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Organisers list “severe” delays, onerous processes and high costs of visas as reasons for decision
The International Health Economics Association has changed the venue of its 2025 congress from Canada to Bali, in Indonesia, to avoid restrictive visa policies hindering attendance from the global south.
The rethink came after the organisers became aware of “severe delays” in securing Canadian visa application outcomes—up to eight months for some nationalities—as well as the “onerous process and high costs involved”, the IHEA’s leadership said in a statement.
The IHEA congress was meant to take place in Calgary on 19-23 July, 2025. Ease of visa access for developing country participants had been a key factor in selecting the location, according to the statement by Kara Hanson, IHEA president, and Di McIntyre, IHEA executive director.
When reports of the prospective delays reached the organisers, the IHEA board tried to find ways to speed up the visa process for its attendees. One challenge was that several of the association’s members could not apply for a visa until their presentation abstract was accepted and they had secured funding to attend.
“We brought various deadlines forward to help with this, but despite all our best efforts we were legitimately concerned that equitable attendance at the event would be threatened,” Hanson and McIntyre said. In 2023, the event attracted representatives of a record 106 countries when it was held in Cape Town, South Africa. “This is not a risk that we are willing to take,” they added.
The statement went on to urge governments to end visa discrimination as well as other forms of discrimination that hinder the free movement of people with legitimate reasons to travel. “In this unsettled world, facilitating research and policy conversations among scholars from different parts of the globe, who are free to bring their true selves along with their ideas, seems more important than ever.”
The congress will take place in Bali on the same dates as originally planned.