New US visa procedures to help reduce waiting times

A new, simpler and less costly visa system for non-immigrant visas to the US will be launched in China on March 16, the US ambassador to China, Gary Locke, announced Wednesday.

An online reservation system will help streamline procedures and allow applicants to quickly register for an interview rather than having to reserve a time over the telephone. The application fee will be reduced by 86 yuan ($13.7) and will cost $160.

The system targets Chinese tourists, students and business people and aims to facilitate exchanges between the two countries, improve bilateral relations, economic development and cultural understanding, said Locke.

"Obviously, we want to encourage more visitors from China whether on business or tourism or for study," Locke told the Global Times, adding that great efforts have been made to offer easier visa applications such as shortening the waiting period and launching the computer system.

The efforts have paid off as the average waiting period has been reduced to five days.

The current visa application process to the US is considered by many to be more complicated than many other countries. Liu Guofu, an immigration law professor from the Beijing Institute of Technology, said the US is joining the trend of simplifying visa applications in an effort to attract more travelers.

Liu said that the softening of visa application procedures for temporary visits is not likely to result in easier provisions for people seeking a green card allowing them to live and work in the US.

In 2012, US embassy staff handled more than 1.34 million non-immigrant applications.