US student visa demand steady in Shanghai

Appointments for student visas to study in the United States are still available in May in the wake of the US government's announcement last month that it is easing COVID-19 restrictions on international students, the US Consulate General in Shanghai said today.

"We're meeting all current demand," according to the consulate general.

About 30 officers handle visas at the local consulate.

A visa is issued 120 days before the beginning of a program, and applicants can normally pick up their passports three to five days after their interviews, the consulate said.

So far, the vast majority of students are applying to study in the US for the first time, it said.

Chinese students who have a valid F-1 visa and plan to enter the US on or after August 1 this year will not be subject to US travel restrictions.

The local US consulate general said the announcement most significantly impacts Chinese students and academics looking to study in the US.

"We hope students and parents will view this announcement as a pledge to our eagerness to welcome them to the United States," it said. "Educational exchanges are at the heart of our bilateral relationship, and it's definitely people-to-people exchanges that make a big difference."

China remained the largest source of international students in the US during the 2019/2020 academic year, with more than 372,000 Chinese students in the country, according to the 2020 Open Doors Report on International Education Exchange issued by the US government and the Institute of International Education.