US fixes visa snags, begins fingerprinting

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 20, 2004

US fixes visa snags, begins fingerprinting

In reaction to tougher security requirements and complaints about poor service, the United States is changing the way it processes visa applications in China.

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In reaction to tougher security requirements and complaints about poor service, the United States is changing the way it processes visa applications in China.

A new call center will be set up in Shanghai for applicants seeking information about getting a visa and setting up interviews at US consulates around the mainland or the embassy in Beijing.

Currently, many applicants complain that it takes several days, if not weeks, to set up an appointment because the local consulate's visa hot line is always busy.

"Normally, it takes me a week or so to dial through to the hot line," complained Li Yipei, who works for a local foreign trade company.

He said visa delays cost him two opportunities to attend toy exhibitions in the United States last year.

Several enterprising people have begun offering visa applicants help in setting up an appointment for about 100 yuan (US$12) per person. They will also help applicants fill out forms and get passport photos taken for fees than can top 1,000 yuan.

The US consulate in Shanghai promises the new call center will clear up its service problems, although applicants will have to pay 54 yuan for every 12 minutes they spend on the phone with consulate staff.

The consulate also announced yesterday that it will begin scanning the fingerprints of most visa applicants over the next few months. Due to the fingerprinting, the consulate will stop providing same-day service to most applicants.

Instead, approved applicants will receive their passports and visas by express mail.

The consulate won't take fingerprints of children under the age of 14, adults over 79 and some government officials.

"After we start using the new center, we can better concentrate our work," Robert DeWitt, chief of the consulate's visa office, told a news briefing yesterday.

DeWitt admitted the consulate's current hot lines are very busy, but said that more operators will be hired when the new call center opens.

Source: Shanghai Daily

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