Science unions call on immigration authorities to grant visas to scientists

The presidents of 21 international science unions have written an appeal to immigration authorities across the world urging them to consider awarding scientists entrance visas to enable them to benefit from international collaboration.

The letter, which is signed by the presidents of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, alongside 19 others, highlights that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals advocate strengthening global science partnerships.

‘Collaboration and cooperation among scientists are essential for all humanity and highly beneficial to the countries involved,’ the appeal reads. It calls on immigration authorities worldwide to ‘favourably consider’ awarding scientists an entrance visa to allow them to participate in scientific conferences and workshops, carry out joint research projects, exchange ideas, prepare joint research proposals, write joint publications, teach students, give lectures and collaborate in any other form.

In recent years, there have been countless reports of how visa bureaucracy has made scientific conferences inaccessible for researchers. At the end of 2024, a feature in Nature highlighted how visa delays and denials have prevented researchers from Africa from participating in conferences and meetings in the global north, denying them the opportunity to build crucial research partnerships. And, in 2023, a Royal Society report highlighted that the application process for UK visitor visas was ‘bureaucratic and unwieldy’ and had one of the highest visa refusal rates, largely skewed towards applicants from the global south.