Many top-ranked conferences (such as CogSci, NeurIPS) take place almost exclusively in the locations that have the most restrictive visa policies for visitors from developing and underdeveloped countries (e.g. US, Canada, UK, Australia). As a result, these scientists are often unable to communicate their research to wide international audiences, connect, network, get feedback from (and potentially become!) internationally recognized experts.

• See the original thread on the issue (many stories in comments!)

• Brilliant follow-up article by K.Zimmer in The Scientist Magazine

• Follow-up news article by T.Wright (The Canadian Press)