 It looks like the new U.S. Embassy in Beijing will open for consular services on Tuesday, October 28, 2008. The Embassy’s notice is here. The new location is No. 55 An Jia Lou Road. The entrance for consular services, including American citizen services and the visa section, is located at the Embassy’s east gate at…
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Gazing into the Crystal Ball: Possible Future Changes in U.S. Visa Processing
If you had just one chance to gaze into a crystal ball, you probably wouldn’t use the opportunity to learn about the future of U.S. visa processing in China. So you’ll have to settle with glimmers of the future from a recently published U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Border Security: State Department Is Taking…
Got a Tip?
Got a tip? Some aspects of U.S and China visa policy and practice are local and/or not made public by government agencies. If you have a tip, share it here. [contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email–will not be published’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Title for Your Tip’ type=’text’/][contact-field label=’Details of Your Tip’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
EB-5 News: Philadelphia Convention Center Investment Plan Falls Through
According to the below news story, CanAm has signed up 150 Chinese seeking EB-5 visas to invest in a company that would loan money to the Philadelphia Convention Center. The investors already deposited their money–$500,000 each–in escrow, apparently as long as a year ago. The only problem is that the Convention Center doesn’t want to…
Do Chinese Want to Live the Australian Dream?
Australia is the best destination for emigrants, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center of 3,200 adults in China. The question posed was, “Suppose a young person who wanted to leave this country asked you to recommend where to go to lead a good life–what country would you recommend”? While there is…
How to Improve America’s Image in the World
In a recent article in Slate, Fred Kaplan summarizes readers’ ideas of how to improve America’s image in the world: Many readers [point out] the rudeness and paranoia on display at U.S. embassies and customs desks. Americans living in Europe say that some of their friends, even those who studied in American universities, refuse to…
GAO Report: Growing Visa Demand a Challenge for State Department
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlights several challenges the State Department faces in keeping up with growing visa demand at consular posts in China. GAO, Border Security: Long-Term Strategy Needed to Keep Pace with Increasing Demand for Visas, GAO-07-847 (July 2007). INACCURATE ESTIMATES OF VISA APPOINTMENT WAIT TIMES One challenge is…