#ucuRISING: Protecting Migrant Members

All members of UCU have a duty to ensure that our action does not jeopardize the visa status of migrant members.

Key points:

• All members with teaching duties must ensure that it is officially recorded by whoever takes attendance at your school that your classes were cancelled, so that students are not recorded as "absent" which could compromise their visa. We are on ASOS but reporting class cancellation should be a priority task on return to work.   

• All members should be aware that international students on visas are required to attend any classes in session, e.g. those taught by non-striking staff. Requests to students to support the picket should be sensitive to this exception.  

• Migrant members on skilled work visas sponsored by the university can take full part in strike action, but should be careful to ensure that their action is properly reported to the university, as this is necessary for visa records.  

• PGR members of UCU on student visas can strike on any paid work for the university without any impact on visas, but cannot strike on anything to do with their student status, e.g. classes where you are the student, not the teacher.  

• Migrant members of UCU on visas not sponsored by the university - e.g. family visas - and UK nationals who sponsor family members have no blanket restriction on right to strike, but may need to consider how pay deductions would affect meeting the minimum income threshold for your visa category.   

Detailed information about all of these visa categories and industrial action is available on the UCU website

An extensive FAQ is also available there.