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  • CAREER FEATURE

What scientists should know about visa hurdles

Be prepared for delays to start dates, unexpected fees — and even visa refusals — when moving abroad for career opportunities.
  1. Virginia Gewin

    1. Virginia Gewin is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon.

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Thousands of scientists move to another country for research opportunities each year. Three-quarters of the almost 2,500 researchers who responded to a 2018 survey on international movement by RAND Europe said that they have done so at some point in their career. The survey also found that, although career progression and moving abroad are correlated, applying for the necessary visas can be time-consuming and costly.

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Nature 569, 297-299 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01428-8

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

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