Navigating Borders: The Realities of International Physics Mobility

International mobility is a defining feature of contemporary physics. Studies indicate that roughly 50% of physics PhD holders undertake at least one significant period of education, training, or employment outside their country of origin. Such mobility underpins scientific excellence, knowledge transfer, and workforce development, particularly in highly collaborative and infrastructure-intensive areas of physics.

Despite its central role, international mobility is increasingly constrained by visa regimes, funding asymmetries, geopolitical tensions, and unequal access to institutional support. These barriers disproportionately affect students and early-career researchers, shaping who can participate in global physics and under what conditions.

This talk examines the realities of international physics mobility, combining available data with practitioner experience across education, research, and international collaboration. It argues that mobility should be understood as core scientific infrastructure rather than an individual privilege, and outlines policy-relevant considerations for sustaining equitable, resilient, and inclusive mobility pathways essential to the future of physics.