CONSULAR FOCUS: ANTI-US DEMONSTRATIONS
IN CHINA
DISRUPT VISA PROCESSING
Following the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia earlier this month and the well-publicized anti-US demonstrations that ensued, visa services at the US Embassy in Beijing and all of the US consulates in China were suspended.
The State Department initially issued a travel warning on May 9th alerting the public that there were on-going large-scale demonstrations, incidents of harassment of private Americans and damage to US businesses in China. The US Embassy was also under siege and the American Ambassador, James Sasser, remained trapped in the building. Americans were urged to defer traveling to China until the all-clear had been given by the State Department.
Consular services were immediately shutdown as all US government personnel in the PRC were ordered to remain at home. US Consulates were immediately closed for a two day period on May 10th and May 11th.
On May 13th, the State Department issued a public statement indicating that damage to the US Embassy in Beijing and the Consulates General in Chengdu and Shenyang would cause those facilities to remain closed until Monday, May 17th. The US Consulates in Guangzhou and Shanghai would reopen on May 14th with immigrant visa processing delayed in Guangzhou until May 17th. However, nonimmigrant visa processing would be halted at all US consulates in China until further notice was provided.
It was not until May 20th that further information was provided. The State Department announced that nonimmigrant visa processing would resume on May 24th in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. New phone numbers were also provided for those consulates and they are the following:
Beijing: 010-6532-2228 or 6532-5305
Guangzhou – 020-8184-6781
Shanghai – 021-6471-1451
The Consulate in Shenyang would not resume processing nonimmigrant visas until an indefinite time in the future and nonimmigrant visa processing in Chengdu would be suspended indefinitely. Chengdu applicants were redirected to process in Shanghai, but only after calling the Consulate General in Chengdu by calling 028-555-2517. As of May 30th, no official word has come from Shenyang, but persons processing there can call (024) 2322-2147 for further information.
On a side note, a delegation of lawyers from the American Immigration Lawyers Association, led by AILA president Jimmy Wu, was scheduled to meet with the US Consular General during the siege of the embassy. The meeting was canceled, of course, and, unfortunately, was unable to be rescheduled. The delegation was, however, able to meet a week later with consular officials in Guangzhou. The planned tour of the facility had to be canceled, however, due to damage to the building.
ELECTRONIC INFORMATION EXCHANGE
PROGRAM FOR F-1 AND J-1 PROGRAMS MAKES PROGRESS
