# What is the best way for a single young Chinese woman to get a tourist visa to the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323 "2010-05-22T00:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/41 "2010-06-01T23:51:32Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > Well, the point is, those don’t have to be mutually exclusive. For a domestic example, my company needed to send someone from my team to a training class for a vendor’s product, to be held at the vendor’s training facility outside Atlanta. The facility, as it happens, was just a few miles from my sister’s house; so I was very happy to volunteer to be the trainee. Even saved my company money by staying in her guest room instead of at a hotel. 🙂 > > If his girlfriend’s family has business interests in the U.S., then there must be needs for someone to make that trip overseas to help oversee those interests. Quite a sacrifice for someone to be that far away from home for that long–unless they have other interests taking them that direction. That wouldn’t (necessarily) make the business trip a sham. I certainly did learn the vendor’s system that I was sent to learn, even if I had some fun getting to know my nieces and nephew while I was out there as well. And eating my sister’s cooking instead of fast food. Etc. I’m not saying that the business trip is a sham, but applying for (what we’re assuming is an easier) business visa to get around the fact that she couldn’t get a tourist visa is a risk to take, especially if she’s interested in living in this country and/or visiting more often. It’s just unwise, imho. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/42 "2010-06-02T03:26:43Z")
nani - ?? (li river using the family name li and he for river if the characters don’t render. this is the name of the tour agency my wife just started using her her mother’s visa. I can’t vouchsafe beyond that. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/43 "2010-06-02T13:50:58Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > It’s just unwise, imho. 😕 What’s the downside risk? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/44 "2010-06-02T14:10:21Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > 😕 What’s the downside risk? You get figured out, turned down, and put on the “bad” list. As mentioned before, once you’ve been turned down for a visa it can be next to impossible to get one. Visa officials are recruited from some of the smartest people on this planet, trained intensely, and then given a massive workload. They’ve seen everyone’s “clever plan” at least a thousand times, and they see right through it. There are much smarter people than you trying to game the system, and for the most part they get caught. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/45 "2010-06-02T14:11:00Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > 😕 What’s the downside risk? 😕 future denial of visas? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/46 "2010-06-02T14:54:20Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > nani - ?? (li river using the family name li and he for river if the characters don’t render. this is the name of the tour agency my wife just started using her her mother’s visa. I can’t vouchsafe beyond that. Try again: 李河 ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/47 "2010-06-02T15:11:19Z")
And do the math. She applies for a tourist visa and gets turned down. She applies for a business visa and gets turned down. It won’t look worse and maybe even looks better to be turned down for a business visa. Although, based on the US embassy visa people I’ve met, they are not the sharpest knives in the drawer if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/48 "2010-06-02T19:52:49Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Visa officials are recruited from some of the smartest people on this planet, trained intensely, and then given a massive workload. They’ve seen everyone’s “clever plan” at least a thousand times, and they see right through it. There are much smarter people than you trying to game the system, and for the most part they get caught. Cite? Just kidding. I’m not sure if you are being funny or not. Most of the officials I met at the US Embassy when I was in Shanghai appeared to be run of the mill beauracrats. Most of the smart people were working for US companies on ex-pat assignments. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/49 "2010-06-04T08:05:21Z")
I’ve never thought of visa officials as clever, and I’ve dealt with them on numerous occasions. Not that they come across as dumb. Mostly just bored. And temperamental. ---
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/50 "2010-06-09T09:14:09Z")
Update: Some issues occurred and unfortunately the trip is canceled, but thanks for all your help! I will keep this thread archived for the future. China Guy, I couldn’t find that company online, but I will keep the name in mind for next time. Thanks! At least she has no rejection on her visa record now… ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323/51 "2010-06-09T11:02:17Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Cite? Just kidding. I’m not sure if you are being funny or not. > > Most of the officials I met at the US Embassy when I was in Shanghai appeared to be run of the mill beauracrats. Most of the smart people were working for US companies on ex-pat assignments. The pass rate for the written portion of the Foreign Service Exam is 40%- before 2007 it was a mere 20%. They test English usage and then random foreign policy facts- the suggested reading list is more than 150 books long, and they recommend you read the newspaper for a year to prepare. Many people who hold advanced degrees from good schools fail. It’s a tough test. Then comes the hard part, the oral exam. In the end, less than ten percent of applicants (I often hear 2-4%) become qualified to be put in the hiring pool. Then, maybe if you pass the medical and security check and have a lot of luck, you’ll be hired. Speaking a difficult language, like Mandarin, will increase your odds of being hired. But plenty of people get passed up. If you are hired, you are required to go through a three to six month training period, including language training. If you don’t meet expectations, you are out. Foreign Service Officers are some of the few government employees who can officially speak on behalf of the US government and may be in positions where they are making critical decisions. If shit goes down, that guy stamping visas may be having to make important and potentially world changing policy decisions. They may be soulless bureaucrats, but they are the most select group of soulless bureaucrats out there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-best-way-for-a-single-young-chinese-woman-to-get-a-tourist-visa-to-the-us/540323.md?page=2)