Readers may recall that the processing times noted above only pertain to the USCIS processing portion of the overall US visa process. Therefore, readers should not mistake the processing times noted above for the time it takes to actually acquire a visa. After a visa petition has been adjudicated by the officers at the USCIS, if approved, the case file is forwarded to the National Visa Center where it is then sent on to the US Embassy, American Institute, or US Consulate with appropriate Consular jurisdiction. This phase of the process is referred to as Consular Processing. Consular Processing can sometimes be quite quick while, in some cases, the process can be rather cumbersome if the facts of the case are extremely complex.

For related information please see: K1 Visa Thailand.

The Consulate, including the Nonimmigrant Visa Unit, is scheduled to be closed on the following dates in observance of year 2011 official American and Chinese holidays.

**        January 3          Monday          New Year’s Day
*          January 17        Monday          Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
**        February 2-6     Wed-Sun        Chinese (Lunar) New Year
*          February 21       Monday          President’s Day
**        April 5                Tuesday         Tomb Sweeping Day
**        May 1-2             Sun-Mon         International Labor Day
*          May 30               Monday          Memorial Day
**        June 6                Monday          Dragon Boat Festival
*          July 4                 Monday          Independence Day
*          September 5      Monday          Labor Day
**        September 12    Monday          Mid-Autumn Festival
**        October 1-5       Sat-Wed         Chinese National Day
*          October 10        Monday          Columbus Day
*          November 11     Friday             Veteran’s Day
*          November 24     Thursday        Thanksgiving Day
*          December 26     Monday          Christmas Day

*          Americans Holidays
**        Chinese Holidays
***      Chinese and American Holidays

Those who have read through this blog with any frequency may have already noted that the author routinely posts holiday closing schedules of US Posts as a courtesy to travelers abroad. Although the various websites of many US Missions post this information themselves, it can sometimes prove difficult to find for those who are in a rush or for those who have not previously used a US Embassy website. Furthermore, the administration hopes that by gathering many of these schedules together in one place it will prove beneficial for those American travelers and expatriates who routinely travel throughout Asia.

To visit the official homepage of the US Consulate in Shanghai please click HERE.

Those seeking services such as issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, US Passport, or new visa pages for a previously issued US Passport are well advised to contact the American Citizen Services Section of the nearest US Consulate. Please note that some US Consulates abroad allow individuals to make an appointment with the Post to process their request. Making an appointment in advance can greatly streamline the processing of requests since Consular Officers can anticipate some of the needs of the customer prior to their arrival at the Post.

Those seeking visas such as the B-2 tourist visa, F-1 student visa, J-1 exchange visitor visa, or the B-1 business visa are likely to process their application through a Non-Immigrant Visa Unit abroad. Meanwhile, those seeking United States Lawful Permanent Residence for Chinese family members are likely to process their application through an Immigrant Visa Unit at a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad. For processing purposes, the K-1 visa, a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is generally treated as if it were an immigrant visa since the applicant is entitled to file for adjustment of status within 90 days of entering the USA and after legally marrying the petitioner.

Employment based visa categories such as the L-1 visa or Investor visa categories such as the EB-5 visa generally require the filing and approval of a US immigration petition from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) before a visa application can be processed abroad.

For related information please see: US Visa China.

The Consulate is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are CLOSED on the following American and Chinese holidays:

To visit the official homepage of the United States Consulate in Shenyang’s website please click HERE.

Some individuals traveling to a US Post abroad are doing so because they are seeking services which can only be obtained from an American Citizen Services section of a US Mission abroad. Services such as this include, but are not limited to, issuance of a US Passport for those who have lost their original passport abroad, issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad for an American child born overseas, or issuance of new visa pages for a previously issued passport.

Those foreign nationals seeking non-immigrant visa benefits are likely to process their application through a Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) Unit of a US Mission abroad. Therefore those seeking a US Tourist Visa in China are likely to process their application through an NIV Unit of their nearest US Mission.

Those seeking US family visa benefits are likely to process their application through an Immigrant Visa Unit of a US Mission abroad. In general, the K-1 visa, although technically a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is treated as if it were an immigrant visa for processing purposes.

Those Chinese Citizens seeking employment based visas such as the L-1 visa or investment based visas such as the EB-5 Visa may be required to process an immigration petition through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) prior to processing their visa application through one of the various US Posts in the Peoples’ Republic of China.

For related information please see: EB-5 Visa China.

The Consulate is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are CLOSED on the following American and Chinese holidays:

Those who wish to visit the homepage of the US Consulate in Guangzhou please click HERE.

Those seeking issuance of a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, new US Passport, or new visa pages for a previously issued US passport are well advised to contact the American Citizen Services (ACS) Section of the nearest US Embassy or US Consulate. Those seeking such services may find processing such requests mare efficient after making an appointment online. In many cases, making an appointment with ACS prior to arrival at the Mission provides Consular Officers with an opportunity to make preparations to better facilitate the processing of a specific request.

Those processing non-immigrant visas such as the B-2 visa for tourists, the B-1 visa for temporary business travelers, the J-1 visa for cultural exchange students, and the F-1 visa for foreign students wishing to study in the USA; may be required to process their applicatyion through a Non-Immigrant Visa Unit abroad.

Those attempting to obtain a US Immigrant visa such as a CR-1 visa or an IR-1 visa in order to reunite with family in the USA may be required to process their application through an Immigrant Visa Unit at a United States Mission abroad. For purposes of application processing the K-1 visa (also referred to as a US fiance visa) is effectively treated as an immigrant visa since K-1 visa holders are entitled to apply for adjustment of status after arrival in the USA provided the couple marries within 90 days of the foreign fiancee’s arrival in the US.

For related information please see: American Visa China.

Embassy Holidays for 2011

**        January 3          Monday          New Year’s Day
*          January 17        Monday          Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
**        February 2-6     Wed-Sun        Chinese (Lunar) New Year
*          February 21       Monday          President’s Day
**        April 5                Tuesday          Tomb Sweeping Day
**        May 1-2             Sun-Mon        International Labor Day
*          May 30               Monday          Memorial Day
**        June 6                Monday          Dragon Boat Festival
*          July 4                 Monday          Independence Day
*          September 5      Monday          Labor Day
**        September 12    Monday          Mid-Autumn Festival
**        October 1-5       Sat-Wed         Chinese National Day
*          October 10        Monday          Columbus Day
*          November 11     Friday             Veteran’s Day
*          November 24     Thursday       Thanksgiving Day
*          December 26     Monday          Christmas Day

*          Americans Holidays
**        Chinese Holidays
***      Chinese and American Holidays

Those interested in services such as the issuance of new visa pages, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad, or US Passports are well advised to contact an American Citizen Services (ACS) Section of the nearest US Mission abroad. It may also prove wise to set an appointment with ACS online as doing so often facilitates smoother processing of requests made by those appearing at the Consulate.

For those seeking the homepage of the US Embassy in Beijing please click HERE.

American Citizens and/or Lawful Permanent Residents wishing to obtain family visa benefits for a Chinese loved one are likely to process their visa application through an Immigrant Visa Unit at a US Embassy or US Consulate abroad. For purposes of visa processing, the K1 visa, although officially a non-immigrant US fiance visa, is treated in much the same way as immigrant visas such as the CR-1 visa and the IR-1 visa.

Those seeking Investment based visas such as the EB-5 visa or employment based visas such as the L-1 visa are usually required to have an immigration petition approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) before the visa application can be processed at a US Mission abroad.

Those seeking a non-immigrant B-2 visa (tourists), B-1 visa (short term business traveler), J-1 visa (exchange visitor), F-1 visa (student visa) are likely required to process their visa application through a Non-Immigrant Visa Unit of a US Mission abroad.

For related information please see: US Visa China.

Premier Wen Jiabao praised the fair Sunday as a “splendid event” that “truly brought together people around the globe.”

World Expositions are galleries of human inspirations and thoughts. Since 1851 when the Great Exhibition of Industries of All Nations was held in London, the World Expositions have attained increasing prominence as grand events for economic, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges, serving as an important platform for displaying historical experience, exchanging innovative ideas, demonstrating esprit de corps and looking to the future.

These expositions have often been the stage upon which the host nations display their achievements to the rest of the world. In the case of China, few are unaware of the achievements which the Chinese economy has boasted in recent years as the most populous nation on Earth (once something of an economic backwater) has risen, due in no small part to effective economic policy, to become the second largest economy in the world. To continue to cite Cenlaw further:

Expo 2010 Shanghai China focused on innovation and interaction. Innovation is the soul, while cultural interaction is an important mission of the World Expositions. In the new era, Expo 2010 Shanghai China contributed to human-centered development, scientific and technological innovation, cultural diversity and win-win cooperation for a better future, thus composing a melody with the key notes of highlighting innovation and interaction in the new century.

This author finds it interesting to note that the Chinese seem determined to create economic “win-win” situations through cooperation and innovative strategy. Hopefully, these efforts will result in fruitful economic and diplomatic relationships for China, the United States, Thailand, and the many nations in Asia which could stand to benefit from increased trade and business opportunities.

On a related note, in a previous posting on this blog, this writer noted that the US Embassy in China has taken steps to see to it that non-immigrant visa applications from China are processed in as timely a manner as possible. In an effort to deal with the large demand for visas such as the US tourist visa, the American Mission in China has gone so far as to schedule interviews on weekends. Hopefully, the upshot of all of this extra effort will be an increase in the number of tourists traveling to the United States of America.

In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding tensions arising from currency imbalances between the United States of America and the Peoples’ Republic of China. At many points in history there have been situations where global tension came about due to the emergence of a new economic player. China’s situation seems no different from earlier examples of this same phenomenon occurring throughout history (most notably: the example of the United States after the end of the Second World War). Although there may be a period of adjustment, hopefully the rise of the Chinese economy and the trade opportunities and efficiencies arising therefrom will fuel a new resurgence in the global economy. In short, this writer truly hopes that a “rising tide raises all ships” in China, the USA, and throughout world.

For related information please see: American Visa China.

The traditional method of obtaining a US Visa for a Chinese spouse was through petitioning for an Immigrant visa based upon the Chinese-American couple’s marital relationship. Although, in the later part of the last century, the processing time for immigrant spouse visas was becoming quite high due to a backlog at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). In an effort to deal with the backlog problem the United States Congress, along with President William Jefferson Clinton promulgated legislation commonly referred to as the “Life Act”. The language of this statute created the travel document known now as the K3 visa. It should also be pointed out that the K-4 visa was also created by the legislation. The K-4 visa, like the K-2 visa associated with the K1 visa, is a derivative visa intended for the children of K-3 visa holders. Since the creation of the K-3 visa the backlog of immigrant spousal visa petitions at USCIS has decreased dramatically.Those seeking K3 visa benefits must file a supplemental visa petition subsequent to the filing of the initial immigrant visa petition.

In 2010, the US State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC) issued a new policy stating that all K-3 visa applications would be “administratively closed” if the underlying immigrant visa petition arrived at NVC with, or before, the supplemental K-3 petition. There are many who are quick to point out that the purpose of the K-3 visa is effectively negated once the immigrant visa receives adjudication and therefore the administrative closure policy makes sense from an efficiency perspective. Regardless, this policy has likely lead to many bi-national Chinese-American couples to seek immigrant visa benefits where once they may have pursued K-3 visa benefits. Those who submit an application for immigrant visa benefits may receive either a CR-1 visa or an IR-1 visa if their application is approved. Those who enter the United States in CR-1 visa status are considered conditional lawful permanent residents upon lawful admission to the USA while those admitted to the United States in IR-1 status are considered unconditional lawful permanent residents.

Fore related information please see: K3 Visa China or for information pertaining to Consular Processing please see: US Embassy China.

Residents of China may apply for a non-immigrant visa at any U.S. Consular Section in China, regardless of the province or city of residence.  We have Consular Sections at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang.

Although the basic application process is the same, specific times and application procedures at each visa issuing office can vary.  Before applying for a visa, applicants should check each post’s web site for procedures specific to that post.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China provide the following estimates of the next available non-immigrant visa interview appointment date for your reference.  Please be aware appointments are scheduled continuously, and the next available appointment date can change dramatically on short notice.

All appointments must be booked through the Visa Information Call Center at 4008-872-333, which has the most current information about appointment wait times.  Specific appointment procedures can be found here: http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv_appointment.html.

The information below is a rough guide only.  Please note this information was last updated on 21 Jul, 2010.

Business/ tourist visa appointments (B1, B2, and B1/B2 visa classes)

As of the date above, this post is booking…	… appointments for the following date:
U.S. Embassy Beijing	3-Aug
U.S. Consulate General Chengdu	19-Aug
U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou	17-Aug
U.S. Consulate General Shanghai	23-Aug
U.S. Consulate General Shenyang	31-Aug

Student (F, M, J visa classes)

As of the date above, this post is booking…	… appointments for the following date:
U.S. Embassy Beijing	28-Jul
U.S. Consulate General Chengdu	6-Aug
U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou	27-Jul
U.S. Consulate General Shanghai	19-Aug
U.S. Consulate General Shenyang	4-Aug

Appointment wait times for particular groups such as petition-based employment applicants, group leisure tours, Amcham applicants, and public affairs passport holders may be different.  Please contact the Visa Information Call Center at 4008-872-333 for more information.

If you require an earlier visa appointment for immediate travel for urgent medical treatment, to meet the start date on your I-20 or DS-2019 form, or for another emergency reason, please see our information about expedited appointments http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv_expedite.html.

The information on how to apply can be found below:

The U.S. Consulate in Chengdu:
http://chengdu.usembassy-china.org.cn/appointment.html

The U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou:
http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/niv-how-to-apply.html

The U.S. Consulate in Shanghai:
http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn/how_to_apply.html

The U.S. Consulate in Shenyang:
http://shenyang.usembassy-china.org.cn/consular5.html

The U.S. Consulate in Hongkong:
http://hongkong.usconsulate.gov/niv_apply.html

It is interesting to note this recent policy shift as most US Diplomatic and Consular missions in other countries require the applicant to apply for their non-immigrant visa at the Consulate with jurisdiction over the place of residence of the applicant. However, these jurisdictional rules may be altered by officials of the Department of State depending upon the prevailing circumstances in the host country. That said, China is a unique country insofar as it has a large landmass as well as a massive population. As a result, special considerations probably ought to be taken into account when discussing those issues associated with optimally serving those Chinese nationals wishing to travel to the USA.

As the economic and diplomatic relationships between the USA and China become increasingly close, Immigration matters will become more important for those conducting Sino-American business or for those from China who simply wish to visit the United States for recreational purposes.

It should be noted that the above announcement would seem to only apply to those seeking non-immigrant visas such as the B2 visa or the F1 visa. Therefore, the above information does not appear, at the time of this writing, to be applicable to those seeking an Immigrant visa such as a CR1 Visa or an IR1 Visa. Furthermore, it would also seem as though those seeking visa benefits under the K visa category (K1 visa, K2 visa, K3 Visa, K4 visa, etc.) will not be able to “forum shop” for the Post of their choice for the ultimate visa interview.

For more information about US Immigration from China please see: US Visa China.

The Embassy is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are closed on the following American and Chinese holidays:

2010 Official American and Chinese holidays

January 1                   Friday                New Year’s Day*** January  18                Monday             Martin Luther Jr.’s Birthday*
February 13-17          Sat-Wed           Chinese (Lunar) New Year**
February 15               Monday             President’s Day*
April 5                        Monday             Tomb Sweeping Day**
May 1-3                      Sat-Mon            International Labor Day**
May 31                       Monday             Memorial Day**
June 16                      Wednesday       Dragon Boat Festival**
July 5                          Monday             Independence Day*
September 6              Monday              Labor Day*
September 22            Wednesday       Mid-Autumn Festival**
October 1-5                Fri-Tuesday       Chinese National Day**
October 11                 Monday             Columbus Day*
November 11              Thursday           Veteran’s Day*
November 25              Thursday           Thanksgiving Day*
December 24              Friday                Christmas Day*
December 31              Friday                New Year’s Day (2011)*

*     American Holidays
**   Chinese Holidays
*** Chinese and American Holidays

The following is a direct quote from the website of the US Consulate in Shenyang:

The Consulate is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are closed on the following American and Chinese holidays:

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Nation
January 1	Friday	New Year’s Day	US & China
January 18	Monday	Martin Luther King, Jr’s Birthday	US
February 13-17	Sat-Wed	Lunar New Year	China
February 15	Monday	Presidents’ Day	US
April 5	Monday	Tomb Sweeping Day	China
May 1-3	Sat-Mon	International Labor Day	China
May 31	Monday	Memorial Day	US
June 16	Wednesday	Dragon Boat Festival	China
July 5	Monday	Independence Day	US
September 6	Monday	Labor Day	US
September 22	Wednesday	Mid-Autumn Festival	China
October 1-5	Fri-Tue	Chinese National Day	China
October 11	Monday	Columbus Day	US
November 11	Thursday	Veterans’ Day	US
November 25	Thursday	Thanksgiving Day	US
December 24	Friday	Christmas Day

Information imparted below is quoted from the website of the US Consulate in Wuhan:

Holidays for 2010

***    January 1                Friday                   New Year’s Day
*        January 18              Monday                Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday
**      February 13-17       Sat-Wed              Chinese (Lunar) New Year
*        February 15            Monday                President’s Day
**      April 5                     Monday                Tomb Sweeping Day
**      May 1-3                  Sat-Mon                International Labor Day
*        May 31                   Monday                 Memorial Day
**      June 16                  Wednesday           Dragon Boat Festival
*        July 5                      Monday                 Independence Day
*        September 6          Monday                  Labor Day
**      September 22        Wednesday           Mid-Autumn Festival
**      October 1-5            Fri-Tuesday           Chinese National Day
*        October 11             Monday                 Columbus Day
*        November 11         Thursday                Veterans’ Day
*        November 25         Thursday                Thanksgiving Day
*        December 24         Friday                     Christmas Day

*     American Holidays
**   Chinese Holidays
*** Chinese and American Holidays

Finally, below is the holiday closing schedule of the US Consulate in Chengdu as quoted from the US Consulate’ official website:

The Consulate is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. We are CLOSED on the following American and Chinese holidays:

DATE	EVENT
January 1 Friday	New Year’s Day***
January 18 Monday	Martin Luther King, Jr.’ Birthday*
February 13-17 Sat-Wed	Chinese Lunar New Year**
February 15 Monday	President’s Day*
April 5 Monday	Tomb Sweeping Day**
May 1-3 Sat-Mon	International Labor Day**
May 31 Monday	Memorial Day*
June 16 Wednesday	Dragon Boat Festival**
July 5 Monday	Independence Day*
September 6 Monday	Labor Day*
September 22 Wednesday	Mid-Autumn Festival**
October 1-5 Fri-Tuesday	Chinese National Day**
October 11 Monday	Columbus Day*
November 11 Thursday	Veterans’ Day*
November 25 Thursday	Thanksgiving Day*
December 24 Friday	Christmas Day*
December 31 Friday	New Year’s Day (2011)*

*      American Holiday
**    Chinese Holiday—Chinese Government offices will be closed
***  Chinese and American Holidays

Those seeking visas overseas such as an Immigrant visa or a K1 visa are wise to contact the relevant Post in order to ascertain the protocols for visa interview. Those seeking assistance from an American Citizen Services (ACS) section of a US Post overseas are prudent to contact the Post prior to arrival as many Posts allow appointments for matters before the ACS unit.

For information regarding attorney assistance with Consular Processing in Bangkok, Thailand please see: US Embassy Thailand.