My friend is in bad mood these days. His visa application to U.S. was rejected so he cannot attend TechEd 2004 in San Diego. This is the second time he missed the chance due to Visa problems.
Visa is one of the biggest barriers for people to go out of the country. I heard it is due to SARS, but it is not confirmed. There is no report on this on major international media, but many of them reported “Illegal US visa call centre closed“.
Maybe due to security concerns, the United States Consulate in Shanghai has replaced the tall gate with tall walls at the interaction of Huai Hai Rd. and Wulumuqi Rd. Now there is only a small gate at Wulumuqi Rd. now.
Very sorry to hear of these developments. I keep hoping that the world is becoming “smaller” and more easy for people from anywhere to visit and get to know each other. I know there will probably always be people who think more about causing problems than solving them (and I’m afraid there will always be politicians!) but I continue to believe that the vast majority of people in the world are good. Tall walls and small gates, built by politicians, do not make it easy for the good people of the world to get together.
I think it’s also due to the back-and-forth retaliations of China and the U.S.. The U.S. will make a new rule that China doesn’t like and and China will counteract by creating one making it harder for American’s to get into China….and so on. I think it’s only temporary though….the U.S. usually welcomes immigrants with open arms, but after 9/11 it has been just easier to reduce the number of visa’s handed out rather than spend more money on personel and training.
I just don’t understand why so many chinese young people consider studying abroad is one thing they must do during their life time. It is really doubtful that they really learn quite a lot of which they can not learn in China. It is real shame and despicable for a lot of Shanghai family squeeze every penny and dig every possible path, a lot of time, even go out of boundary of Chinese or US law just for their “dragon kids” go abroad. In my opinion, US consulate should reject even more student visa applications for the simple reason that, for the better part of total visa allowed, 70 to 80% of them will stay around even after they have finished so-called “studying” and even they go completely impoverished. On the other hand, lets look at China today, education opportunities have much improved comparing twenty years ago and her academic levels are not far apart from the so-called “advanced nations”. I don’t mean that the chinese college level is at the same level as “advanced nations”. Of course, there are a lot of rooms for improvement. However,what I really am saying a person want to better him/herself, I think China nowaday have far better environment before or during studing and more opportunities after he or she graduated. On the other hands, lets look at “advanced country” like US which I lived for past four decades, from my perspective, the opportunities are going fewer and fewer, and her economy are stagnating, no wonder there are so many so-called “overseas returned” chinese graduating students going back, because there are not many high-paying jobs available in this good old U.S.A.
I just want to disillusion you (set free from one’s pleasant and mistaken concept) and do not get you aggravated by those visa agents. China have too many parents with very wrong ideas, they are willing to push envolope of law to get their kids go abroad. That is shame and unfortunate.
Well I certainly hope chinese families don’t spend every penny they have sending their kids abroad to foreign colleges. I think the benefits of studying abroad far exceed the problems associated with it. It’s true that a lot of chinese colleges are certainly on par with their American counterparts, but I think the real benefit is often overlooked. That is, the relations one builds while studying abroad, whether here or in China, is the real knowledge gained that no college can impart. The kids of today will some day be the leaders of tomorrow and it’s important that people undertand one another. Understanding breeds tolerance, tolerance may be all that stands between war or peace. I wish I had the opportunity when I was younger to study abroad that kids have these days. I always liked the quote: build bridges instead walls and the world will flock to your door.
Extremely well-said, Paul! I could not agree with you more. Our younger son had an amazing opportunity to study-abroad in several countries during his Jr. year of college, and one of his most vivid memories is of the time he spent with students in China. He had heard about lack of freedom, he had read about lack of freedom, but until he experienced their palpable fear of being caught talking “off the record” to him and his friends, he had no idea what it really *meant*. Cross-cultural friendships, at every level, are the balm that is going to make this world a better place — hopefully sooner rather than later!
Well said people. It appears that Frank takes a more extreme view on this. He doesn’t differentiate two very distinct things: studying aboard, and staying in the US illegally afterwards.
He also equates post-graduate opportunities to high salary jobs but fails to mention the incredible research opportunites in academia that are only available in some of the world class universities in the US. Let’s face it, China has some of the best and brightest students in the world, and it would be a shame if there were no Chinese representation working in academia, in an environment where they can interact with, teach, and learn from the other top brass of students and faculty in their field of studies.
Take a look at the chaos after May 17th (when the walk-in procedure kicked in) at the three forerunning consulates, and you will see how stupid it is to say 54RMB is too expensive, and realize it’s nothing but an excuse. Think about it, the average person who applies for a US visa will need to prove that they have a large sum of money in a Chinese bank to sponsor their trip/study anyway, so 54 is NO BIG DEAL, especially compared to the two scenarios now happening to the poor Chinese applicants: either you have to wait at the consulate overnight to make sure you are admitted because everyday thousands of people flock to the consulate, or you will (or others will) pay hundreds more for a “spot” from the “ticket vendors”. Which one is more expensive, 54 or as high as 400?! Why doesn’t the bureau crack down on the ticket vendors so people can play fair? This is sooo excuse! Nobody cares. What’s more, there is an abundance of information (in both English and Chinese) online so nobody will be foolish enough to actually call in to ask for a long-winded critical piece of information! I am sad to read about the accounts of visa situations these days. This is a step-back no matter how you look at it.
The reason to crack down the appointment business is, it is not a certified vender to provide the charged call service. It is the vender’s problem, not the process or the fee’s problem.
Well… Chances are a denied visa access and tough visa regulation is probably more intended to make people upset rather than a counter attack or anything like that. Remember the people who are controllling both the U.S.A. and the P.R.C. are actually the same group of people, only it’s played like they are controlled by different people (who just acted as puppets, politicians are nothing more puppets working for the same group of people). If you’re upset due to visa regulation, ‘they’ won.
On the other hand, requesting money to enter a country is not that unusual, countries lives from taxes, and they do want to see if you got the enough money to liven things up in the country you’re visititing. Of course, if you’re just looking for a job outside the country, it’s better to let your foreign employer do all your immigration papers.
As for the world getting smaller this day.
Well… It’s more correct to say the world is getting more cramped these days, back then, you don’t immigration papers or anything like that, you just need to pay respect (and perharps also some royalties) to the locals authority and make sure that your or your people isn’t in a conflict with the local authority.
How it was done in the past:
– Report to the local authority or their representative once your arrived and sort all of the necessary requirements (a brief on the local custom, giving gifts, and so on). Much like what you would if you would to visit another’s person house.
How it was done today:
– You know the red tapes, so I would just spare you the details.
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and this is my home address
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TAKORADI-GHANA
W/A
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i understand…it is difficult…..the vo are so far away from their home country…must be some tough ppl to be able to do that…leave ur home country to go to a third world place to work …..dealing with all issues…..they have responsiblilties…and honesty, our chinese ppl lies,,,,,we cheat the government…of course they have to be discerning!!!
i want to visit my bf in u.s. myself…using tourist visa…who knows…it might be difficult..i stayed there for 9 years for college and grad school and worked there..still….sigh….wish me luck