Arriving for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on November 10, President Obama announced the conclusion of a reciprocal deal with China that will see both countries extend the length of the multiple-entry visitor visas available to citizens visiting the other country.
China and the US agreed to significantly increase the validity of multiple-entry, short-term tourist, business, and student exchange visas:
- Business and Tourist visas: Standard validity extended from one up to ten years.
- Student and Exchange visas: Standard validity extended from one up to five years.
For Chinese citizens applying for US visas, these changes will go into effect on November 12, 2014. Chinese visitors with still-valid US visitor, student, or exchange visas will receive visas with the new extended validity upon renewal, assuming eligibility requirements are met. There is currently no set date for when the Chinese government will issue US citizens visas with extended validity periods.
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