U.S. State Department to Reduce H and L Visa Interviews in China to Three Locations

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At a glance

• Starting March 1, 2019, H and L visa interviews in China will only be conducted at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing or the U.S. Consulates in Guangzhou or Shanghai.
• Due to the consolidation of interviews to three locations, from five originally, H and L visa applicants may experience longer wait times at the three consular posts.

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The situation

The U.S. State Department has announced that, starting March 1, 2019, its China mission will only conduct H and L visa interviews at three locations – the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou and the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. H and L visa interviews will no longer take place at the U.S. Consulates in Chengdu or Shenyang. The State Department says it is reducing the number of interviewing posts to three, from five originally, to consolidate the resources and expertise allocated to a large H and L caseload.

What this means

As consular posts in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai absorb H and L cases from Chengdu and Shenyang, applicants may experience longer wait times for visa interviews at the three remaining locations. In addition, applicants accustomed to applying for visas in Chengdu or Shenyang may need to account for increased travel to one of the remaining locations in making visa application travel plans.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.