Chinese students applaud Sino-US visa consensus

Chinese students applauded China and the United States' agreement reached Tuesday to give foreign students one-year, multiple entry visas.

Hu Chong, a Chinese graduate student planning to study in the United States, said he is "delighted" at the agreement.

"Thanks to longer visa validity, Chinese students studying in the United States do not have to keep applying time and again for visas on vacation and visiting families," said Hu.

"Going home seems less difficult than before," said the student from the American Social and Cultural Studies School of Beijing Foreign Studies University.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Tuesday the agreement will effectively improve educational cooperation and personnel exchange between China and the United States.

"The agreement will facilitate traveling for Chinese students and attract more students to study in the United States, and definitely further promote academic communication between the two countries," Hu added. The previous maximum validity for US visas for Chinese students was six months, two entries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry exchanged notes with the US Embassy in Beijing about the visa issue. According to the understanding, qualified Chinese citizens applying for student visas (F-1/F-2), exchange visas (J-1/J-2) and vocational training visas (M1/M2) will be able to get visas for 12 months and for multiple entries.

"The agreement will help save time and money for students, facilitate their traveling between the United States and China without renewing their visas frequently and encourage academic communication and student exchange," said Bu Ju, a graduate student majoring in computer at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunication. He now plans to pursue further education in the United States.

Teng Jin, a student from Qinghua University, said the change in visa regulations will prevent misunderstandings similar to what to a classmate of his.

"My classmate who once studied in the United States and went home to visit his family was unable to re-enter the country because of visa invalidity. Unfortunately, he ended up giving up study. But now we will not have such problems since the visa is for multiple entry. This is good news for those who want to study in the United States," Teng said.

There has been frequent personnel exchange between China and the United States. The annual average number of visits between the two countries is estimated to be more than one million.

According to a US embassy's press release Tuesday, the volume of student visas issued in 2005 has shown a marked increase from 2004. The US embassy and four consulates in China issued 1,518 F-1 (student) visas and 309 J-1 (exchange visitor) visas in May 2004 while 2,314 F-1 visas and 617 J-1 visas in May 2005.

After the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, the United States had tightened its control over foreign students entering the country. As a result, the visa requests of some Chinese students even with scholarship offers from American universities were denied, said Shen Yiru, a fellow researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Shen said student exchange is a channel of cultural communication between China and the United States. The understanding about student visas is merely an outcome of personnel communication and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

"The understanding is mutually beneficial and will be welcomed by students and exchange scholars from the two countries," Shen added.

"This extension of visa reciprocity for students, following a similar expansion agreement in January 2005 on business and tourist visas, will significantly enhance mutual understanding between China and the United States," the US embassy said in the press release.

The United States is hoping to attract a greater number of Chinese tourists, students and businesses with changes to its visa program. Besides the current student visa consensus, Beijing and Washington agreed in January to extend the validity of tourist and business visas from both countries to one year.

"The students from the two countries will benefit the most from the visa consensus," Hu Chong said.

Source: Xinhua