Anirudh Bhati wrote:
As far as I know, the WMF is providing assistance to
the attendees by
sending out a letter of invitation, which they can annex to their
applications to the respective Egyptian consulates / missions in their
country. This allows for smooth visa processing and clearance. Since
Egypt is a country that largely depends on tourism as a major source
of its revenues, there will hardly be any problems for the tourists at
the immigration counter, unless and until there are sound intelligence
or political grounds.
In the unlikely event that a Wikimania attendee is restrained from
entering Egyptian territory, they would most likely be deported back
to their country, and there is hardly anything that a private
organisation like Wikimedia Foundation can do about it. The issue is
then more diplomatic or political, than just bureaucracy.
Also, the major airlines do a certain amount of pre-screening. When
they bring an inadmissible person they are the ones stuck with the costs
of getting that person back to where he came from.
Ec