The US Consulate General in Shanghai said Tuesday that the number of visa service windows will more than double to 20 in the next year to meet the expected rise in demand from Chinese visitors, after visa policies loosened this week for people from China.
The consulate said that renovation plans for its existing facilities - with only nine service windows - are underway with the aim of improving operational efficiencies and cutting waiting times for Chinese visitors in the near future.
US Ambassador to China Gary Locke announced earlier this month that visa processing would be sped up by waiving interviews for qualified non-immigrant applicants, whose visas have been issued within the last 48 months.
Previous holders of B (temporary visitors for business/pleasure), C1 (transit), D (crew members), F (students), J (exchange visitors), M (non-academic students), and O (visitors with extraordinary ability) visas qualify for the favorable treatment.
From October 2010 to September of last year, more than 700,000 Chinese nationals applied for tourist and business visas, up nearly 40 percent from the previous year, while more than 200,000 students and exchange visitors were approved for travel to the US, an increase of 30 percent from the previous year, according to the US embassy in Beijing.
Another 50 US consular officers, meanwhile, have been assigned to help with visa processing in China, which soared by 48 percent in the final quarter of last year.
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