After living in the U.S. for a few years, most of us eventually want to invite our family to come visit and travel together. Back when I applied for my own F1 Visa, the process was full of hassles, though fortunately everything still went through smoothly. Since that was already enough trouble, there was no reason to leave all of this to my parents to figure out on their own. Some people choose to use a travel agency or a visa service, but there is really no need to waste money on that. Doing it yourself is both more careful and more cost-effective. These days, a U.S. B1/B2 visa is generally valid for ten years, which makes things much more convenient. Today, I want to share the process and a few key tips from when I helped my parents apply for a B1/B2 tourist/family visit visa.

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【Update 10/25】 The EVUS system is now live. If you will be entering the U.S. soon with a B1/B2 visa for tourism or family visits, be sure to enroll. It will be required for entry starting November 29. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide to completing the EVUS application: U.S. Visa EVUS Application Guide (B1/B2)

【Update 9/12】 Starting in November 2016, holders of People’s Republic of China passports with 10-year B1, B2, or B1/B2 visas must update the biographical and other information from their visa application through a website every two years, or whenever they obtain a new passport, whichever comes first. This mechanism is called EVUS, the Electronic Visa Update System. You do not need to take any action before the EVUS online update system is launched in November 2016. Over the coming year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will provide visa holders with the latest information in a timely manner. For more information about EVUS, see the official FAQ.

Overview of the B1/B2 Tourist and Family Visit Visa

The B-2 visa is issued to applicants traveling to the U.S. for leisure or pleasure, including tourism, visiting friends or relatives, medical treatment, and other social, fraternal, or service activities. B-1 and B-2 visas are usually combined and issued as one visa category: B-1/B-2. So in practice, the visa most of us need to apply for on behalf of family members is the B1/B2 visa. These days, if the application is approved, the visa is generally issued with a ten-year validity period, which is great. It is much easier than the student visas many of us had before, which needed annual renewals and came with the risk of being put into check.

The official website already explains the B1/B2 application process and required materials very clearly and in great detail, so I strongly recommend reading through the official instructions several times and preparing carefully:

I will not go through every form field one by one here. Instead, I will focus on the overall process and a few practical notes. It can be broken down into three main parts:

  • Document preparation
  • The interview day
  • After the interview

If your family is only visiting the U.S. for tourism and not to see relatives, the process and required materials are basically the same. The main difference is that you will not need proof of family relationship, but you should prepare a more detailed travel plan.

Document Preparation

This time, I prepared almost all of the basic documents and forms myself. My parents only needed to gather a few items that I could not access directly. In the end, they just printed everything out and familiarized themselves with the materials. I will go through the preparation steps in the same order I used, which you can also follow as a reference.

Complete the DS160 + confirmation page (one per person)

At the very beginning, do not overthink it. First, complete your parents’ DS160 forms. Go directly to:

One important thing to note is that you need to select the embassy or consulate where they will attend the visa interview before filling out the DS160. Before you start, I recommend asking your parents for the following information:

  • Date of birth, national ID card, passport, and the names and birthdays of grandparents on both sides
  • Education history: schools attended from elementary school through highest degree, majors, and attendance/graduation dates
  • Employment status, prior international travel history, and visa photo (you can take it yourself and adjust it where the site asks you to upload)
  • Approximate outbound and return travel dates to the U.S. (estimates are fine)

It is best if you can complete the form correctly in one pass. The safest approach is to fill it out while confirming details with your parents as you go. Try to explain clearly what information has been entered, so that if any of it comes up during the interview, they do not accidentally give contradictory answers. Also note that after completion, the form asks whether it was filled out by the applicant or by someone else on their behalf. I selected that I filled it out for them myself, which makes it easier to explain if anything comes up during the interview.

After you finish, there will be a confirmation page that you can print. You only need to save it as a PDF and send it to your parents so they can print it later. Do not forget that each person needs a separate DS160 and each person will have their own confirmation page. The DS160 confirmation page includes a number starting with AA, which you will need later when scheduling the interview.

Schedule the interview + pay the fee

Once the DS160 is done, you can move straight to scheduling the interview. In most cases, your parents will not already have a CGI account, so you will need to create one for them first:

After logging in, just choose the option to schedule a visa interview. If both parents will attend together, you can register just one person’s account and add the other as a companion traveler. During scheduling, you will need the AA number from the DS160, so make sure not to enter it incorrectly. Select the correct visa type and continue all the way to the payment page. At that point, you will be given a CGI payment number. Print the payment slip and have your parents pay at a nearby CITIC Bank branch. Online payment was not working well, so it is not worth the trouble. After the fee is paid, you can move on to choosing the interview date and time. Pick whatever works best for your situation. If they plan to make the trip there and back on the same day, it is best to choose based on arrival and return timing. The interview process usually takes about 1–2 hours total, including waiting in line.

After selecting the time, there will be an interview confirmation page. Save it as a PDF and have each parent print out a copy.

Other supporting documents

The most important documents are definitely the DS160 confirmation page and the interview confirmation page, both of which must be brought to the interview. In addition, here are the other materials we can prepare on our side:

  • I20 (required for students), or other documents proving your lawful status in the U.S. (such as H1B, required)
  • Invitation letter (graduates can ask their school for an official one; current students can ask ISS for a template and prepare one themselves)
  • Our own transcript, bank statement, employment verification letter, passport copy, resume, etc.
  • Round-trip airfare to the U.S. and hotel reservations in the U.S.

If you are applying for a family visit visa, documents proving your lawful status in the U.S. are essential and will definitely be reviewed during the interview. The invitation letter is more of a plus factor, but if possible, you should still prepare one, since it may also be useful at immigration when entering the U.S. As for proof of funds, if you will be paying for your parents’ travel expenses, be sure to prepare it. If your parents are paying their own way, it is not necessary. Other documents are optional, but personally I think it is better to prepare as thoroughly as possible. As for an itinerary, if you have not finalized one yet, that is fine too. Just tell the visa officer honestly. Everyone understands that.

Of course, besides the materials we prepare, here are the additional documents your parents need to prepare themselves:

  • Passport, national ID card, proof of assets, employment verification letter, household registration book, property ownership certificate, and family photos

Summary

That is basically it for the documents. It is best to go over the DS160 contents with your parents, and also review the other materials related to your own status with them, so nothing gets misplaced at the last minute. The identity-related documents will definitely be looked at, so your parents should be familiar with them.

On the Interview Day

On the day of the interview, your parents just need to bring all prepared documents to the designated U.S. embassy or consulate. It is best to arrive early so they can get a number, line up sooner, and finish earlier. Pay particular attention to these two points:

  • Required documents: DS160 confirmation page + interview confirmation page + passport + national ID card + proof of assets. Bring any other supporting materials if possible.
  • Find a place to store bags in advance, and store away everything except the documents listed above. It is fine to keep money on hand.

Interview process

The visa interview generally includes the following steps, though the order may vary depending on the embassy or consulate:

  • Line up outside the embassy or consulate at the selected interview time and get a number
  • Fingerprinting and waiting in line to submit documents
  • Speak with the visa officer and answer questions

Common interview questions

I will list only a few of the most common questions here. Since everyone’s situation is different, prepare based on your own circumstances:

  • Why are you coming to the U.S.? How long will you stay? What are your plans? Who is paying for this trip?
  • What is your relative’s status in the U.S.? What school do they attend, and what is their major?
  • Have you traveled abroad before?

It is perfectly fine to answer in Chinese, unless your parents speak very strong English. If they cannot hear clearly, they can simply ask the visa officer to repeat the question. In general, it is better for both parents to apply together for a family visit visa. If only one parent applies alone, there is a chance the officer may suspect immigrant intent, especially if you already have a green card or U.S. citizenship. Of course, if your parents have stable jobs and solid assets in China, there is usually no need to worry too much.

Interview result

In most cases, if there are no issues, the visa officer will tell you directly that the visa has been approved. The Guangzhou consulate gives out a yellow slip, while the Shanghai consulate may not give anything at all.

After the Interview

Once the interview is approved, the U.S. B1/B2 visa application journey is basically almost over. Of course, you will only really feel at ease once the passport and U.S. visa are actually in hand.

You can check visa status at the following link:

The usual sequence for visa status is: Case Create->Administer processing->issued

You can check passport status at the link below. In general, once the passport status changes to “ready for pickup,” you can go to the previously selected CITIC location to collect it. If you chose mail delivery, just wait for it to arrive.

The usual passport status sequence is: no status->your passport is still with the embassy->your passport has left the embassy->passport ready for pickup

Final Thoughts

Compared with the F1 visa, the B1/B2 visa is much easier. In most family-visit or tourism cases, as long as you prepare proof of your own identity and status well, there usually will not be much of a problem. That said, it is still best to prepare a full package of materials for your family, including:

  • Visa forms and supporting documents
  • Directions to the embassy or consulate
  • Common interview questions

At the time, I put together all the document checklists, route maps, and common interview questions and answers into a dedicated PDF for them to print out (super detailed version, four pages each), which made the process feel basically foolproof. If you are interested in getting my PDF:

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