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LETTER
TO INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS
Attention: International Members Attending Plant Biology 2007
Dear ASPB International Member:
I'd like to take a moment of your time to let you know that at ASPB's request,
the U.S. Department of State has added ASPB's 2007 annual meeting, Plant Biology
& Botany 2007, to its register of approved international scientific meetings.
This means that information regarding Plant Biology & Botany 07 has been
sent to U.S. consular offices worldwide, which should help expedite visa processing
for those individuals planning to attend the meeting. Even so, it is still important
for you to begin your visa application process 4-5 months in advance of your
planned travel date-i.e., no later than February-if you intend to join us in
Chicago, July 7-11.
With registration and abstract submission opening in January 2007, you have
extra time in which to obtain a letter of invitation from ASPB and take advantage
of early-bird pricing. Many countries require a letter from ASPB as part of
the visa application. To obtain a letter, just visit http://www.aspb.org/meetings/letterform.cfm.
To find out more about abstract submission, go to http://www.aspb.org/pb-2007/abstracts.
To obtain the latest information on visa-processing times at your location,
you may wish to visit this new feature on the U.S. Department of State's website:
http://travel.his.com/visa/tempvisitors_wait.php.
Scroll to the bottom of the page, select your city from the drop-down menu,
and hit the "get wait times" button. The system will instantly tell
you the current wait time for visa processing at that location. Please note,
though, that this wait time does not include additional time that you need to
allow for setting up an interview with a consular official or completing the
application process.
You can find additional tips from ASPB's Visa Information web pages (http://www.aspb.org/meetings/visainfo.cfm).
Check these pages regularly for updated information and advice.
ASPB has been working hard to make it easier for plant scientists from outside
the United States to attend our meetings. I hope you will consider responding
to our efforts by making your own plans to attend the meeting in Chicago, and
I look forward to meeting each of you there.
Best regards,
Crispin Taylor
Executive Director
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