Grad Worker Overturns Visa Revocation, Wins Backpay
Grad Worker Overturns Visa Revocation, Wins Backpay
June 1st, 2025
GEO has previously reported about Graduate Worker 'L', who lost employment after getting caught up in the wave of visa revocations. We're glad to announce that L's status has been restored, OIS has cleared her to resume work. She has received full payment for both months, and has successfully found a position for the summer. For her part, she’d like to share:
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the incredible team at UIC GEO. During one of the most frightening and uncertain times of my life when I lost my visa status and funding, they stood by me with unwavering support. This issue stemmed from larger government policies, but GEO treated my crisis with urgency, care, and solidarity. Their advocacy, teamwork, and kindness helped me regain hope and stability. I’m sharing this so that other international students know: you are not alone, and GEO truly fights for us when we need it most.”
How we won
The situation has been resolved for L, but this positive outcome didn't occur by chance or by the university's initiative. Just like the saying goes, "power concedes nothing without a demand." At every step of the way, the union had to advocate for our rights. When we received the first news of visa revocations, we demanded the right to represent all affected workers; we pushed to meet with a department head to find an alternative appointment; we pressured OIS to approve her for reappointment; we pressed the employing department to resume her appointment; we demanded Labor Relations pay her wages in full.
The fight ahead
This case shows why it's worth resisting, however uncertain the odds may be. Instead of fleeing immediately, L bravely chose to stay and fight the revocation with every means available: using mutual aid, legal representation, and her union to secure her right to remain. As a result, she's won a path to continue her studies and resume work.
But there are limitations to this solution. L's legal fees and rent were paid through a union-organized solidarity fund. (We collectively raised over $2000, most of it donated within the first week.) While this speaks to the power of solidarity and mutual aid, it leaves UIC off the hook for supporting their employees against a discriminatory and retaliatory federal policy.
The visa revocations have paused -- for now. But the secretary of state still claims the right to deport any international worker, for any reason. What is the university's plan to protect employees in the event of another crackdown?
UIC owes us real protections
UIC has admitted in information requests that it has issued no memos, communications, or policies to OIS to account for the new landscape. In our first bargaining session, they refused to even respond to our proposal for protections for international workers. Their rationale: these protections apply to us as students, not workers. But just like the case we represented last year, this most recent instance demonstrates that grievances around immigration status directly and acutely affect graduate workers' core working conditions: pay and benefits. Furthermore, how can a university contribute to scientific development if its employees are constantly looking over their shoulder for secret police?
More than ever, grad workers need real protections and equal rights for international workers. We call on UIC to come to the table and negotiate with us in good faith. UIC graduate labor is international, and so is this union!