Between nations: testimonio-informed narratives of legal precarity among Chinese international doctoral students

Chinese international doctoral students (CIDS) increasingly navigate legal precarity as U.S.–China geopolitical tensions reshape international education. This study investigates how CIDS experience and respond to legal and institutional challenges while constructing strategies for academic success. Drawing on critical migration studies, this study examines the lived experiences of two Chinese international doctoral students in STEM fields. Using testimonio-inspired storytelling, the study highlights how participants navigate authorized yet precarious legal status. Findings reveal three key dynamics. First, legal precarity creates anticipatory compliance where students modify behavior based on potential immigration consequences. Second, while universities provide support, institutional responses are constrained by federal policies. Third, transnational digital networks function as infrastructures of care providing information and support unavailable through official channels. CIDS’ testimonios, therefore, challenge deficit-oriented and depoliticized accounts of international student experience. The article calls for more coordinated university support, stronger faculty awareness of immigration-related precarity, and institutional advocacy.