Imagining a Future in Global Health Without Visa and Passport Inequities

There is a growing and overdue recognition in recent years of visa and passport inequities as a significant barrier to global health education, practice, and participation.These inequities largely impact low-and middle-income country (LMIC) citizens, refugees, and asylum seekers, as highlighted by us, other affected individuals, and advocates for systemic change [1][2][3].Examples illustrate a range of challenges including structurally discriminatory border control policies by high income countries (HICs), poor administrative due diligence in visa processes, lack of professionalism and inconsistency in assessment procedures during visa interviews or at customs, disregard for extended visa processing timelines by event organizers, associated high costs and ignorance of visa challenges by event organizers, academic institutions, and organizations [3][4][5].While highest level of restrictions are imposed by countries in the Global North, it is crucial to note that visa and passport discrimination against LMIC citizens are practiced by countries in the Global South as well [6,7].Persisting racist, colonial and neo-colonial ideologies, and political and economic realities impact visa and passport inequities perpetuating a vicious cycle by 'othering' LMIC citizens and denying them opportunities to contribute towards achieving the goal of 'health for all ' [1, 8].These inequities continue to affect access to global health education, sharing of expertise, participating in conferences, research collaborations, and building professional networks.Early career scholars, faculty and students face added layers of barriers and consequences due to lack of resources and institutional power [5,9].Additionally, these inequities are normalized by the continuation of discriminatory systems and inaction of those with power and privilege [2,5].However, the current discourse provides us with a window of opportunity for change.We, as a group of young global health practitioners and trainees with diverse citizenship impacted by these challenges, offer a suite of options to reform current practices and reimagine ways to minimize visa and passport inequities.Recognizing the need for urgent action and the complexity of the challenge we outline short, medium, and long-term solutions.