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Non-Immigrant Visas

Non-Immigrant Visas

Changes in Visa Validity for Chinese Citizens

Starting on November 12, 2014, the United States increased the validity of short-term business and tourist visas and student and exchange visas issued to Chinese citizens. 

Chinese applicants who qualify for a B-category nonimmigrant visa (NIV) may now be issued multiple-entry visas for up to 10 years for business and tourist travel.  Qualified Chinese students and exchange visitors and their dependents who qualify for F, M, or J-category visas are now eligible for multiple-entry visas valid for up to five years or the length of their program. U.S. citizens eligible for Chinese short term business and tourist visas should also receive multiple-entry visas valid for up to 10 years, while qualified U.S. students may receive student residency permits valid up to five years, depending on the length of their educational program.

Aside from increased validity, no changes to the visa application process or to visa requirements have been made. 

General Information

Improvements to visa application procedures

Improvements to U.S. visa application procedures went into effect across China on March 16, 2013.  The new online system makes it easier and less expensive to apply for a visa to the United States.  These services will be provided to visa applicants by our authorized partner, CGI Stanley.

How to Apply for a Visa

To learn about the visa application process, pay the visa application fee online, and schedule an appointment, please visit the visa application website.

Warning

CGI Stanley is the only company that the U.S. Consulate General authorizes to provide visa information and visa application services. The U.S. Consulate General does not endorse or have a "special relationship" with any other individual or business that offers advice or assistance with the visa process. No one can guarantee the issuance of a visa to you. The only U.S. consular office in Chengdu is located at 4 Lingshiguan Road. All U.S. government forms are free. Beware: many visa applicants lose money or are permanently barred from the United States as a result of misleading information and fraudulent applications provided by visa consultants.

No Fee Visa Appointment Instructions

  • Applicants applying for G4 visas and J1 visas that are sponsored by U.S. government funding are exempt from visa (MRV) fees.  Applicants who wish to schedule a no-fee visa appointment should follow the usual procedure of applying for an appointment on http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ but instead of entering their fee receipt number to make an appointment, they will go to the request section of the page and create a new request.  In the text of the request, they should write a brief note requesting a no-fee visa appointment and including the visa class for which they are.  The Consulate will then contact them directly to make an appointment.

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IMPORTANT NOTICE



  • U.S. Consulate consular section closures

    Please note that the Consular Section will be closed on the following dates: 

    Monday, January 16th, 2017 (Closed for all routine services)
    Friday, January  27th, 2017 to Tuesday, January 31st, 2017 (Closed for all routine services) 
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Passport Home Delivery Service

  • The U.S. Embassy and the Consulates General are happy to inform you that for a small fee, all applicants can now opt for a Premium Home Delivery Service when applying for their U.S. visa.

    Effective immediately, applicants for visas at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang will have the option to choose the passport home delivery option for a small fee.  This includes both non-immigrant and immigrant visas. We will continue to offer free passport pick-up service at more than 900 CITIC Bank locations throughout Mainland China. 

    It is easy to select the home delivery service.  When scheduling your visa appointment on our convenient and simple-to-use website, applicants will see a drop-down menu and have the option of selecting either the CITIC bank pickup or home-delivery option.  For more information about this premium service, please visit http://www.ustraveldocs.com/.