The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in China will be adopting a new system of outsourced visa support services beginning in “mid-March 2013.” This will include new procedures for paying visa application fees and scheduling appointments. Visa application fee receipts previously issued by CITIC Bank will not be valid after March 14, 2013.
This is part of the State Department’s Global Support Strategy (GSS), which is focused on increasing efficiency and freeing consular staff for adjudications by contracting with one global vendor, Stanley Associates Inc., for such services.
Stanley, a subsidiary of CGI Federal Inc., was retained in February 2010. The cost to the State Department may be as much as $2.8 billion over 10 years.
GSS is already in place in many countries, such as Canada, Mexico, and India. The new order for GSS in China will cost between $94 and $186 million over five years depending on volume, performance, and option awards. The State Department’s solicitation requires that the GSS program in China be launched by March 28.
CITIC Bank Fee Receipts Not Valid after March 14
GSS will involve a new fee collection system. As a result, the nonimmigrant visa application fee receipts issued by CITIC Bank will not be valid for appointments after March 14, 2013. As the fees are not refundable and applicants were previously advised that the receipts are valid for one year, this will come as a disappointment to some applicants.
Figure 1. CITIC Bank Nonimmigrant Visa Fee Receipt
Outsourced Visa Services in China
The Embassy hasn’t yet announced how GSS will be implemented for nonimmigrant and immigrant visas in China. Apparently, GSS will include:
- appointment scheduling and fee collection services through the call center and website
- information services through the call center and website
- document delivery services (e.g., returning visaed passports)
- greeter services at the U.S. Embassy and Consulates
GSS may improve on the current fee collection and appointment scheduling system. Currently, all U.S. consulates in China require payment of a nonrefundable visa application fee at CITIC Bank prior to scheduling an appointment by phone. This is a disincentive to applying for a U.S. visa because applicants have no way of knowing whether an appointment will be available in time for their US conference, meeting, or scheduled holiday. As the Embassy website explains
wait times vary hour-by-hour, and can change dramatically from one day to the next and even within the same day. The only authoritative source of wait-time information is the call center at the time you book your appointment.
The State Department’s public diplomacy efforts are set back each time an applicant pays the nonrefundable visa application fee only to learn that no timely appointment is possible. The American Chamber of Commerce—China has recommended that a system be set up for applicants to both pay the application fee and schedule the appointment in a single phone or online transaction.
Finally, it appears that the U.S. Embassy in China has contracted for GSS service package 2, which unlike package 1 (see here and here) may not include private facilities where applicants submit their documents and provide biometric data. This appears to be due to reluctance by the Embassy about using private facilities. Also, in India, there have been some complaints about the inconvenience of requiring an appointment at a private facility, making the visa application into a two-day process.
Conclusion
The Embassy anticipates releasing additional details of the new visa support services closer to the transition date.
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