Re: [102attendees] [103attendees] Visa problems - need a different invitation letter

[Toerless Eckert <[e-mail]>]

On Tue, Sep 04, 2018 at 02:07:57PM -0400, John C Klensin wrote:
> Hi.
> 
> If only to keep mailing list traffic down, can I encourage
> everyone who is speculating on what type of visa is needed to
> find the note that Andrew Sullivan posted on the subject a few
> weeks ago and reread it carefully.

Ok......... failed. Please provide URL.

> WIth a very small number of exceptions, the final decision about
> what category of visa is, or is not, required belongs to the
> authorities at the border when you try to enter the country.  If
> you appear with a tourist visa or waiver and they ask questions
> and conclude that category is inappropriate, you are either
> headed home or in for a long conversation (and maybe an exercise
> in filling out forms) while your status is sorted out. 

Sure.

> If you
> have a letter from you local consulate or a copy of their web
> page indicating that your choice was consistent with their
> guidance, the actual border authorities might accept that as
> evidence that you should get in on that category of visa, might
> accept it as evidence that whatever decision you made was made
> in good faith, or might ignore it entirely. 

Sure. Sure. But also Visas do not guarantee entry either. I am
also not aware of data points that entereing on visa waiver has a
higher chance of failure on the places we go to. 

> Again, Andrew's summary and comments are much better than mine.

Please provide URL. The only one i found is that IASA can not
provide legal guidance *doh* (obvious).

> But my point is that these decision belong to border authorities
> in the country you are trying to enter

Sure.

> and we really cannot
> accomplish very much (other that causing noise on the lists) by
> crowdsourcing opinions about what is needed or appropriate.

No idea how the points you made above are evidence for that conclusion.
With contradicting information from different consulates for the same
trip, the insight i got from these mailing  lists was in the past a 
lot more useful than what consulates told me.

> This is one area in which IETF Consensus, even if it existed,
> would be of little value.

I though the main benefit of this thread is more BCP than consensus.

Cheers
    Toerless

> best,
>     john