Direct international member

A direct international member of Mensa is somebody whose membership is through Mensa International rather than a national Mensa. People who live in places that do not have a national group may join Mensa in this manner. There is also a provision in the Constitution of Mensa that a member who is expelled from a national Mensa may apply to the International Board of Directors to be granted direct international member status, which may discretionarily be granted by the IBD based on their judgment as to whether the member's expulsion failed to meet standards of fairness. As of 2012, no expelled members have been granted international membership in this manner. In 2010, the IBD decided, by a one-vote margin in secret balloting after a closed session, not to consider a petition by Barry Levine for such status.