The present UK government is not really interested in promoting
multi-culturalism, rather it has attached a higher priority to being
paranoid about immigration, an attitude fuelled by the tabloid press. It is
likely that at least some of the rejections were entirely unavoidable, with
immigration officers actively searching for something to reject people on,
especially if they have recently accepted a higher proportion of applicants
than average.
As a native of the UK, this is not something that I am at all proud of.
On 6 August 2014 07:44, Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Ah, sorry! I'm tired and it shows.
Pine
On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 11:40 PM, Alan C Y Lai <alancylai(a)wikimedia.hk>
wrote:
Pine,
Ellie said 10, not 10%, so don't be too alarmist. However visa policy
should be part of eligibility consideration for venue.
Best regards,
Alan (not attending this year)
Sent on the road
---- Pine W wrote ----
10% is a large percentage to deny. I am starting to think that in the
future a criteria for Wikimania selection should be the ease of obtaining
visas, if that isn't already a consideration. Ironically, I think one of
the reasons the UK was chosen to host was the supposed ease of obtaining
visas for Commonwealth citizens. I'm not sure what the UK is thinking but
denying 10% of visa applicants for Wikimania is not a good way to promote
tourism or multiculturalism.
Pine
On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 11:03 PM, Ellie Young <eyoung(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
We have that list going, believe me! I think a
lot of the problems
were insurmountable no matter how hard we and
the recipients tried because of the Immigration policies. We have
at least 10 per my count that were denied.
Ellie
On Aug 5, 2014, at 5:32 PM, Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Some of the issues I know about might have been prevented with better
communication. Ellie, can you ask people to have experienced visa problems
to contact you or someone else at WMF so that WMF can create a list of
problems and work on how to prevent these in future years?
Pine
On Aug 5, 2014 5:22 PM, "Naureen" <msnora(a)gmail.com> wrote:
Sorry you all faced issues with visa. As part of
the core volunteer
team, I was sad to hear of various visa issues.
Night!
On Wednesday, August 6, 2014, Amir Ladsgroup <ladsgroup(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> It's not just two visa denials. I'm pretty sure about at least five
> cases including mine.
>
> It was predictable for me so I talked to one of my friends two months
> ago to take over my presentation in case of visa denial. For the next
> events I suggest you to be prepared for issues like this.
>
>
> Best
>
> On 8/6/14, Pine W <wiki.pine(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > This is the second report I have heard about last minute visa
> surprises.
> > This kind of problem is disruptive not just for those who were
> denied entry
> > but for others who were planning on the attendance of the person
> whose visa
> > was denied.
> >
> > In any case, can you give your presentation remotely?
> >
> > Pine
> >
>
>
> --
> Amir
>
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimania-l mailing list
> Wikimania-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimania-l
>
--
*Naureen Nayyar*
Norabean.com
+1.646.481.6672
@norabean
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--
Chris McKenna
Wikimania 2014 Support
Wikimedia UK
chris.mckenna(a)wikimedia.org.uk
tel: +44 (0) 20 7065 0990
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