't matter in which state he or she is registered). That way you shouldn't need a visa (confirm this with the firm) and all your work will count toward IDP.
• Getting a license in your home country: Unless your home is in Canada, having a license to practice architecture in any American state will probably not help your licensure back home.

   

  General information for U.S. Citizens Working Overseas

Information for U.S. Citizens interested in working overseas can be found at

• Private organizations
  • Jobs Abroad: http://www.jobsabroad.com/ 
  • Escape Artist: http://www.escapeartist.com/jobs/overseas1.htm 
  • International jobs: http://www.internationaljobs.org/ 

Some basic rules

• Permission to work abroad: Permission is up to the foreign government, not the United States. Anyone interested in overseas employment must satisfy the visa and employment requirements of the country in which they intend to work. In many countries this is extremely difficult to do. It is often much easier to work in the overseas office of an American firm, since the firm will have already obtained permission to open an office in that country and maintain a limited American staff there.

   

  Other Questions

Can I get a license in the U.S. even though I'm not a citizen?

Licensure is granted by individual states and has nothing to do with citizenship. On the other hand, you can't get licensed without work experience. If not a citizen, you will have to have the kind of visa that includes legal permission to work.

Must I do my internship (IDP program) in the U.S. or can I complete it in another country? Are there restrictions?

Work as an architect in another country can count toward American licensure in the following ways:

• Work under the direct supervision of an architect licensed in any U.S. state: Counts under IDP Training Setting A, which is valid for all 700 experience units. (Training under the direct supervision of a registered architect and when the organization's practice (a) is in the charge of a person practicing as a principal and (b) encompasses the comprehensive practice of architecture, including each of the training areas). The term "registered architect" is usually defined as an architect who is registered to practice in the place where the office is located. In the case of foreign offices ONLY, direct supervision by a U.S. registered architect, regardless of state of registration, is acceptable. This is clearly the most advantageous setting.
• Work under the direct supervision of an architect not licensed in the U.S.: Counts under IDP Training Setting C, which is valid for a maximum of 235 experience units in any category (Training in a firm engaged in the practice of architecture outside the United States or Canada, under the direct supervision of a person practicing architecture, who is registered neither in a U.S. or a Canadian jurisdiction.)
• Work in the construction industry for an American or foreign company without supervision by a licensed architect: Counts under IDP Training Setting E, which is valid for a maximum of 117 training units in categories C & D only (Experience in activities involving the design and construction of the built environment, such as analysis of existing buildings, planning, programming, design of interior space, review of technical submissions, engaging in building construction activities and the like, when under the direct supervision of a person experienced in the activity.)

For further elaboration, see http://www.ncarb.org/IDP/trainingsettings.htm 

If I complete IDP working in a foreign country, where will I take my exam and in what state will I be licensed if I pass?

You can take the ARE in any number of foreign countries. It is completely computer-based and offered through Sylvan Learning Centers in hundreds of locations all over the world. It is the same exam no matter what state grants your license. You will be licensed in whichever state you designate to be your state of licensure on the examination application.

 

For More Information

• Visit the website of the UIA, the Union Internationale des Architectes (or as we say here in the U.S., the Union of International Architects), at http://www.uia.org. 
• Of course, check with the architectural registration board in your home country, and with your own embassy or consulate. 
• Finally, look to NCARB for answers to most questions regarding licensure requirements in the U.S., including a special web page for these issues at http://www.ncarb.org/IDP/foreign.htm. 

 

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