US Visa for Chinese Citizens: The 2026 Guide
Last verified October 9, 2026. Visa rules change often, so confirm current requirements at U.S. Department of State, Visas before applying. Your specific case may have factors not covered here.
Chinese citizens apply for US visas as students, visitors and in other categories, and a Chinese citizen who holds a full-term 10-year B1/B2 visa must also enroll in EVUS before travelling.
Whether you are applying for an F-1 Student Visa or a B1/B2 Visitor Visa, this guide sets out what the regulations, the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual and its appointment service for China say about the fees, the interview, where to apply and EVUS. Appointment availability, payment options and procedures at the posts change, so confirm them on the pages linked under Sources before you apply.
Quick Facts: US Visa Application from China
Visa Types for Chinese Citizens
1. F-1 Student Visa
For a bona fide student who will pursue a full course of study at an established college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school or other academic institution, or in an accredited language training program, in the United States. By law an F-1 student has a residence in a foreign country that they have no intention of abandoning and seeks to enter the United States temporarily and solely to pursue the course of study (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(F)(i)).
- Validity: set by the State Department's visa reciprocity schedule for Chinese citizens, so check that schedule for the current length.
- Key Document: Form I-20 from an SEVP-certified school. Paying the SEVIS fee needs the school code and SEVIS ID printed on it.
- SEVIS fee: $350 for an F-1 applicant (8 CFR 214.13(a)(1)), paid to DHS before the visa is issued (8 CFR 214.13(d)(1)). Study in the States says you must present proof of payment at your visa interview.
- Funding: sufficient funds to cover educational expenses are a requirement of the F-1 classification, and failing to meet it results in a 214(b) refusal (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)(4)).
- Social media: the US Embassy in China instructs everyone applying for an F, J or M visa, among the other categories it lists, to set the privacy setting on all social media accounts to public or open, to facilitate the vetting needed to establish identity and admissibility under US law.
- Period of admission: F-1 and J-1 students are still admitted for duration of status. A DHS final rule published in the Federal Register on 17 July 2026 would replace that with a fixed period of admission and an extension of stay procedure for F, J and I nonimmigrants. It was due to take effect on 15 September 2026, but on 14 September 2026 the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts postponed its effective date and barred DHS from implementing it while the case continues, and the government has appealed (court records read on 22 October 2026). Our student visa guide follows the case.
2. B1/B2 Tourist & Business Visa
For tourism, visiting family, or business meetings.
- Validity: set by the State Department's visa reciprocity schedule for Chinese citizens. The US Embassy's EVUS notice refers to B1/B2, B1 and B2 visas valid for 10 years.
- EVUS: the US Embassy in China says all travelers holding PRC passports with B1/B2, B1 or B2 visas valid for 10 years must enroll in the Electronic Visa Update System before travelling to the United States and update the enrollment every two years. Public Law 119-21 (section 100015) requires an enrollment fee and adjusts it for inflation each fiscal year. DHS notices give $30.75 from 1 January 2026 and $31.75 from 16 October 2026, while the Embassy's notice, last updated 3 February 2026, still gives $30.00. See the EVUS section below.
The Visa Integrity Fee
Public Law 119-21 (section 100007) directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to require a visa integrity fee of at least $250 from any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa, to be paid when the visa is issued. In July 2025 DHS wrote that the fee "will be implemented in a future publication". As of 9 October 2026 we found no Federal Register rule that sets a date or an amount. DHS's notice of 1 October 2026 setting fiscal year 2027 amounts for several H.R. 1 fees (the parole, I-94, ESTA and EVUS fees) does not mention it, and the fees page of the State Department's China appointment service lists the application fees without it. That is not proof of what you will be asked to pay, so check the State Department's fee page and the Embassy's pages before you apply.
*Item 21(a) of the State Department's schedule of fees (22 CFR 22.1), "Non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa (except E category)", lists $185 per person, and the State Department's China appointment service lists $185 for B and F visas. The regulation's current text carries a note that it was amended, effective 1 July through 31 December 2026 (91 FR 34772). The Federal Register document, a temporary final rule, adds an optional $750 fee for an expedited B-1/B-2 interview appointment at limited posts and gives the B-1/B-2 application fee as $185.
The Application Process in China
Step 1: DS-160 & Payment
Complete the DS-160 online at ceac.state.gov and bring the printed confirmation page to your interview. The State Department's visa appointment service for China (ustraveldocs.com/cn) says to log in to its online applicant system, create a profile and pay the visa application fee within it; its links to that system point to usvisascheduling.com. Fees are shown in US dollars, and the service says payment can be made in local currency or in US dollars depending on the option you choose. The options it lists are Alipay, CITIC Bank (cash at a branch, a Smart Counter with a China UnionPay debit card, or online with a debit or credit card issued by a Chinese bank) and an online US dollar card payment, for which fees may apply. Keep your receipt number: you cannot schedule an appointment without it, and it cannot be replaced.
Step 2: Schedule Interview
The appointment service says you can choose the location in China that is most convenient to you, whatever your residence or the place your hukou is registered. The US Embassy and Consulates' nonimmigrant visa page lists these addresses:
- Beijing (Embassy): No. 55 An Jia Lou Lu, Beijing 100600.
- Guangzhou: Huaxia Road, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District. Visa applicants use the Consular Customer Entrance on Huaxia Road.
- Shanghai: 1038 West Nanjing Road, Westgate Mall 8th Floor, Shanghai 200041.
- Shenyang: 185 Qingnian Street, 5th floor of Maoye Tiandi shopping center, Shenhe District.
- Wuhan: 396 Xinhua Road, Wuhan Minsheng Bank Building, Jiang'an District, Wuhan 430015.
The Embassy's notice, updated 3 February 2026, says the PRC government has refused to allow the Embassy in Beijing to hire new local employees since November 2021, that the Embassy can therefore process only a fraction of the visa applications it handled before, and that processing and wait times will increase. The State Department publishes current wait times on travel.state.gov. The Embassy's immigrant visa page adds that Guangzhou is the only consulate in China that processes immigrant visas.
Step 3: The Interview
Unless personal appearance is waived, each applicant aged 14 to 79 must appear before a consular officer and be interviewed, and the officer decides the proper visa classification and your eligibility from what you say, your application and other relevant documentation (22 CFR 41.102(a)). In China the State Department's appointment service says that since 1 October 2025 all applicants, including children under 14 and older applicants outside the regulation's 14 to 79 range, must attend in person unless they qualify for an interview waiver. The Embassy and the appointment service say minors under 14 must come with at least one parent.
The waiver has conditions. The appointment service lists, for example, renewing a fully valid B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2 visa that is current or expired within the past 12 months, if you were at least 18 when it was issued, you apply in your consular district of residence, all ten fingerprints were taken when it was issued, and you have never been refused unless the refusal was overcome or waived.
Examples of Questions to Be Ready For
These illustrate the topics above and are not an official list. The officer decides what to ask.
- "Why did you choose this specific university?"
- "What is your parents' annual income?"
- "Do you plan to stay in the US after graduation?"
EVUS: Keep Your Visa Valid
Getting a 10-year B1/B2 visa is not enough. Under 8 CFR 215.24, a traveler covered by EVUS who goes to the United States by air or sea must hold a valid EVUS notification of compliance before boarding, and if the notification expires the visa is automatically provisionally revoked until the traveler re-enrolls.
- Who: PRC passport holders with B1/B2, B1 or B2 visas valid for 10 years, according to the US Embassy in China.
- When to enroll: on receiving the visa and again before the notification expires. A notification is generally valid for two years from the day it is issued, or until the passport or the visa expires if that is sooner (8 CFR 215.24(b)). You must also re-enroll if, for example, you get a new passport or a new visa, change your name or gender, your citizenship or nationality changes, or the circumstances behind your answers to the eligibility questions change (8 CFR 215.24(e)).
- Cost: $30.75 from 1 January 2026, rising to $31.75 from 16 October 2026, according to DHS notices of 19 November 2025 and 1 October 2026. The Embassy's notice (updated 3 February 2026) still gives $30.00. Pay the amount that evus.gov shows.
What a Section 214(b) Refusal Means
Not qualifying for the visa class
The State Department's guidance for consular officers says 214(b) "does not simply mean that applicants must have 'ties' to their home country": a refusal means the applicant failed to qualify for the visa, which can happen by not convincing the officer that they are not an intending immigrant or by failing another requirement of the visa class (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)(4) and (B)(6)).
Funding, for students
The same guidance gives an example: failing to have sufficient funds to cover educational expenses results in a 214(b) refusal of a student visa, because sufficient funds are a requirement of the F-1 classification (9 FAM 302.1-2(B)(4)). Make sure the funding evidence you submit matches what you declare in your application.
US Visa for Chinese Citizens: Frequently Asked Questions
Do Chinese citizens need a visa to visit or study in the United States?
Yes. China is not on the Department of Homeland Security's list of countries designated for the Visa Waiver Program, so a traveler on a Chinese passport needs a visa, for example a B-1/B-2 visa to visit or an F-1 visa to study.
How much does a US visa cost for a Chinese applicant?
The State Department's China appointment service lists a $185 application fee for B and F visas, paid through the service. An F-1 applicant also pays the $350 SEVIS fee to DHS before the visa is issued. Congress has also created a visa integrity fee of at least $250 for any nonimmigrant visa issued, so check whether it is being collected, and a Chinese citizen with a 10-year B1/B2 visa pays an EVUS enrollment fee ($30.75 until 15 October 2026 and $31.75 from 16 October 2026, according to DHS notices).
What is EVUS and who has to enroll?
EVUS is the Electronic Visa Update System. The US Embassy in China says all travelers holding PRC passports with B1/B2, B1 or B2 visas valid for 10 years must enroll before travelling to the United States and update the enrollment every two years. Under 8 CFR 215.24 a notification of compliance is generally valid for two years, or until the passport or visa expires if that is sooner, and if it expires the visa is automatically provisionally revoked until the traveler re-enrolls.
What does a refusal under section 214(b) mean?
It means the officer was not satisfied that you qualify for the visa you applied for. The State Department's guidance says 214(b) does not simply mean that applicants must have ties to their home country: the applicant may have failed to convince the officer that they are not an intending immigrant, or failed another requirement of the visa class, such as having sufficient funds for a student visa.
Do I have to attend an interview?
Yes, unless you qualify for an interview waiver. The State Department's appointment service for China says that since 1 October 2025 all applicants, including children under 14 and older applicants outside the 14 to 79 range, must attend in person. The waiver has conditions, for example renewing a fully valid B-1, B-2 or B-1/B-2 visa that is current or expired within the past 12 months, if you were at least 18 when it was issued and you apply in your consular district of residence. Minors under 14 must come with at least one parent.
Related Guides
Does your case trigger the China → United States risk patterns?
Knowing the failure modes is not the same as knowing whether they apply to your documents. Officer's Read cross-references your specific employment letter, bank statement, and cover letter against current United States embassy rules, the way an officer would, and flags what would be questioned before you submit.
What we check that this guide can't:
- →Whether your funding evidence is consistent with the income and sources you declare
- →Whether your DS-160 answers agree with the documents you bring to the interview
- →Whether your study plans, funds and ties to China read consistently across your documents
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Sources, read on 9 October 2026: 8 U.S.C. 1101; the State Department and DHS regulations 22 CFR 22.1, 41.102, 8 CFR 214.13 and 215.24; the Foreign Affairs Manual, 9 FAM 302.1; Public Law 119-21 and the July 2025 DHS notice; the DHS fee notices of November 2025 and October 2026, the July 2026 final rule on the period of admission and the District of Massachusetts court record postponing it (read on 22 October 2026) and the June 2026 State Department rule; evus.gov; the US Embassy and Consulates in China (visas, nonimmigrant visas and immigrant visas); the State Department's visa appointment service for China (fees, payment options, scheduling, interview waiver and FAQs); Study in the States; and the DHS Visa Waiver Program list. Appointment availability, payment options, visa validity and the procedures at the posts change, so confirm them with these sources before you apply.
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