Motion 1: International (non-EU) Staff and Detrimental Treatment

UCL UCU notes:

1. That the UK government's Hostile Immigration Environment (H.I.E.) severely impacts international non-EU UCL staff members:

   1. onerous application fees for visas, residence, and naturalisation, + NHS surcharges
   2. hindering career development due to uninterrupted residence requirements
2. That 12.1% of UK academic staff are non-EU international citizens (source: HESA);
3. That UCL defines itself as 'London's Global University';

4. That current UCL mitigation of the H.I.E. falls short of standards adopted by other UK academic institutions, consisting only of:

   1. Reimbursing costs of in- and out-of-country visas/visa renewals and Further-Leave-to Remain only for Tier-2 and Tier-1 visa holders; and,
   2. A maximally £10,000 immigration loan that needs to be repaid within 12 months.

UCL UCU believes that:

1. UCL's 'global' status relies on the crucial involvement of its internationally-diverse work force, including non EU international staff;
2. As a matter of equality and economic non-discrimination, UCL should commit to Levelling the Playing Field for its international staff;
3. UCL's current immigration support policy is ineffective in mitigating the effects of the H.I.E. as it is restricted only to some visa categories;
4. UCL's current immigration loan policy does not mitigate the rising costs associated with the H.I.E., which can involve 10's of thousands of pounds when dependants are included;
5. UCL's current immigration support policy should reimburse permanent residence application costs (ILR) if staff members remain employed within the university.

UCL UCU resolves:

1. To collect evidence through an anonymous survey:

   1. UCL UCU will undertake an anonymous but validated on-line survey to objectively measure the overall satisfaction of international UCL staff with existing UCL policy regarding immigration;
   2. UCL UCU will share the survey results with UCL management to underline the case for policy change.

2. To seek policy change. UCL UCU will lobby UCL for policy change, specifically:

   1. UCL should reimburse costs associated with staff members' applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and Naturalisation, supporting international staff being treated as equals;
   2. UCL should reimburse in-country immigration expenses for renewal of residence of visa types other than tier-1 and tier-2, e.g. UK ancestry visas, EEA Qualified Person status, HSMW, etc.;
   3. UCL should waive repayment of immigration loans if the borrower continues working for UCL over an agreed period of time after the visa/residence/nationality status comes into effect.