Foreign National Workers

Most foreign national members at JPL are part of the F-1, J-1, or H1B1 visa programs. In being part of these programs, foreign nationals workers have had to deal with fear and anxiety about the status of their visa. In 2020, foreign national workers on these visas were heavily affected by rule changes and executive orders passed by the Trump administration. These actions created tremendous stress, concern and uncertainty for foreign nationals at JPL and have only been exacerbated by the recent attacks on non-US citizens across the nation in the past year. Furthermore, changes in the visa environment have created uncertainty in the ability of foreign national workers to return from travel abroad. There have been several cases of foreign national workers becoming stranded outside the US for months while attempting to renew their visas. Due to the policy disallowing any international remote work without exception, this has forced foreign national workers to exhaust their vacation time or take unpaid leave.

At JPL, foreign national workers can also be disadvantaged due to limited access to internal knowledge bases which are often US-only by default. Access to many internal resources and tools is not designed or tested with foreign nationals in mind. Additionally, foreign national workers experience physical limitations in situations where they are unable to access or attend seminars and courses that are held in buildings that have restricted access to foreign national workers.

The Caltech graduate student and postdoc union won a collective bargaining agreement that included: up to $500 in reimbursement for visa fees and related expenses, up to 7 days paid time off for visa renewal, a 90-day rehiring protection for workers who fall out of visa status, and protections that advisors may not withhold visa paperwork without cause. Additionally, by forming a union, we will be joining tens of thousands of other UAW workers in advocating for the rights of international workers and immigrant rights.