China will provide longer-term visas for Chinese Americans

China will provide longer-term visas for Chinese Americans Foreign spouses and children of Chinese citizens, as well as those with passports whose place of birth is China (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau...

China will provide longer-term visas for Chinese Americans. Foreign spouses and children of Chinese citizens, as well as Chinese Americans and their spouses and children whose passports are born in China (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao), can apply for long-term business and visit visas that are valid for multiple entries into China. This is new information published on the website of the Visa Section of the Chinese Embassy in the United States. Chen Xiongfeng, the counselor and consul general of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, told reporters on the 29th that this means that as long as the relevant person provides an invitation letter issued by relatives in China and a copy of the relative's identity document, as well as marriage certificates, birth certificates and other documents proving the relationship between spouse and children, they can apply for a visa with a longer validity period than the current two years. If you have applied for a Chinese visa in the past and can provide relevant records, it will be more helpful to obtain a long-term multiple visa. In an exclusive interview with a reporter from China Review News Agency, Chen Xiongfeng pointed out that in the past few years, the Chinese Embassy in the United States has tried its best to provide convenient conditions for Americans to apply for visas for tourism, business, study, and work in China. It strictly abides by the agreement between China and the United States and issues multiple-valid visas for one year to people traveling to China for tourism, business, and study. On this basis, it also issues multiple-valid visas for two years to Chinese Americans, their spouses, and children. Chen Xiongfeng said that on the basis of complying with relevant regulations and based on actual needs and circumstances, China is actively expanding the issuance of longer-term visas to economic and trade personnel, Chinese groups and their immediate family members who need to frequently travel between mainland China and the United States. According to statistics from both China and the United States, in 2011, 1.36 million Chinese citizens visited the United States and 2.12 million American citizens visited China. In 2011, the Chinese embassy and consulates in the United States issued a total of nearly 920,000 visas (excluding the numbers issued by Chinese embassies and consulates in other countries); in fiscal year 2011, the United States issued a total of 1.1384 million non-immigrant visas for Chinese citizens (including residents of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao), including 945,000 non-immigrant visas for residents of mainland China. As for the recent concern that foreign visitors to China are required to provide invitation letters or air tickets and hotel reservations when applying for visas, Chen Xiongfeng said that according to China’s new visa regulations, tourist visa applicants should in principle provide invitation letters that meet the requirements. However, for applicants who are going to China for personal travel, if they cannot provide an invitation letter, they can also provide round-trip air tickets and hotel reservations. Relevant regulations can be found on the website of the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the United States (www.china-embassy.org). Chen Xiongfeng emphasized that the invitation letter system is a common practice in all countries around the world. China’s regulations apply to all countries and are not specifically targeted at US applicants. Compared with most countries in the world, applying for a Chinese visa is still very convenient. Chen Xiongfeng, who has been in charge of visa and consular affairs, further explained that in fact, the requirement to issue invitation letters is not new today. This time, Chinese embassies and consulates in various countries are following unified arrangements to standardize service procedures and requirements. The Chinese embassy and consulates in the United States have unified the implementation starting from August 1 this year. Chen Xiongfeng explained that the invitation letter can be handwritten, printed, faxed, or scanned, but it needs the signature of the inviter and cannot be a simple email. For some "backpackers" who have neither inviting organizations nor relatives and friends in China, but want to go to China for self-guided travel, they can also submit proof of itinerary such as air ticket orders and hotel orders. Moreover, after the implementation of this regulation, the visa processing time remains unchanged - ordinary visas 4 working days, special needs can be expedited, visas can be obtained in 1 working day, and the processing procedures have not changed. Chen Xiongfeng said that there is no basis for the so-called new Chinese visa policy that may affect foreign tourists traveling to China. Judging from the number of visa applications in the past month, there has been no change. Chen Xiongfeng expressed his understanding of the inconvenience for some Chinese who used to apply for a visa at the embassy or consulate when they returned home to visit relatives. However, he pointed out that it is not difficult to ask their relatives and friends in China to issue an invitation letter, and after providing relevant certificates, they may also obtain a visa with a longer validity period than the previous two years. Compared with the situation of Chinese citizens applying for a U.S. visa, it is generally much more convenient. Finally, Chen Xiongfeng stressed that China has always tried its best to provide maximum convenience for American citizens to visit China in line with the principle of facilitating personnel exchanges between China and the United States. Currently, the visa rejection rate of the Chinese Embassy and Consulates in the United States is basically negligible. In most cases, there is no need for an interview in person to apply for a visa, and there is no need to make an appointment to apply for a visa. The visa acceptance process is also significantly shorter. China and the United States allow each other’s citizens to have longer visa validity periods, and there is no obstacle for China.