Non-Immigrant Visas

Applying for a Non-Immigrant Visa at U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou

Note: If you have traveled to the U.S. in the past one year, you may be able to obtain a visa by using the CITIC drop-box. Click here to learn how to apply using the Consulate's dropbox. All first-time applicants should follow the steps below.

Step 1: Make sure you live in the Guangzhou consular district.

The Guangzhou Consulate serves Hainan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian provinces. If you do not live in one of these four provinces, you should apply for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing or at one of our other Consulates in Shenyang, Shanghai, or Chengdu.

Step 2: Pay the non-immigrant visa application fee.

Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee at CITIC bank. After paying this fee, you will receive a receipt that must be included in the visa application and present to the consular officer at the time of the interview. Please contact CITIC bank for questions regarding the application fee amount and payment procedure. Click here to find the CITIC bank branch near you.

Effective January 1, 2008, the application fee for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa will increase from $100 to $131. Applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee before January 1 will be processed only if they are scheduled and appear for a visa interview before January 31.  Applicants who paid the prior $100 application fee and appear for visa interviews after January 31, 2008 must pay the difference -- $31 -- before they can be interviewed.

Please do NOT tape or glue your application fee receipt on any of the printed out forms if you apply for a visa at the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou.

Step 3: Prepare the necessary documents.

All applicants are required to present:

• A passport with at least six months validity beyond the anticipated arrival in the United States.
• One set of completed DS-156 forms and two completed DS-157 forms, each with recent American passport-sized photos attached. download here.
• CITIC bank application fee receipt.

IMPORTANT:  Applicants should also bring evidence of strong family, work, and financial ties to China that will convince the interviewing consular officer that you will return after a temporary stay in the United States. Such evidence could include bank books, housing/land deeds, family photos, marriage certificates, birth certificates, business cards, letters from your employer, etc. No specific documents are required. You may bring whatever you feel will convince the consular officer that you will return to China.

Additional papers to bring:

• Business (B1) applicants should bring a detailed invitation letter from the inviting U.S. organization and relevant business documents such as faxes, bills of landing, contracts, catalogs, purchase agreements, etc. that can demonstrate a bona fide business purpose for traveling to the United States.
• Tourists (B2) applicants should provide evidence of their ability to financially support themselves during their stay (or of the inviter's ability to support the applicant). If visiting relatives, bring proof of the relationship.
• Student (F1) applicants must bring a completed I-20, a recent school transcript, diplomas, GRE/TOEFL scores, and evidence of ability to pay tuition and expenses during the first school year in the United States. Please make sure that the school in the U.S. has input the names in SEVIS.
• Exchange (J1) applicants must bring a completed DS-2019 form, evidence of financial support, and proof of current employment and scholarship. Please make sure that the school in the U.S. has input the names in SEVIS.
• Transit travelers (C1) applicants must provide evidence of their intention to travel onward to a third country.
• Temporary Workers (H1) applicants must bring the I-797 notification of approved petition. In addition, H applicants should bring evidence of their job qualifications and a photocopy of the original I-129 petition filed by the prospective American employer.
• Inter-company Transfers (L1 and L2), please click here for more information.
• Derivative status (F2, J2, and H4) applicants must bring evidence of their relationship to the principal alien, proof of the principal alien's legal status in the U.S. (a copy of the I-20, DS-2019, or 1-797 plus a photocopy of his/her visa), and evidence of financial support while in the United States. F2 and J2 applicants need to be sure that the school in U.S. has entered their information into SEVIS.

Step 4: Call the Visa Information Call Center at 4008-872-333(For caller in Mainland China) or86-21-3881-4611 (For caller outside Mainland China)* to make an appointment for an interview.

* The Department of State wishes to advise callers that the charges for international calls are solely the responsibility of the caller. Currently, callers are experiencing significant wait times before reaching a live operator.

Applicants who have been previously denied a visa should make this clear to the appointment operator. Failure to disclose a past refusal can harm your chances of receiving a visa.

Requests to expedite visa appointments can be made by directly faxing the U.S. Consulate Guangzhou Non-Immigrant Visa Section (86-20-3884-4424). Requests are generally only approved for humanitarian reasons or for urgent medical situations.

Please click here to see how to make appointment under the Group Leisure Tour (GLT) Appointment System

 

Step 5:  The Interview

At the Consulate you will have an opportunity to explain your reasons for going to the United States and present supporting documents. It is important that you respond truthfully to the consular officer's questions. Applicants frequently harm their chances of receiving a visa by making false statements about their income, employment, or family status, whereas a truthful answer would not harm their case. Applicants should not present falsified documents such as fake invitation letters, company licenses, or ID cards. Making false statements or presenting fake documents to a consular officer is a serious offense and could result in becoming permanently ineligible to travel to the United States.

For more information about the interview process and U.S. immigration laws, please read our frequently asked questions.