U.S. Embassy Urges Students and Exchange Visitors to Interview For Their U.S. Visas 3 Months Before Their Program Starts

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is urging all students and exchange visitors planning to study or do research in the U.S. to appear for their visa interviews 3 months before their programs start.   Interest in studying in the United States continues to grow and record numbers of students are applying for visas.  Student and exchange visitor visas can take up to three months to process. 


We strongly encourage students and exchange visitors who have an acceptance letter from a U.S. college or university to contact the Visa Information Call Center immediately at 4008-872-333 (calling within China) or (86-21) 3881-4611 (either calling from China or from overseas) to book an appointment on a first-come, first-served basis.  All of the information and forms needed to apply for a visa are available for free at the U.S. Embassy website here.

Students and exchange visitors who do not have an appointment three months before their program start date should send a fax to (86-10) 8531-3333 requesting an earlier interview appointment.  There is no fee for requesting an expedited appointment.   Please see here for instructions and further details on applying for an expedited appointment.