Our investigation found that the rumors on the Internet that the United States has denied visas for business, tourism, study, and exchange to four categories of Chinese officials at the deputy bureau level and their spouses and children are true, including visas for four categories of active duty personnel and their immediate family members in China: immigration, state supervision, state security, and public security. Some study abroad consultants disclosed to us that relatives of some grassroots Public Security Ministry personnel are affected even though they are not on the prohibited list. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing has not yet responded to our inquiries. The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded Thursday (13) that the U.S. denied the visas for political reasons. (By Wu Yitong/Cheng Wen)
The U.S.-China political tug-of-war has affected Chinese citizens planning to study abroad. A Chinese undergraduate student was denied a visa to study in the U.S. because his father was a public security officer, according to a news release on the WeChat website of Beijing-based study abroad consultant Gwai Education on Thursday (13).
Qiao Xiangdong, a consultant for Beijing-based GREE Education, noted that in previous years, they have handled visas for children of National Security and Public Security personnel to come to the U.S. without encountering visa hurdles, and he was not sure whether this incident was an independent case or the beginning.
Qiao Xiangdong said: in previous years, we also have some Ministry of Security, or sensitive, but also public security, this is not affected, but this year …… because we determined that I the student is the first to get this note, so I also wonder if he is an isolated case?
The student’s father was only a grassroots traffic police officer, Qiao Xiangdong also revealed, and he believes that the U.S. move may be a countermeasure to China.
Qiao Xiangdong said: Our student’s father is actually a grassroots traffic police, does not belong to the public security, but the U.S. visa officer, he may mistakenly think you are the public security system. He gave me a note in English and Chinese (note), I just want to tell you a message, I also did not interpret ah, also afraid of causing ambiguity, is just to put the information here. The United States may be a countermeasure to some of China’s policies, it may say it is only a moratorium on issuance. If there is no compromise on its part, it will probably keep suspending this.
On Thursday (13), Beijing GW Education released a news release saying that an undergraduate student applying for a U.S. student visa was denied because his father is a public security officer, and the embassy gave the student a note reminding him of the reasons. (Beijing Gwaii Education WeChat)
The note from the U.S. Embassy to the applicant indicated that the visa denial was temporarily suspended under Section 243(d) of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. The note further states that China has refused or unreasonably delayed the admission of Chinese nationals who have received a final order of deportation from the United States. The Secretary of State has therefore ordered a suspension of the issuance of B1, B2, B1/B2, F1, F2, J1, and J2 visas to officials of the Chinese immigration authorities (including the Exit and Entry Administration) of the rank of deputy director (or equivalent) and above, their spouses, and their married or unmarried children under the age of 21, as well as active duty personnel of the State Supervisory Commission, the Ministry of State Security, and the Ministry of Public Security, their spouses, and their children under the age of 30.
The response from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to GFE states that regular visas will be reinstated when China accepts its nationals pursuant to a U.S. request. At that time, consular officials will review the undergraduate student’s application and reassess his or her eligibility for the type of visa requested.
Former student movement leader and Humane China USA President Zhou Fenglock said the visa suspensions include the most severe human rights persecution sectors, although under the terms of immigration law, and he called on the United States to consider this as a long-term policy under the Magnitsky Human Rights Act.
Zhou Fenglock said, “Since these sectors are the most instrumental in China’s repression of these specific perpetrators, these people are the thugs of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of human rights, persecution of Chinese political prisoners, ordinary people, they should be punished, now there is this of course is happy to see, we hope that this is a permanent policy. Still reminds me of the Magnitsky Act, if sanctions are more powerful according to the sector than against individuals.
A letter purporting to be from the U.S. Embassy and addressed to consular officials was widely circulated on Twitter recently, stating that the U.S. Secretary of State had ordered the suspension of visas for officials at the level of deputy director of the Communist Party’s National Immigration Administration and above, active officials of the State Supervisory Commission, the Ministry of State Security, and the Ministry of Public Security, their spouses and children. (Internet photo)
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing has not yet responded to our inquiries.
We refer to Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides that when a country refuses or delays in accepting the return of a citizen of that country who has received a U.S. deportation order, the Secretary of State is authorized to order the consular officer located in that country to cease issuing immigrant visas or nonimmigrant visas, or both, to citizens, subjects, nationals, or residents of that country until the country has accepted the citizen who has been deported from the United States.
Recent Comments