U.S. Visa, Green Card and Citizenship Guides
Step-by-step guides to U.S. visas, green cards and citizenship, written for applicants from mainland China and their families. Facts are checked against official sources, and every guide shows when it was last checked.
U.S. Visa and Immigration Paths Overview
The starting point for PathToUS guides: the difference between nonimmigrant and immigrant visas, which path fits visiting family, studying and working, family and marriage immigration, employment and investment immigration, and citizenship, what people born in mainland China need to know, the major 2025–2026 changes, and the full guide index.
See every path →Visas
B1/B2 Tourist, Family-Visit and Business Visa Step by Step (Applicants in Mainland China)
For applicants in mainland China: the DS-160, fees, booking, the new interview waiver rules, interview day, common questions, how to prepare for family visits, EVUS, and the latest on the visa integrity fee.
Filling Out the DS-160
The U.S. nonimmigrant visa application DS-160 from start to submission: what to prepare, how to fill out each page and where people go wrong, Chinese telecodes, the social media section (which visas must set accounts to public), photo specs, saving and retrieving, what to do after a mistake, and tips for filling it out for parents.
Booking a U.S. Visa Interview in Mainland China
How to book a U.S. visa interview in mainland China: the five posts and the appointment system, wait times at each post (official September 2026 data), why third-country interviews mostly no longer work, the new interview waiver rules, rules for children under 14, rescheduling and emergency appointments.
214(b) Visa Refusals
What a 214(b) refusal means legally, common reasons, how soon you can reapply, what to prepare, and which moves can turn a fixable refusal into a permanent bar.
221(g) Administrative Processing ("Check")
What 221(g) is, whether white, blue or yellow slips mean anything, how to submit requested documents, how to read CEAC status, how long administrative processing takes, and sensitive fields and background checks.
F1 Student Visa Interview Step by Step (Applicants in Mainland China)
For students in mainland China applying for an F1 visa: the I-20, SEVIS fee, DS-160 and booking, interview documents, common officer questions with how to answer, mandatory public social media, Proclamation 10043 and administrative processing for sensitive fields, and the 2025–2026 student visa policy changes.
Maintaining F1 Status
How F1 students in the U.S. keep their status: full-time credits and the online course limit, on-campus work, transfers, CPT, OPT, STEM OPT and unemployment days, cap-gap, grace periods, renewing your visa in China, and the status of the 2026 fixed-admission-period rule and OPT fee proposal.
EVUS Enrollment
Holders of a Chinese passport and a 10-year B visa need a valid EVUS enrollment before every trip: who must enroll, how to fill it out on evus.gov, the 2026 fee ($31.75 from October 16), how long it lasts, what to do with a new passport, what happens if you don't enroll, and how to avoid fee-charging look-alike sites.
Entering the U.S. and Your I-94
Entering the U.S. for the first time on a Chinese passport: what documents to carry, common CBP questions, electronic device searches, the new entry/exit photo rule, how to check your I-94 and how long you can stay, extensions and the consequences of overstaying, and tips for visiting parents and students.
J1 Visiting Scholar Visa
For visiting scholars, postdocs and research scholars from China on J1: the DS-2019, SEVIS fee, interview documents and common questions, rules while in the U.S., the 212(e) two-year home residency requirement (who is still subject after China was removed from the 2024 Skills List) and the five waiver routes.
H-1B Work Visa Step by Step
The H-1B from registration to starting work: the wage-level-weighted lottery that began in 2026, the FY2027 timeline, employer fees, who the $100,000 payment applies to and where the lawsuits stand, cap-gap, changing employers, the 6-year limit and visa stamping in China.
K-1 Fiancé(e) Visa Step by Step
For U.S. citizens and fiancé(e)s in China: K-1 requirements, filing the I-129F and fees, documents and common questions at the Guangzhou interview, marrying within 90 days of entry, adjusting status with the I-485, and how K-1 compares with marrying first and applying for a spousal immigrant visa (CR-1).
L-1 and O-1 Visas
Two work visas without a lottery: L-1A/L-1B intracompany transfers (including new offices and blanket L) and O-1 extraordinary ability, with requirements, evidence criteria, time limits, fees, visa validity for Chinese passports, and a comparison with H-1B.
Green cards
Green Card Paths
The routes to a U.S. green card: immediate relatives and F1–F4 family preferences, marriage, EB-1 to EB-3 employment, EB-5 investment and the Gold Card, asylum and other routes; mainland China visa bulletin dates (October 2026), why mainland-born people can't enter the DV lottery, Guangzhou-only interviews, and the 2025–2026 changes.
Marriage Green Card (Adjustment of Status) Step by Step
Married to a U.S. citizen and living in the U.S.: filing the I-130 and I-485 together, fees, the medical exam, the affidavit of support, work and travel permits, the interview and separate questioning, and the new 2025–2026 rules.
Consular Processing Step by Step
For applicants in mainland China: after I-130 approval, the NVC, CEAC fees, the DS-260, the affidavit of support, Chinese notarial documents and police certificates, the panel physician exam, the Guangzhou interview, 221(g), and receiving your green card after entry.
The Immigrant Visa Interview in Guangzhou
Attending an immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou: online registration, the panel physician exam and the originals checklist, interview day, common questions for spouses and parents, common reasons for 221(g), and the 2025–2026 schedule and mass cancellations.
Bringing Your Parents
U.S. citizens 21 or older sponsoring parents in China for green cards: no visa bulletin wait, consular processing in Guangzhou vs. adjustment of status in the U.S. (stricter since 2026), fees per parent, how the I-864 affidavit of support works, what parents are asked at the interview, and health insurance (ACA, Medicare) after arrival.
How to Read the Visa Bulletin
How to read the Visa Bulletin: priority dates, Chart A and Chart B, which chart USCIS uses this month, how consular cases use it, and the latest mainland China-born dates for family (F1–F4) and employment (EB-1 to EB-5) categories (October 2026).
Removing Conditions on a Green Card (I-751)
How to turn a 2-year conditional green card from a marriage of less than two years into a 10-year card: filing the I-751 in the 90 days before it expires, fees, evidence of a genuine marriage, the 48-month receipt extension, travel and interviews, and filing alone with a waiver after divorce, separation, a spouse's death or abuse.
Employment-Based Green Cards
Getting a green card through work: the requirements for EB-1A/B/C, EB-2 NIW and EB-3, the PERM labor certification, I-140 and I-485 steps and fees, mainland China visa bulletin dates (October 2026), and the falling approval rates and new adjudication policies for NIW and EB-1A.
After You Get Your Green Card
How green card holders keep their status: how long trips abroad become risky, how to get a reentry permit (I-131), what to do if asked to sign Form I-407, replacing and renewing cards (I-90), reporting worldwide income as a U.S. tax resident and FBAR, changing your address within 10 days, what counts as abandoning a green card, and how time toward citizenship is counted.
EB-5 Investor Green Card
EB-5 immigrant investment: the $800,000 and $1,050,000 tiers (inflation adjustments from 2027), TEAs and regional centers, set-aside visas and mainland China dates, the I-526E and I-829 process and the new fees from 2026-11-30, source of funds and moving money out of China, and the risks of project failure and fraud.