US to shorten length of visas for some Chinese citizens: White House

The US government plans to shorten the length of visas issued to some Chinese citizens, a White House official said on Tuesday.

The US State Department will implement measures from June 11, the official said.

A State Department official said the visa application process had not changed but that consular officers may limit the validity of visas for some Chinese applicants on a case-by-case basis.

According to a document issued by the Trump administration in December, officials would consider restrictions on visas for science and technology students from some countries.

The Associated Press, which first reported the new policy, quoted a US official as saying Chinese graduate students would be limited to one-year visas if they are studying in certain fields, such as robotics, aviation and high-tech manufacturing.

According to AP, the official said the instructions also stated that Chinese citizens seeking visas would need special clearance from multiple US agencies if they work as researchers or managers for companies on a US Commerce Department list of entities needing higher scrutiny. Those clearances are expected to take months for each application, AP cited the official as saying.