On Thu, Aug 16, 2018 at 09:05:05AM +0100, Stewart Bryant wrote:
> FWIW I always say that I am attending an international technical standards
> meeting.
I think this is good advice, though, of course, IANAL.
It means you're not lying to the immigration officer, for one, nor
misleading them in any way. The fact that we call these "meetings"
helps. If they ask more questions, you can explain more, and no detail
will show you to have been lying earlier.
It also denotes a) that this meeting has no competition-with-locals
angle, and b) that it's the sort of meeting that brings the host country
prestige ("international technical standards" -> good, right?).
Above all it's important that the immigration officer understand that
under no circumstance are you getting compensated for speaking at the
meeting, and that all your compensation is as normal for your day job in
your country of residence (though, obviously, you may be getting your
travel costs covered by the same employer). Protectionism is the real
reason for the "are you coming to work here [competing with locals]?"
line of questioning, and it is and should be absolutely clear that IETF
meetings simply don't involve any competition with locals anywhere.
IANAL,
Nico
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