AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
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The short answer
An F-1 student from Nigeria can generally form and own a US business, but working in it is a different matter. F-1 employment is limited to authorised channels: on-campus work up to 20 hours a week in term, curricular practical training (CPT), optional practical training (OPT) and off-campus permission from USCIS. Actively running your own company outside those channels risks unauthorised employment, which can block later extensions.
Owning versus working
The State Department's guidance on student visas (9 FAM 402.5) lists the ways an F-1 student may be employed. None of them is "run your own business". The guidance does not address self-employment, ownership or investment at all. That silence is why advisers usually separate two things: holding an ownership stake, which is not employment, and doing the work of the business, which is.
| Activity | How it is usually treated |
|---|---|
| Registering an LLC and holding shares | Ownership, not employment |
| Investing savings in a business run by others | Passive investment |
| Selling products, serving clients or managing the business yourself | Employment; needs an authorised channel |
| Working for your own company on post-completion OPT | Ask your DSO; OPT must relate directly to your major |
This is information, not legal advice. Talk to your school's designated school official (DSO) before acting, and to an immigration lawyer if the business is serious.
The authorised channels
On-campus employment
Up to 20 hours a week while school is in session and full time when it is not, at the school or an educationally affiliated site, with DSO approval. It does not cover your own business.
Curricular practical training (CPT)
Employment that is an integral part of your curriculum, usually an internship, authorised by the DSO. Students are generally eligible after one full academic year, except graduate students whose programmes require it at once. A full year of full-time CPT removes eligibility for OPT.
Optional practical training (OPT)
Work directly related to your major, before or after completion. During term, pre-completion OPT is limited to 20 hours a week. Post-completion OPT is full time and generally completed within 12 months; you file Form I-765 with USCIS and must have the Employment Authorization Document before starting. A STEM extension of 24 months may be available, up to 36 months in total, with unemployment allowances of 90 days, or 150 days with the STEM extension. Our guide to freelancing on OPT looks at how founders use it.
Off-campus permission
Granted by USCIS, generally after one full academic year, for severe economic necessity or with an employer wage attestation, limited to 20 hours a week in term. It is not a route to self-employment.
Why getting it wrong matters
Under 8 CFR 214.2(f), a student seeking certain extensions must never have engaged in unauthorised employment, and the same applies to any F-2 dependant. Unauthorised work may also come up when you later apply for a work visa or green card. The State Department's guidance adds that students cannot count planned CPT or OPT earnings towards proof of first-year funds, so a business plan is no substitute for the funding evidence on your I-20.
What a student founder can do now
- Form the company in your state if you want it in place; formation is open to non-citizens.
- Get an EIN. If you have no SSN, the IRS SS-4 instructions route you to phone, fax or mail rather than the online service, which requires a principal officer with an SSN, ITIN or EIN.
- Bring in a co-founder with work authorisation to do the trading until you are authorised.
- Plan the OPT period. Post-completion OPT tied to your degree is the most common bridge from student to working founder.
- Keep a paper trail showing you held shares and did not perform paid work.
A worked example
Example only. Emeka is a master's student in Maryland studying data science. He wants to build an app for Nigerian landlords.
- During his degree: he forms an LLC, writes the business plan for a class project, and owns 60 percent. A classmate with a green card owns 40 percent and handles customers and sales.
- Emeka asks his DSO whether a CPT internship can be arranged with a company in his field; working for his own LLC is not assumed to qualify.
- After graduation: he applies for post-completion OPT and discusses with his DSO whether full-time work for his own company, directly related to data science, can be reported as his OPT employment.
- He keeps records showing that, before OPT began, he did no paid work for the LLC.
Tax notes
IRS Publication 519 treats certain students as exempt individuals, whose days of presence do not count towards the substantial presence test, so many F-1 students are nonresident aliens for tax. A single-member LLC owned by a nonresident alien is a foreign-owned disregarded entity, and the IRS SS-4 instructions note such entities may need an EIN for Form 5472. Check the filing rules with a tax preparer who works with international students.
Where Pryme fits
Many student founders sell to customers in Nigeria. Once you are authorised to trade, a Pryme Business Account, opened from the US, holds naira and dollars and gives you naira collection accounts for customers; the app shows rates and fees before you approve. Outside Nigeria, Pryme works through regulated partners.
Questions people ask
Can an F-1 student own an LLC in the US?
Generally yes: holding an ownership stake is not employment. Doing the business's work yourself is employment and must fit an authorised channel such as CPT or OPT.
Can I run my own business on OPT?
OPT must be directly related to your major. Whether your own company qualifies is a question for your DSO; the State Department's guidance does not address self-employment.
What happens if an F-1 student works without authorisation?
Under 8 CFR 214.2(f), students seeking certain extensions must never have engaged in unauthorised employment, and it can affect later applications.
Can an F-1 student get an EIN without an SSN?
Yes. The IRS SS-4 instructions route applicants without an SSN or ITIN to phone, fax or mail rather than the online service.
Sources
- US Department of State, 9 FAM 402.5: Students and exchange visitors (revision 29 Apr 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- 8 CFR 214.2, nonimmigrant classes (Cornell LII transcription) · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS Publication 519 (2025), US Tax Guide for Aliens · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.