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With Visa in Hand, United States or Bust
A business trip tests the new US visa application system and reveals some unexpected facets of America
Photograph: Dennis Chen
by Dennis Chen
As part of my preparation to attend the US-China Business Council's (USCBC) June 2004 Biennial Gala and Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, I went to the US Embassy in Beijing in April to apply for my visa. I would be applying for a US visa for the first time since the US government had put in place new visa security requirements, which include fingerprinting, and opened its new visa call center in China. (For security reasons, the United States began requiring fingerprinting for citizens of countries that need visas to enter the United States beginning March 2004; citizens of other countries will be fingerprinted for entry to the United States beginning this fall.)
Navigating the new visa application system
To schedule a visa interview in China, applicants must first phone the call center's hotline, which involves buying a ¥54 ($6.52) prepaid phone card from CITIC Industrial Bank (applicants must also pay the ¥830 [$100] application fee to the bank). The card allows applicants to call the visa hotline (4008-872-333) to schedule their visa interview with the US Embassy and its consulates in China. When making my appointment, the hotline operator asked for basic information, such as my name, passport number, approximate arrival date in the United States, and type of visa I was applying for; she then scheduled the time for my interview with a visa officer. Luckily, my appointment at the US Embassy was set for only three business days later.
My appointment was at 2:00 pm on a beautiful April day—which is unusual for Beijing. When I arrived at the embassy on the day of my appointment, I checked my cell phone and briefcase, which are banned from the visa section for security reasons, at one of the private stalls outside the embassy. I then got in line with the other applicants and, after about 20 minutes, entered the building, passed through the security gate, and entered the waiting room, where each service window was staffed by a visa officer. First, I had to stand in line to turn in my application materials; then I had to wait for a visa officer to call me for fingerprinting. Some people, including many Chinese officials, view the fingerprinting requirement as an unacceptable humiliation. I don't feel strongly about the fingerprinting requirement, but I do hope the system will make travel safer.
Once I was fingerprinted, I waited in line for my interview. During my interview, the visa officer asked me simple questions, such as the USCBC's location in the United States, how long I have been working at USCBC, and the purpose of my visit to the States.
My visa was issued roughly 20 minutes after my interview; it took me about two and a half hours to complete the visa process that day. Some applicants were not so lucky—several people with public service passports were rejected.
Impressions of America
Visa in hand, and fingerprints verified by the US immigration authorities at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, I finally stepped onto American soil on May 29, two days before Memorial Day. My first stop was Washington, DC, where I attended the USCBC's gala and annual meeting and worked several days at our headquarters. It was my second visit to the area, having first visited the United States and Washington in 2002.
Although Washington is not like Beijing, where you notice many new buildings and roads even after a short absence, I did see something new and interesting in Washington, DC—statues of panda bears on many street corners. Each panda bear, part of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities PandaMania public art project, is unique. I even saw a bear on Connecticut Avenue that was dressed as a Chinese terracotta warrior.
One morning I set out from my hotel on 17th Street for a walk and saw a building with a large banner that read "America Needs Good Jobs." I realized I was in front of the AFL-CIO headquarters. I became familiar with the organization in March, when it petitioned the US Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate China's labor practices, which the AFL-CIO argued constitute an unfair barrier to trade and thus cost the United States jobs. It is true that China has become one of the largest foreign investment recipients in the world and that foreign investment brings millions of jobs to China, but most of those jobs are low-skilled positions in light industries. It is hard to say they are especially "good" jobs.
After walking past the AFL-CIO building, I neared the north gate of the White House. In Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, I spotted a white tent with many anti-war slogans. An expressionless old man was sitting by the tent. I wondered who he was—and if he was homeless—so I approached him and asked where he was from. He shook his head and looked like he didn't know how to answer my question. He then explained that he has been protesting against war for 23 years in this tiny tent! I had to remind myself that I was in America where people can do almost anything they want—including protesting in front of the president.
After my work obligations were complete, I traveled to New York City—my dream to visit the Big Apple was about to come true. Obviously security has been tightened significantly since September 11, 2001. When I took the ferry to visit the Statue of Liberty, I went through a security check that was as strict as those in US airports. Passengers were even required to take off their waist belts in the security check before boarding the ferry.
It was immediately clear to me, walking through the city, that New York is a melting pot of different races and cultures. But I didn't really appreciate how true this was until I found myself on a subway platform waiting for a train, and heard a familiar melody played from a subway loudspeaker. I immediately recognized it as the classical Chinese lute song, "Spring, River, Flower, Moon, Night." Maybe Americans don't find it very unusual to hear US music in China, but it was overwhelming for me to hear this classical Chinese music in a public place in a foreign country.
In the end, my two-week trip to the States provided rewarding and eye-opening work and life experiences. I look forward to my next visit to America—or Meiguo, the "beautiful country."
—Dennis Chen
Dennis Chen is government affairs manager at the US-China Business Council in Beijing.
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