In a letter to the U.S. Department of State, the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and National Academy of Medicine expressed concern that a proposal to add supplemental questions for visa applicants, published in the Federal Register on May 4, "will have significant negative unintended consequences on the nation's international leadership in research, innovation, and education." The presidents warned that the proposal could discourage leading researchers from coming to the U.S. and could lead science, engineering, and medical societies to hold meetings elsewhere. International collaborations in science, engineering, and medicine have increased dramatically in the last two decades and are critical to the U.S. research enterprise, the presidents wrote. They also emphasized the important contributions of foreign students studying and working in laboratories here, who they fear may no longer see the United States as "a welcoming country." Approximately 25 percent of the members of NAS, NAE, and NAM who are U.S. citizens were born outside the country, the letter notes.