Announcing the New Online Non-Immigrant Visa Application Form

The U.S. Consulate General Shanghai and the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai) are pleased to announce a new initiative by the U. S. Department of State to streamline the visa process for visa applicants to the U.S. The initiative is a new online visa application form which will speed the Non-Immigrant visa (NIV) application process, eventually increasing the number of applicants that consular staff can interview daily and transform the process into a more “green”, environmentally-friendly operation.

On January 11th, 2010 the Shanghai consular section will partner with AmCham Shanghai to roll-out this new procedure to AmCham Shanghai Corporate Visa Program (CVP) members. What this means is for all AmCham Shanghai visa appointments on or after January 11th, is that every NIV application must be completed using the online application that will be hosted on the consular section’s website http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn.

The Consular Section has developed several initiatives to assist AmCham Shanghai CVP members in their efforts in supporting the U.S. China commercial relationship.

The U.S. Consulate will also post presentations, FAQs, and other helpful information on the U.S. Consulate Shanghai internet site, as well as on AmCham Shanghai’s website. For the most up-to-date information on the program and to share lessons learned on the new process from other CVP members, we will soon launch a new “AmCham Shanghai Consular Blog” and “Ask the Consul” page on the AmCham Shanghai website www.amcham-shanghai.org.

In order to better serve CVP members, AmCham Shanghai will provide computer terminals in the CVP office with assistance from CVP staff to companies wishing help with the online application process. AmCham Shanghai will also host a hotline for the questions: 021-6279-7056.