"If you want to recruit more students from China, help them with their visas!" 

That was the message from Mr. James Neel, a Vice Consul at the US Consulate General in Shanghai.

Mr. Neel should know. He, his wife, Jaimee, and their colleagues interview as many as 1,000 Chinese visa applicants a day, many of whom are seeking the F-1 Student Visa to study in the United States. The officers are looking for a good “fit” for these students—schools where they will feel comfortable and do well.

“These students don’t know much about American schools,” said Neel. “You should make the effort to approach them. It makes sense for Hawaii to attract a higher percentage of Chinese students.”

Neel was speaking at an information seminar on visas for Chinese students on June 24 at Kapiolani Community College. The seminar was sponsored by K.C.C. and attracted roughly 50 participants from Oahu and the Neighbor Islands with foreign student management and recruiting responsibilities. Many in the audience were under the impression that it was difficult to obtain a student visa. Neel assured them that it was not.

 “There are no quotas and the visa law has not changed since 9/11,” Neel said. “As a matter of fact, the U.S. Government considers the issuing of student visas to be a priority—a greater priority than even tourist visas!”

Neel gave a quick course in “Student Visas 101.” The F-1 Student Visa is for traditional degree-granting institutions (for the B.A., M.A. and Ph.D.) and also for ESL schools. The M-1 Visa is for specialized vocational training, such as for culinary studies, and the J-1 Visa is for visiting scholars and exchange programs, and post docs.

Every two or three years, the number of Chinese student visas issued doubles. In 2007, there were 62,500 Chinese students in the U.S., the second highest number after India, which was a 38.6% increase over 2006. 50,000 of these students were in grad schools, focusing on science, math and engineering. 12,500 were undergrads. Some students were enrolled in summer camps, such as “Space Camps” and the number of these short-term educational opportunities is growing rapidly.

The number of Chinese students at American universities
 has increased dramatically in recent years.

“Chinese students are very, very interested in studying in the U.S.,” Neel said.

To qualify for the F-1, a student needs to download an application at the Embassy and Consulate’s websites and indicate that he or she is enrolled at an institution with an I-20 status. The I-20 indicates that the school is certified to accept foreign students. He then makes an appointment to appear at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing or one four U.S. Consulates (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenyang) for an interview, which generally lasts from 2 to 5 minutes. In this brief amount of time, the student must make his case to the officer that he deserves to be allowed to study in the U.S.

“We want students to go to the U.S.,” Neel emphasized. “But when they interview, the burden is on them to prove to us that they should receive this visa. That is our attitude. Tell us why you should study in the states. Show me!”

Neel pointed to three areas where he has to be “shown.”

First, he wants the student to convince the officer that he will be a credible student, not someone looking to immigrate to the U.S. To support this, he should produce documents indicating that he will be a full-time student. He should also cite a good reason for studying abroad, such as “I won’t be able to pursue my area of interest in China.” He should then explain why he chose his advisor and program, or the school itself. It’s OK not to have a plan though, as one of the benefits of studying in the U.S. is the freedom to change majors.

Second, Neel is looking for students who intend to return to China after graduation to pursue a career.

“Many students will elect to remain in the U.S. for a while, and this is fine. We are happy to have their skills. But it is strongly in their favor if they can tell us that they eventually intend to use their education back home.”

Third, students must have the ability to pay for their education. Neel looks for stable jobs and income from parents—the usual source of financial support. Bank statements are fine, but document fraud is not unusual in China, so such papers might be carefully examined.

Neel urged his audience to offer student visa assistance as a recruiting tool.

“If you can help these kids with letters of support, documentation or just plain good advice, this will give you a big edge in recruiting.”

What are students’ chances of passing the interview?

“Currently, in Shanghai, seven of eight students showing up for interviews receive a visa,” said Neel. “That’s an 85% approval rate. It’s really not that difficult, and for those who don’t pass, we will send them a letter telling them of the reason, and they can reschedule another interview when their situation has improved.”

Neal stressed that attending a high-ranking college will not help the applicant.

“Chinese students seem overly concerned about rankings,” he said. “Chinese universities are ranked by the Chinese Government, so the kids assume that American schools are also ranked by the U.S. Government, so a higher-ranking school, like Harvard, will give them an advantage when seeking a visa. But this is not the case. No matter how prestigious the school is, all students are equal when it comes to applying for visa.”

Proficiency in English isn’t always a requirement, unless the student is enrolled in an advanced program that would require a high degree of English language ability. The interview is conducted in Chinese, although Neel occasionally asks a question in English to test an applicant.

 “I usually ask them to tell me the number of stars in the Chinese flag,” he said. “If they reply with a memorized answer on a different topic and they are supposed to be studying for their Ph.D., there might be a problem.

” Neel went on to point out that students should be aware that they should apply in June for the Fall semester.

 “We have 50,000 to 60,000 persons waiting to be interviewed, so don’t wait too long before making an appointment. But, we will go out of our way to help students move up that appointment if there is a time crunch.”

Students should also be aware that they will not be allowed in the country any date prior to 30 days before school starts.

Neel ended the lecture by pointing out how frustrated he is that Chinese students are choosing obscure schools in remote places that may not be a good “fit” for them.

“I had a student who was enrolled in a college I had never heard of in a location that might be difficult for an Asian kid to assimilate into,” Neel said. “When I asked him why he wanted to go there, he told me: ‘They were the only school who talked to me!’"

Vicky Zhang from Shantou (L) and Christine Chen
from Nanjing (R), seen here with Beijing Office
Executive Director Bo Wu, obtained their MBA's
from Hawaii Pacific University, while interning
with DBEDT.  Most Chinese students in the US
are in graduate schools. 

Chinese educational institutions are eager to see their graduates study overseas.

“I’ve known Chinese schools that will ‘roll out the red carpet’ for recruiters, scheduling times to meet the kids, and even invite their parents to attend sessions,” Neel said.

Once students have enrolled at an American school, they should visit the Consulate’s website at http://shanghai.usembassy-china.org.cn to apply for the F-1 visa. They will find the necessary forms to download, in addition to information on scheduling an appointment. For students in the Shanghai area, there is a pre-departure orientation for Chinese students headed for the U.S. The session covers a variety of topics, including campus life, customs and culture, classroom expectations and etiquette. This year’s event was held on July 14.

For help by phone, in Shanghai the number to call is 400-8872-333. Faxes are fine, Neel explained, but since his office receives “hundreds of faxes a day”, he recommends using email, which is: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it