Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2024

Document Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

M.A.

Program

International Migration Studies

Advisor

Jamie Longazel

Subject Categories

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Migrant Student, Misrecognition, F1 visa status, Deferred Rights and Humanity

Abstract

The influx of migrant students in the United States is reported to have increased considerably between 2022 and 2023. They are a significant asset to higher education in the U.S. and are authorized to study by the Department of Homeland Security. Despite their migratory legality, restrictions in their category as F1 students place them in a position of significant vulnerability and injustice This research analyzed how migrant students navigated and negotiated their mobility from the beginning to the end of their F1 visa status, examining their perseverance in staying on a challenging pathway toward a different migratory status or a green card. The research answered two questions: 1) How did migrant students navigate and negotiate their mobility while living and studying in the United States, from the beginning to the end of their F1 status? 2) What social systems impacted migrant students' perseverance in remaining on a long pathway to achieve a different migrant status in the U.S.? This research used the critical theory of transnational recognition to analyze migrant students’ entire trajectory. I interviewed six former migrant students once enrolled in U.S.-accredited higher education institutions. Findings revealed that migrant students experienced denied credibility, the presence of untrustworthy webs of brokers that diverted or delayed their migrant journey, and the multiple systems they had to navigate and negotiate that deferred their rights and their humanity.

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