Shanghai Today: What EVEN Was That?!

[Delia Jast]

Oh my goodness, what's going on with the US visa today?

• When I first entered that security checkpoint (that's a safety check before the interview, similar to airports), something just felt off.

• Looking around, out of ten people who completed their process, as many as seven or eight had sad looks as if they had been rejected. They seemed pretty depressed.

• It was my turn, and sure enough, I got rejected smoothly - very straightforward without wasting anyone's time.

  • Here's a reminder for my fellow travelers: Although rare, don't take it too hard when you encounter this scenario. There is some sort of intangible element associated with visa application. Having truthful and complete materials is the most important thing; after which, luck and the moods of consular officers will come into play.

• When I completed the process (basically just taking the rejection result and exiting) and took the elevator downstairs, my God, can you believe it? All the people in this single elevator were also just rejected!

• Listening to the people next to me whisper, it seemed like quite a few rejected applicants originally came together - such as one family or a small travel group, but they were apparently "wiped out" - meaning that a group went but none passed. The reject rate today is somewhat shocking!

[Kelvin Shanahan DVM]

As a US bachelor's degree holder, I got my visa rejected yesterday. I'm acting calm, but I'm actually freaking out. I just can't understand why.

[Byron Larkin]

Seriously...?

[Orville DuBuque]

Even with my Purdue University admission letter, I still got rejected. They asked if I had my advisor's CV, which I hadn't prepared, and then, bam, rejected. I'm feeling so down now.

[Franklin Weimann IV]

So frustrating!

[Katrina Ziemann]

Which countries have you traveled to?

[Marc Price]

Japan and Vietnam. It was for business, on a business visa.

[Rosemarie Sawayn PhD]

Applying as a family with stable jobs makes it easier to get approved.

[Hannah Rogahn]

I'm a 'new' Shanghainese, own a house and car here. Applied as a family of three (we didn't bring our child). My job isn't great – private company, average income. Our combined annual income is 700k RMB before tax. And yet, a 'smooth' rejection.

[Kristi Doyle]

There were many rejections yesterday too.

[Leon O'Keefe]

I don't want to go anymore.

[Katrina Ziemann]

Does having Japanese and Australian visas increase the chances of approval?

[Katrina Sporer]

Having an Australian visa significantly increases the chances. I only have a Japanese one; I haven't traveled enough.

[Dallas Durgan]

I just had my interview in Shanghai, answered three questions, and passed.

[Pamela Miller]

I don't want to try again.

[Theresa Sporer]

A quick, maybe naive question: will having been to Russia impact my chances?

[Sammy Schiller]

Given the current situation, it probably has some impact.

[Kristi Doyle]

Shanghainese applicants with property, a car, and a job in the public sector or a large state-owned enterprise usually get their visas smoothly approved.

[Leon O'Keefe]

I'm from out of town, blank passport, married, own property. Had to submit an additional resume, and got a 'semi-smooth' approval.

[Tracy Hoppe]

Ah, my appointment is in June. I'm getting nervous. Do you think they have KPI quotas or something?