Re: [103all] Visas for IETF 103 in Thailand

[Carsten Bormann <[e-mail]>]

On Aug 15, 2018, at 14:25, Jared Mauch <[e-mail]> wrote:
> 
> When we went to Argentina things did change if you held a US passport. I had already paid my fee and then in the days up to the meeting things changed. 

Indeed, that happens.  
If the secretariat keeps an eye on these things, people can be alerted in time about changes, more reliably.

> Talk to your travel agent or use a visa service if necessary.

Well, I don’t know whether that’s necessary.  
Finding out takes time that I’d rather use for advancing specifications.
(What exactly was a travel agent?  And why on earth do you believe they would know?)

> Your unique situation may be different than me or someone else. International travel carries risks and you should know what those are before you leave home. 

Yes, I made myself aware of the murder rate before I went to Chicago IETF.

Here, we are talking about visa procedures, which are a bit more arcane.
I just want to make sure that the legwork that already is being done is not wasted due to misplaced “no legal advice” thinking.

> I have been advised by CBSA agents that speaking at a conference in Canada would/should require a visa for example. Does this count as presenting at a WG meeting? IANAL, but you need to adjust your behaviors according to the laws of where you are. 

Right.  And there are well-known strategies for working around the red tape that we maybe don’t want to discuss in the open.

But what *can* be communicated, *should* be.  Even if there are lawyers advising us to be inefficient.

> Importantly: you can always participate remotely. The tools are quite good

True, but we still do want to enable participating in person.

Grüße, Carsten