Hello If I want to visit the USA, I have to make a trip (which involves an air flight, and at least one day away from home/work) and get my visa organised face-to-face - I cant just send off a form. That adds considerable time and expense to a planned trip to the USA Sarah Sarah Stewart Midwifery Lecturer School of Midwifery Otago Polytechnic Dunedin New Zealand Tel: 03 4793642 sarahs@tekotago.ac.nz
On Oct 4, 2004, at 11:42 PM, Sarah Stewart wrote:
Hello
If I want to visit the USA, I have to make a trip (which involves an air flight, and at least one day away from home/work) and get my visa organised face-to-face - I cant just send off a form. That adds considerable time and expense to a planned trip to the USA
Are you a New Zealander? If so then can't you arrive under the visa waiver process and avoid getting a visa at all? http://travel.state.gov/visa/tempvisitors_novisa_waiver.html#2 The visa-waiver program is quite specific about attending conferences being an acceptable activity (scroll down that page a bit). If not a new zealander then forgive me for assuming from your address ;) I thought it might add a little breadth to the discussion. Of course this waiver program is not much help to many around the world that would make valuable contributions ... And without trying to take away from the valuable feedback about how hard and expensive it is to just get a visa to get to conferences in the states I will just mention that the photograph and fingerprinting process is all electronic (no ink etc) and, in my experience as an ex-pat Australian on a student visa, pretty quick, if a little odd at first. -- James Howison PhD Student School of Information Studies Syracuse University +1 315 395 4056 VCard: http://freelancepropaganda.com/jameshowison.vcf
For those that may not be aware of the changes to US policy for entry into the US I've posted some sites so you can learn more. For foreign visitors to the Usthis imformation will be important, but potentially more important to US citizens so we can monitor what changes our government is making on our behalf. It's probably silly to remind this group to register and vote in November but I'm going to doit anyway, vote your conscience. Travel to US sites: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/faq/newusatravelrules.jsp;jsessionid=Bi... http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2004-09-30-europe-fingerprints_x.htm http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1343497,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2004-09-30-eu-passports_x.htm Lois Ann Scheidt MPA MIS SPHR CCP Doctoral Student School of Library and Information Science Indiana University Bloomington IN USA Webpage: http://www.loisscheidt.com Blog: http://www.professional-lurker.com
Taking into account the comment made about Digital Divide enforcement when talking about the conference location, I think you are missing one point: for developed countries citizens due to many factors, paying transportation and accommodations wherever in the world is viable. For us, citizens from the undeveloped world (aren't we about 75% of the population?), not only we have trouble getting into any country (being Colombian I have to obtain visa even to enter hell), but the more important: professionals and academics working the topic here have not the income level to pay for their logistics. In the end, somehow, whether conscious or not, we are promoting the Digital Divide barrier as third world people would have high economical, political and even linguistic barriers to reach the conference. So here I claim again, why not thinking on ICT solutions to this logistic problem? I suggest that AOIR conference must thin seriously about this. Cristian Berrío Zapata Profesor PUJ - UNAL Facultad de Economía Teléfono (57 3)300 817 9849 cberrioz@cable.net.co CHAT cristianberrioz@hotmail.com -----Mensaje original----- De: air-l-aoir.org-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-aoir.org-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] En nombre de Lois Ann Scheidt Enviado el: Martes, 05 de Octubre de 2004 09:14 a.m. Para: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Asunto: Re: [Air-l] AoIR conference venues For those that may not be aware of the changes to US policy for entry into the US I've posted some sites so you can learn more. For foreign visitors to the Usthis imformation will be important, but potentially more important to US citizens so we can monitor what changes our government is making on our behalf. It's probably silly to remind this group to register and vote in November but I'm going to doit anyway, vote your conscience. Travel to US sites: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/faq/newusatravelrules.jsp;jsessioni d=BioslSgK27pSuUWGaE2sVhkOxbfYAUkgCzoqsIicbrHFT53C4090!-1112292905!17484 3410!8001!7002 http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2004-09-30-europe-fingerprints_x.htm http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1343497,00.html http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2004-09-30-eu-passports_x.htm Lois Ann Scheidt MPA MIS SPHR CCP Doctoral Student School of Library and Information Science Indiana University Bloomington IN USA Webpage: http://www.loisscheidt.com Blog: http://www.professional-lurker.com _______________________________________________ Air-l-aoir.org mailing list Air-l-aoir.org@listserv.aoir.org http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
participants (4)
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Cristian Berrío Zapata -
James Howison -
Lois Ann Scheidt -
Sarah Stewart