It’s straightforward but tedious to switch countries, as there’s all sorts of paperwork that has to be completed correctly and various fees which add up. Easier if you secure employment before doing so unless you can write a big enough check. However, approach the process with a willingness to accept change…. Things will be both better and worse after the switch and trying to fight the changes is a no win proposition.

Longer term, it can turn out quite well. And yeah, I realize that some country changes must be conducted on a very compressed time schedule - I’m fortunately unfamiliar with those.

A huge unforced error by the United States.

This is a real problem now. It's not pessimistic hand wringing, and the US could easily see its scientific infrastructure collapse. I don't think the general public really comprehends what's at stake — some do but others do not.

The other side of the coin is that foreign academics, with maybe the exception of China, has its own financial problems. A lot of the initiatives getting attention in the news are much smaller than they are being hyped, and they're nowhere near enough to capture the US academic system. That could easily change though.

My sense is a lot of people are kind of holding their breath to see how things turn out, but I think it could be really bad. As the article points out, it's probably the junior scientists most at risk of leaving. But those are also probably the people you want to have stay, or attract.

There are a ton of problems in academics that have needed remedy for a long time, but what is happening now is making things much worse. It's certainly not in good faith, and not actually intended to help science in the US — if anything it's maliciously intended.