2010年10月到2011年9月，一年的时间里，美国领事官员在中国受理了创纪录的一百万份签证。与去年相比增加逾34%，与5年前受理签证的数量相比翻了一番。去年，逾16万份学生签证签发给在美国学院和大学学习的中国公民，而今天在美国的外国学生有18%来自中国。近90%的中国公民签证申请被签发。
骆家辉大使致力于使在中国的签证申请程序更加响应这一增长的需求。为了使这个程序更加高效并方便客户，以及把预约所需的时间减到最少，我们计划明年在中国增加超过50个新的领事官员职位。我们希望扩大并使领事馆的设施现代化，以及继续与中国政府进行相互讨论，以增加签证有效期的长度。
两国关系在很大程度上取决于中美之间牢固的人民关系。无论申请签证访问美国是为了旅游、商务、学习还是访问家人或朋友，美国驻华大使馆和领事馆都致力于改善签证申请程序，以满足在中国各地对美国签证服务日益增长的需求。
U.S. Processes Over 1 Million Visas This Year in China
Charles E. Bennett
Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs
U.S. Embassy Beijing
The U.S.-China relationship has undergone a remarkable deepening in recent years. More and more Chinese and Americans are doing business together, attending universities and enrolling in study abroad programs in each country, and enhancing mutual understanding through civil society exchanges and tourism. Chinese are now traveling to the United States in record numbers, a prospect that we support and welcome.
In the one year period from October 2010 to September 2011, United States consular officers adjudicated a record-breaking one million visas in China – an increase of more than 34 percent compared to last year, and double the number of visas adjudicated just five years ago. During the last year, over 160,000 student visas were issued to Chinese citizens to study at U.S. colleges and universities, and today 18 percent of all foreign students in the United States are from China. Nearly 90 percent of all Chinese nationals who apply for a visa are issued upon application.
Ambassador Gary Locke has committed to make the visa application process in China more responsive to this increased demand. To make the process more efficient and customer-friendly and to keep the time needed to make an appointment down to a minimum, we plan on adding more than fifty new consular officer positions in China this coming year. We hope to expand and modernize consular facilities, and continue our reciprocal discussions with the Chinese government to increase the length of visa validity.
The relationship between our two countries depends greatly on the strong people-to-people ties that exist between Chinese and Americans. Whether applying for a visa to visit the United States as a tourist, for business, to study, or to visit family or friends, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and our consulates in China are committed to improving the visa application process to meet the growing demand for United States visa services throughout China.
