This also opens up a lot of questions around how European academics operate around panel events or conferences in the United States and Canada - ThreadSky

aphclarkson.bsky.social • 12 hours ago

This also opens up a lot of questions around how European academics operate around panel events or conferences in the United States and Canada

Reposted from Zohar Jacobs

Any artists/writers/creators traveling to America for career-adjacent reasons really need to be aware of this... comicon.com/2025/03/18/f...

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toddgoldsbie.bsky.social•12 hours ago

I don't get the Canadian reference. We welcome diversity. We are not arresting & tormenting academics.

markdowling.bsky.social•10 hours ago

Might not be arresting or tormenting but sure are refusing https://www.nature.com/articles/d44148-024-00349-7

pbjonearth.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Generally, I agree, but the creator in question being detained in the USA was, apparently, denied entry to Canada initially for this reason.

annekeb.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Or lab experiments in US labs, or field work...

catiomiles.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Does anyone know if conference centres in El Salvador are up to international standards?

dovlevin.bsky.social•12 hours ago

For academics this IMO is going to be the bigger issue
https://bsky.app/profile/dovlevin.bsky.social/post/3lkih5a6fv225

lipstickscribbles.bsky.social•7 hours ago

Visitors need to refer back to how one would have handled visiting Communist Russia to find an analogue.

Assume the government is hostile and the letter of the law is as well.

Proceed accordingly.

drmikepj.bsky.social•12 hours ago

I'm certainly reconsidering travel to the USA in the coming years, but there are a couple of crucial differences: firstly, academics are employees travelling on business, whereas the artists in the article tend to be self-employed and thus at greater risk of being accused of working illegally.

drmikepj.bsky.social•12 hours ago

Also, unless you're selling copies of your books and monographs at conferences, academics are not breaking the law simply by attending meetings and speaking at events - the key point in the article is that an artist selling their work definitely is breaking the visa waiver rules.

jeremymorris.bsky.social•12 hours ago

What if US entity reimbursed for keynote?

annekeb.bsky.social•11 hours ago

And what if you're getting free lodging at a fieldwork location, etc.

gronkk.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Or you get free access to a conference for a keynote 🤔

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I have previously travelled to the US at the Federal Government's expense to take part in a conference (I was on the organising committe and also spoke at the meeting). I had all my travel and expenses paid but was not paid a fee. That was fine on a normal ESTA entry, as it's "business travel".

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

If you are paid travel and expenses that is business travel; if you are paid a speaker fee (especially if it is paid to you personally rather to your employer) it becomes work. (In the UK we have a specific visa for paid speakers).

pbjonearth.bsky.social•11 hours ago

It seems to me the idea that academics aren't "working" at conferences/seminars is built on tradition and mutual agreement and that a strict reading of law could come to a different conclusion. I tend to agree with you, but am not sure I'd risk my freedom to test it.

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I used to work in the private sector as a salesman. I would travel to the USA to have meetings and sell my company's business to potential clients. That is considered "business travel" within the visa rules, because I am being paid by my employer in the UK.

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

An academic employed in the UK but travelling to another country to attend meetings or conferences is exactly the same - they are an employee travelling for work. It is different if you are paid a speaker fee, especially if it is paid directly to you rather than to your employer.

pbjonearth.bsky.social•11 hours ago

I understand and have traveled similarly. The point is, any pre-Trump precedent is not necessarily valid. ICE is not working as it has been. They may (ok, probably will) continue to treat those on business travel as they have.

But they might not. They're moving fast and breaking things.

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Just citing the State Department guidance here https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/business.html

hgwdavie.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Are all academics employees? How about postgraduate students? How about those on short term contracts, part of the academic gig economy? Their status is a whole less certain.

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

Short-term contractors are definitely employees - I have travelled to the USA for business when employed on a contract that was only four weeks long! Students are not employees, but they are also covered under tourism and business travel rules provided that they are not paid for their time.

drmikepj.bsky.social•11 hours ago

It's only if you get paid for appearing at the conference (or sell things whilst you are travelling) that you are breaking the visa rules.

ernekid.bsky.social•12 hours ago

This is just going to lead to a bunch of international conferences and events in US universities to be cancelled which is only going to damage American academia even further

dieterjosef.bsky.social•12 hours ago

I read of a case some years where a musician wanted to travel through the US and do small gigs for his livelihood, and when he was speaking to a friendly officer at the airport the officer knew all about the emails he had exchanged with the pubs and asked specific questions.

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