1. What is a visa?

If you are a foreign citizen, in most cases you need to hold a visa to enter the United States. A visa does not guarantee that you are allowed to enter the United States. A visa only means that your application has been reviewed by the United States visa officer of the United States Embassy or Consulate, and that the officer believes that you have specific reasons to meet the conditions for entering the United States. Consular affairs fall under the responsibility of the State Department of the United States.

The visa only allows you to arrive at the port of entry (airport or land border) of the United States, and then requests the immigration officer to approve your entry into this country. Only immigration officials have the right to decide whether you can enter the United States. He/she decides the length of your stay for any visit to the United States. Inbound matters fall under the responsibility of the United States Department of Homeland Security.

There are two types of visa in the United States: immigrant visa and non-immigrant visa. Immigration visas are issued to applicants who intend to permanently reside in the United States. Non-immigrant visas are issued to those applicants who have permanent residence in other countries outside the United States and stay in the United States for a short period of time only for tourism, medical treatment, business, short-term work or study.

2. Where should I apply for a visa?

Chinese residents should apply for visas at the United States embassy or consulate in the territory of their permanent residence, even if the applicant's permanent residence is different from the residence of their residence. If you live in the consular area of Beijing for a long time, you should apply for a visa at the United States Embassy in Beijing. Beijing Consular Region includes Beijing, Tianjin, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Inner Mongolia, Jiangxi, Ningxia, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Qinghai and Xinjiang.

If you live outside the above provinces and cities, please apply for a visa at the corresponding U.S. Consulate General in China:

Chengdu Consulate General - Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan

Consulate General of Guangzhou - Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan

Consulate General of Shanghai - Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang

Consulate General of Shenyang - Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning

Consulate General of Hong Kong - Hong Kong and Macao

3. How early should I apply for a visa?

As there are a large number of applicants applying for visas to the United States, there is usually a waiting period between the telephone appointment and the interview. The applicant may have to wait several weeks to go to the corresponding embassy and consulate for interview after making an appointment for visa interview. You can check the average waiting time for visa appointments on the website of the United States Department of State. In addition, the processing procedures after the interview may delay the issuance of visas for a period of time. When your application requires additional administrative hearing, the time required will vary depending on the circumstances of the case, but it usually takes one to three months. Therefore, the Visa Office recommends that all applicants make an appointment for the interview as soon as possible according to the schedule. The telephone number of the Visa Information and Reservation Center of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in China is 4008-872-333. If you need frequent entry and exit from the United States or sometimes urgent entry, we recommend that you renew your existing visa in time before it expires. All applicants should apply in advance to avoid delay! Thank you for your cooperation.

4. How to apply for expedited visa interview?

In some emergency situations, applicants who can't wait until the time of normal telephone appointment can apply for urgent interview.

5. I have been refused a visa but my wife has no refusal record. Can we make an appointment to apply for visas together on the same day?

Generally, the visa interview time of the applicant who has been refused is later than that of the applicant who has no visa refusal record. You and your wife can make an appointment to go to the visa office for interview at a relatively late date.

6. Duration of stay: How long can I stay in the United States?

If you are allowed to enter the United States, the Customs and Border Protection Officer will specify the duration of your stay in the United States on your Entry and Exit Record Form (Form I-94). Since the duration of your authorized stay in the United States is recorded on Form I-94, you should keep this form and your passport together properly. Please be careful about the approved length of stay in the United States and ensure that you comply with the provisions of the United States Immigration Law. Each time you are allowed to enter the United States, you should ensure that you leave the United States on or before the last day of the approved period of stay according to the specific departure date specified on the Entry and Exit Record Form (Form I-94). Failure to leave the United States before the prescribed deadline will result in your loss of legal status, which may reduce your chances of obtaining a visa in the future. For more information, please visit http://www.travel.state.gov/ 。 

7. What is the "visa validity period"? What does the word "Entries" on the visa mean? What does the word "M" under "Entries" mean?

"Visa validity period" usually means that the visa is valid and can be used for the same purpose during the period from the date of issuance of the visa to the date of expiration of the visa. To determine how many times you can travel to the United States with this visa, please check the number of entries on the visa ("entries" represents the number of entries). If the number of entries is multiple ("M" means multiple entries), the visa owner can travel to the United States multiple times before the expiry date of the visa, but the purpose of each trip must be the same. If the number of entries of a visa is one, you can only enter the United States with this visa once within the validity period of the visa.

The number of visa entries can be any number, at least once, and at most "M" (representing unlimited number or times), but the purpose of entry must be the same each time. If you need to travel to the United States frequently and hold a tourist visa that can enter the United States many times, you do not need to apply for a new tourist visa before each trip to the United States. However, it should be noted that although you have a tourist visa that can be entered for many times, you cannot work or study in the United States with this visa after entering the country.

The validity period of the visa means that during this period, you are allowed to show your visa to the United States immigration inspector at the port of entry of the United States and request to enter the United States. Holding a visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter the United States. You should not confuse the expiry date of your visa with the duration of your stay in the United States. The duration of the visa owner's stay in the United States is determined by the immigration inspector at the port of entry of the United States and displayed on your entry and exit record form (Form I-94 or Form I-94W issued to citizens of visa-free countries). The expiry date of the visa has nothing to do with the length of stay allowed in the United States at each entry.

8. What procedures need to be handled when arriving at the United States port of entry?

Please visit the relevant website of the United States Department of Homeland Security to see what procedures need to be handled after arriving at the United States port of entry.

9. How does the visa officer decide to approve or reject an applicant's visa application?

Article 214 (b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act stipulates that every foreigner will be first assumed to have an immigration tendency when applying for a visa, unless he can convince the consular officer that he has non-immigration qualifications

In order to qualify for a non-immigrant visa, the applicant must meet the requirements of Article 214 (b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, or the visa will be refused according to law. The most basic requirement in paragraph (b) of Article 214 is that the applicant must have a residence outside the United States that he or she does not want to give up. Most applicants are refused because they cannot prove this. The applicant can prove the existence of this residence by showing that he/she has the binding force to return after a short stay in the United States outside the United States. According to the laws of the United States, every applicant must provide proof.

10. Why is the US visa law so strict?

The United States is an open society. Tourists in China are not controlled as other countries do, such as forcing tourists to register with the local government. In order for foreigners to travel in the United States without any burden, foreigners have the responsibility to prove that they will leave the United States and return to China before obtaining a travel or study visa. The United States immigration law requires visa officers to treat every applicant as having immigration intention unless the applicant can prove that he has no such intention.

11. What is a strong "binding force"?

The firm "binding force" varies depending on the country, city and individual situation. "Binding force" refers to various relationships that force you to live in the motherland or a certain place, such as your property, occupation, social and family relationships. Personal work and income, residence or apartment, car, close family members and bank deposits are included. The visa officer uses a separate approach to study the applicant's occupation, society, culture and other relationships. Since young applicants cannot establish these relationships, the visa officer should review their exact intentions to go to the United States, their family situation and their long-term development plans and prospects in the country. All visa applications are handled separately in accordance with the law.

12. Why do all applicants who are refused visas get the same documents to explain the reasons for refusal? For example, should the reasons for refusing a student visa and a tourist visa be different?

Many visa applications were refused in accordance with section 214 (b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act. Most of the people who were refused visas were unable to prove that they had enough strong binding force outside the United States to convince the visa officer that they would definitely return after a short stay in the United States. Many people believe that a special document or a special answer can enable him to obtain a visa when he applies again in a few days or weeks. Such documents or answers do not exist. The applicant was refused because the overall situation did not meet the conditions. Applicants should apply for visas after the overall situation has changed significantly. For example, newly graduated unemployed students should apply for visas after a period of employment.

13. Why is the visa interview so short? The visa officer only asked me one or two questions, and refused my visa without even looking at my documents?

Visa officers process thousands of visa applications every year. With experience, they can quickly review visa forms and other supporting materials to reduce questions. Please remember that most of the information required by the visa officer is already on the visa application form, and there is usually no need to ask more questions.

14. When applying for a visa, I have said to the visa officer that I will return to China after a short stay in the United States. Why doesn't the visa officer believe me?

The visa officer must measure your overall situation before deciding whether to grant you a visa. Although my oral statement is helpful to obtain a visa, according to the United States law, oral guarantee alone cannot prove that you meet the requirements of a non-immigrant visa.

15. Is the refusal based on clause 214 (b) permanent?

no If you have new materials that have not been reviewed by the visa officer at the time of your first application, or the overall situation has changed significantly since your last refusal, you can apply for a visa again, and the visa officer will conduct an appropriate review.

16. How long does it take for a rejected applicant to apply for a visa again?

There is no time limit when to reapply after refusal. You can reapply as long as you can submit supplementary documents or certificates that can prove that you meet the conditions for obtaining a non-immigrant visa.

17. Can I send a letter or fax to the embassy in advance so that the visa officer can better understand my situation and my strong connection with China?

It's no use writing to the visa officer in advance. You should bring this letter and other materials with you during the interview. The interview is the most appropriate occasion to review the applicant's materials.

18. I brought all the supporting materials I had prepared, but I was still refused. What documents do I need to prepare?

The problem is not that the documents you submit, but that the overall situation of you shown in the documents cannot overturn the assumption that you are inclined to emigrate. Please keep in mind that the United States law assumes that you are inclined to emigrate. You must be able to prove that your overall situation will force you to leave the United States and return home after your visit to the United States.

19. I have been admitted to an American school and have an I-20 form. Why are you still not qualified for a study visa?

Form I-20 is only one of the materials that the visa officer must review. Please remember that according to the provisions of Article 214 (b) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act, all non-immigrant visa applicants must prove that they will leave the United States after completing the purpose of visiting the United States stated at the time of their entry, and study visa applicants must also prove that they will leave the United States after completing their studies in the United States. Most people studying in the United States will stay in the United States for several months or years. In this way, the visa officer must comprehensively measure the conditions of the applicant before deciding whether to issue a visa. If the applicant's overall situation shows that his main purpose of going to the United States is not to study, but to stay in the United States for a long time, he may still be refused a visa. Therefore, even if the school has accepted you and issued you an I-20 form, this is only one of the many factors that the visa officer should consider.

20. Do I have to take exams like TOEFL, SAT, GRE or GMAT to get a study visa? Do you need to reach a certain score to obtain a visa?

Generally, applicants do not have to take any special examinations to obtain visas. However, we have noticed that students with positive and serious learning attitudes often take such examinations when applying for American schools. Taking one or more of these examinations will help to prove that the applicant attaches importance to the study abroad plan.

21. As the only son of my family, I am sure to return home to take care of my parents. Why does the visa officer still think that my reasons for returning home are insufficient?

Relevant immigration data show that the only child will also stay in the United States indefinitely. However, the only child is only one of the overall personal conditions. It is not enough to get a visa alone