US embassy plans bigger visa office to cope with applicants

A visa official tells an applicant the right way to submit the fingerprints.

By Han Manman

 

 

The US embassy moved to a larger compound only half a year ago, but its visa office is already getting cramped with the rapidly growing number of Chinese applicants.
 
The embassy is considering enlarging its visa office, Linda Donahue, the embassy’s consul general, said Wednesday. China’s US visa office, along with the ones in Brazil, Mexico and India are the four busiest in the world, she said.

The embassy is planning to construct another building beside the visa office to remove the US Citizen Service Center, which currently occupies the building second floor.

Donahue said they plan to move the Chinese Citizen Service to the second floor, and increase the number of service windows from the current 23 to 33. The plan is expected to take effect in 2012.

Donahue said US visas have not become more difficult to obtain, despite the public’s impression. “There is no quota for Chinese tourists and students that can go to the US, contrary to what you may have heard,” she said.

She reminded the public to apply for a US visa early, and for frequent travelers to make sure their visas remained valid since applications peak in early May until August.

The visa office has 20 officers, but they have to cope with an average of 1,200 visa interviewees per day, said Travis Sevy, vice consul of the consular section. This gives each interviewee only one to three minutes in front of the officer.

Sevy warned students to be wary of visa agents who promise an immediate interview at the embassy in exchange for money. He said students can apply for an “urgent” interview for free.

 Sevy denied claims made online that US visa officials discriminate against unmarried women under 30 who do not own a house and a car. “We will assess applicants based on their individual situations. We don’t hold a prejudice against any applicant,” he said. He suggested that applicants pare as many documents as possible to support their visa application.

Last year, the US embassy issued 460,000 visas within China, an increase of 12.5 percent compared to 2007.