Why US visas are a passport to uncertainty for China’s hi-tech researchers
The Chinese scientific community faces higher barriers to entry to the United States as trade tensions rise
When Sonia Sun returned to China in late May to renew her US visa for her postdoctoral studies in industrial engineering, she found herself on edge again.
Last year, the 29-year-old student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, had to make the long journey to Guangzhou in southern China and wait about six weeks before getting her J-1, a non-immigrant visa issued by the United States to researchers, professors and exchange visitors.
During the half-hour interview with consulate staff members, Sun was grilled on her research interests and reason for studying in the US.
“When they realised my degree was in telecommunications, the interview suddenly ended and the staff said my application needed additional checks,” she said.
It was a sharp contrast to a year earlier when she had sailed through the application process in two weeks.
Sun was rattled by the uncertainty, a feeling that persisted for more than two months this year after she put in the paperwork and again explained in detail to consulate staff about her research. Her visa finally came through on August 1.