How come when some European comes to Sri Lanka to research, they “go native” with little visa requirements, but when we go to Europe or the US, we are ”visiting scholars” of 9 months?
And how come no one asks the invariably white researcher what a Russian scholar is doing in Sri Lanka when we have to apply a year ahead with a 200 page application file and told only 10 can come?
Vicious Verandah 
Is it that easy to come here as a scholar?
it seems to be! over the last decade i have met several foreigners working in different disciplines who are here without much background knowledge or language proficiency other than English ‘doing research’ on us :(