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LEO's International Caucus Statement on Fall 2020 Visa Restrictions
“As international lecturer faculty, we sympathize with our students.”
On July 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced new regulations that force international college students on F-1 and M-1 visas to either take some in-person classes this Fall or leave the United States. The regulation will have a significant impact at the University of Michigan, where international students make up 15.1% of Ann Arbor students, 8.7% of Dearborn students, and 4.3% of Flint students.
[Editor’s note, on “news from HR,” below: We received this communication informally from HR two days ago. Since then we have actively looked for sources that could confirm this information. We did not find any public document about this, and HR has walked back their original statement to LEO. We are still very much concerned that there will be additional restrictions on faculty visa-holders (J-1s and H-1Bs), so we will keep alert on this matter. International faculty should consult with the International Center in Ann Arbor or the relevant offices in Dearborn and Flint when contemplating working remotely as there are specific factors to consider that will depend on the person’s status and their personal circumstances.]
In addition, we received news from HR that international faculty on J-1 and H-1B visas will be required to do some teaching in person this Fall or lose their visa eligibility and be forced to leave the country. We are awaiting more information from UM administration on the mandatory minimum number of in-person credits. Green card holders are not affected.
LEO’s International Caucus, backed by the LEO Union Council, strongly opposes these directives as harmful to international students and faculty, the University of Michigan, and our campus communities. The regulations impose a cruel and unnecessary choice on the international community at UM: between their education and employment or their health and safety, between remaining in the United States or uprooting their lives at great personal cost and inconvenience. That is unacceptable.
As international lecturer faculty, we sympathize with our students. We know firsthand the constant stress and anxiety immigrants experience under the Trump administration’s relentless xenophobia and racism. Recent executive orders restricting foreign worker visas and green cards testify to the uncertainty all international people feel in the present moment.
LEO’s International Caucus will be working with the International Center and LEO’s sister union GEO to find ways to support international students and faculty at UM. We call on the administration to pursue every means at its disposal to oppose the policy and develop creative solutions that would allow international students and faculty to protect their health and livelihoods while continuing their education and employment at UM.
We will update LEO members with any new developments.
If you would like to help protect our community, take these actions:
Sign the petition to request that ICE rescind their decision to force international students back to their home countries in the midst of a pandemic.
Join us - the LEO International Caucus - to brainstorm other actions to support the international campus community. If you have questions or concerns, or would like to get involved, please contact us at international@leounion.org.