Frequently Asked Questions for International Workers

International workers have always faced challenges and precarity on account of our status as visa holders. Since the start of 2025, the federal government has taken a series of actions that have increased these challenges and created substantial concern and uncertainty for international / foreign born staff working at UC. The Trump administration is also targeting universities across the country and taking away billions of dollars in funding for vital research and operations.

At UC campuses across the state, over 7,000 Research and Public Service Professionals (RPSPs) are voted to form our union, RPSP-UAW, after thousands of us signed union authorization cards to get here. By working together to form our union, international staff can gain more power to respond to these attacks and shape federal policy around immigration and other important issues.

See the questions below for guidance on your rights and protections as an international worker. In the event that you are experiencing an unexpected change in immigration status or any other immigration-related emergency, please call this number: 888-416-2110. You will be referred to an immigration attorney who has agreed to assist workers in UAW unions (including RPSP-UAW) with whom you can have a legally privileged conversation about details of your situation.

What are my union rights as an international worker?

International workers have the same rights to participate in their union as domestic workers, regardless of visa status. Tens of thousands of University of California employees – including many who are not U.S. citizens – have signed voted or signed union authorization cards over the past few decades without adverse impacts on their visa status.

In fact, international workers hold many of the leadership positions in UAW 4811 at UC and other UAW research unions. Through our unions, international workers have negotiated additional rights and protections we otherwise would not have, including protections against discrimination of any kind and unjust discipline that could impact our visa status. The more of us who participate in collective action, the more power we’ll have to win strong contract.

What free speech rights do I have as an international worker?

International workers have the same free speech rights as domestic workers. It is against the law for any worker in the United States, international or domestic, to face legal repercussions for exercising free speech. While the Trump administration has attempted to circumvent immigrants’ right to free speech in a few cases, previous attempts to do so have never held up in court.

What additional protections have international workers negotiated through UAW?

At UC, researchers in UAW 4811 must be compensated for any loss of pay due to issues with work authorization processing regardless of the type of visas. Researchers unionized with UAW are guaranteed leave to attend immigration hearings, afforded a process to seek re-employment if they temporarily lose work authorization, and have the option to bargain additional protections with UC if immigration laws change. UC must also notify our union if they learn of an immigration investigation being conducted against any Student Researcher or Postdoc.

How have UAW members fought back against threats of funding cuts in the past?

The first Trump administration attempted to slash federal research funding in every budget it submitted to Congress. In response, UAW researchers from UC, including many on visas, successfully rallied and lobbied to keep funding at fair levels.

This year, UAW has joined multiple lawsuits filed by State Attorneys General and the ACLU to restore Federal research funding. On April 4th, a Massachusetts judge issued permanent injunctions halting some of the Trump administration’s attempts to freeze or cut funding.

Learn more about our movement here.

How have UAW members responded to attacks on immigrants in the past?

UAW represents over 100,000 workers in higher education, including tens of thousands of international researchers. This gives international researchers a powerful voice in setting national policy, which we used to oppose attacks on immigrants during the first Trump administration.

In 2017, the UAW international filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court challenging the Trump administration’s travel ban, as unionized researchers, including international scholars, rallied at airports around California to protest the ban. In 2018, international workers in California and Washington worked with Congressional Representatives Judy Chu and Pramila Jayapal on a Dear Colleague letter demanding that Secretary of State Pompeo restore the validity period of Chinese international students’ entry visas from 12 months back to 60 months. In 2020, UAW academic workers mobilized against a proposed rule by ICE to shorten visa stays for international scholars; thousands of public comments were submitted, including by the President of the UAW International.

Will protesting funding cuts and immigration restrictions make a difference?

Yes. Unionized UC employees have defeated Trump’s attacks before and we can do it again. By working together through our union, academic workers have a strong political voice to lobby legislators and shape policy, as well as the ability to mount legal challenges to unlawful actions by the administration. In order for these efforts to succeed, it is critical that as many academic workers as possible demonstrate our support for research funding and fair immigration policy, by joining as union members and coming together for peaceful rallies such as the Kill the Cuts day of action on April 8th.

What are my due process rights?

Regardless of your visa, residency, or family status, once in the US you have the same due process rights as a domestic researcher, which means you cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property without the chance to defend yourself in fair legal proceedings. Additionally, you have the right to a lawyer to assist you and the right to remain silent if questioned by law enforcement.