american ambassador gary locke presents 1 millionth visa

[george lee]

american ambassador gary locke presents 1 millionth visa in beijing, http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/pictures/american-ambassador-gary-locke-presents-1-millionth-visa.html

[Beachey]

The most interesting statistics in that article:

 

Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs Charles Bennett says that China currently makes up 11% of the total visa workload for the United States around the world, and that this year Mission China has issued visas to 90% of visa applications.

 

My impression is the approval rate is maybe 50%.

[knloregon]

This has got to be every possible type of visa, (mostly tourist) but even then, my instincts---along with others here--- is that the # is too high for a single year.

[warpedbored]

I agree, I seriously doubt they approve 90% of any kind of visa, even tourist. From what I've seen from our members in laws it is at best 50%.

[Zhou Zhou]

Do y'all remember sitting in the 4th floor cafe' watching for >5 hours while folks left their interviews. I saw very few pink papers and not many happy faces. The percentage is very low compared to rich, white countries. And then there is the 'visa waver' nations....hummm?

[foobaz123]

And then the visa that was handed out was pulled back and sent to AP. Two years later it was issued fully.

 

I'm in total agreement, there is no way in hell they are granting 90% of visas without using some tricky math to get there.

 

Maybe they're just saying that 90% of petitions which aren't sent back to USCIS are issued? Or 90% of DCF petitions? The most likely way I could think of for them to get to that number is not to count family or tourist visas.

[shenzhen]

All of the numbers in this article cannot be right. We applied for our in-laws in September and were denied. Now were are going through the process again and having trouble even getting an interview scheduled less than 60 days out because they "have been denied before". They are retired, have plenty of money and two homes, and 2 other children/1 grandchild in China to return home to.

 

However I guess the USA government does not need any visitors to spend money or to let the in-laws visit and experience the birth of their second grandchild. When you read this article you get the impression they have opened the gates and letting all of China into the country.

[Randy W]

The most interesting statistics in that article:

 

Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs Charles Bennett says that China currently makes up 11% of the total visa workload for the United States around the world, and that this year Mission China has issued visas to 90% of visa applications.

 

My impression is the approval rate is maybe 50%.

 

 

Let's modify that claim a little bit - what the Embassy actually said was this

 

So not only is the number of applications that we¡¯re seeing increasing, but the number of people that we¡¯re issuing visas to is increasing also. This year we expect about 90 percent of all the people who apply for visas will be issued a visa in China.

 

http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/121411amb.html

[dnoblett]

Do y'all remember sitting in the 4th floor cafe' watching for >5 hours while folks left their interviews. I saw very few pink papers and not many happy faces. The percentage is very low compared to rich, white countries. And then there is the 'visa waver' nations....hummm?

I have the feeling that what they are talking about are NON-Immigrant visas like B-2 tourist, business, student visas, the ones with no immigrations intent, which is more in line, with the way the economy has been in the USA, there are actually illegal immigrants moving back home voluntarily because the jobs are not out there, coming to the USA as a non-immigrant visitor and staying probably is not as high of a problem as it use to be.

 

As for visa waiver countries, this has more to do with reciprocity, those countries do not require US Citizens to have visas to visit the other country. A US citizen has to pay $140 or so to get a visa to visit China, so their citizens have to pay for a visa to visit the USA.

 

Immigrant visas like Spouse, and K-1 fiancee will always have the hurdles of having to show that no visa fraud is involved, as well as the other higher inadmissibility standards.

 

Also the day you sat on the 4th floor is immigrant (CR-1, IR-1, IR-5, K-1...) visa time, I don't think they interview for non-immigrant tourist, business, student visas at that time.

[Randy W]

Do y'all remember sitting in the 4th floor cafe' watching for >5 hours while folks left their interviews. I saw very few pink papers and not many happy faces. The percentage is very low compared to rich, white countries. And then there is the 'visa waver' nations....hummm?

I have the feeling that what they are talking about are NON-Immigrant visas like B-2 tourist, business, student visas, the ones with no immigrations intent, which is more in line, with the way the economy has been in the USA, there are actually illegal immigrants moving back home voluntarily because the jobs are not out there, coming to the USA as a non-immigrant visitor and staying probably is not as high of a problem as it use to be.

 

As for visa waiver countries, this has more to do with reciprocity, those countries do not require US Citizens to have visas to visit the other country. A US citizen has to pay $140 or so to get a visa to visit China, so their citizens have to pay for a visa to visit the USA.

 

Immigrant visas like Spouse, and K-1 fiancee will always have the hurdles of having to show that no visa fraud is involved, as well as the other higher inadmissibility standards.

 

Also the day you sat on the 4th floor is immigrant (CR-1, IR-1, IR-5, K-1...) visa time, I don't think they interview for non-immigrant tourist, business, student visas at that time.

 

 

I believe the windows are divided into immigrant and non-immigrant, so they can service both at the same time (unless only one section is open at a time)

 

http://usa.bbs.net/interview/interview_ML/ML_floor.jpg

[foobaz123]

Do y'all remember sitting in the 4th floor cafe' watching for >5 hours while folks left their interviews. I saw very few pink papers and not many happy faces. The percentage is very low compared to rich, white countries. And then there is the 'visa waver' nations....hummm?

I have the feeling that what they are talking about are NON-Immigrant visas like B-2 tourist, business, student visas, the ones with no immigrations intent, which is more in line, with the way the economy has been in the USA, there are actually illegal immigrants moving back home voluntarily because the jobs are not out there, coming to the USA as a non-immigrant visitor and staying probably is not as high of a problem as it use to be.

 

As for visa waiver countries, this has more to do with reciprocity, those countries do not require US Citizens to have visas to visit the other country. A US citizen has to pay $140 or so to get a visa to visit China, so their citizens have to pay for a visa to visit the USA.

 

Immigrant visas like Spouse, and K-1 fiancee will always have the hurdles of having to show that no visa fraud is involved, as well as the other higher inadmissibility standards.

 

Also the day you sat on the 4th floor is immigrant (CR-1, IR-1, IR-5, K-1...) visa time, I don't think they interview for non-immigrant tourist, business, student visas at that time.

 

Actually, isn't that the other way around? Don't they charge us $140 because that's what we do to them? For countries that aren't treated so nicely by us as Europe isn't that pretty common?

 

That said, given the US government is about as likely to add China to the VWP as the sun is to rise in the west tomorrow I can't say I blame China for requiring a visa which is practically a rubber stamp.