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美国总领事带队宣讲签证“秘诀”（上）
上周二下午，美国驻华使馆总领事贺大伟先生（DavidT．Hopper）带着三名签
证官，一行四人来到北京大学，向大学生们宣讲申请赴美留学签证的“秘诀”，受
到大学生们的欢迎。近期他们还将到清华大学、人民大学及其他大学去宣讲。
过去，签证官在人们心目中似乎有种神秘感。他手中操着签证的生杀大权，说
给你就给你，说不给就不给，你真是奈何不了他；隔着签证处的玻璃，想多说几句
人家也没功夫听。这次可好了，签证官们从玻璃窗后走了出来，与学生们面对面交
谈，让人顿觉几分亲切。
你想知道签证官面对一个申请签证的学生时脑子里想的是什么吗？贺大伟先生
做了解释，以下是他讲话的要点。
签证官要考虑三个问题：
1、你是个真心想去美国读书的学生吗？由于有的申请者提供伪造的文件，还有
人并非真的想去读书，只是把申请留学生签证作为去美国的一种途径，因此签证官
要仔细审核I—20表格、毕业证书、学业成绩，查找破绽。
2、你有钱付学费吗？有的学生有全额奖学金，但也有很多学生是自费（全部自
费或部分自费），签证官需要确认你所声称的这笔钱是否真能为你所用。
以上两个问题相对来说比较容易确定，第三个问题可就难了———
3、你去美国的目的仅仅是去上学而不是去工作吗？（此处的工作是指毕业后工
作，而并非指上学期间领取奖学金的学生在校内所做的业余工作）在你学业完成后
能马上离开美国吗？这一点对于申请者如何拿出“证据”是个难事，对于签证官做
出判断也是个难事，但是签证官又不能无视签证法律。签证法规定：如果签证官向
某人发放学生签证，此人就必须使签证官相信他在完成学业后“打算”回国。
那么，如何确认学生有这种“打算”呢？首先，要听你怎么说。签证官会尽力
把你从有所准备的套话中引开，我们想听的是你自己的回答，而不是别人教给你的
话。你的事业蓝图是什么？你为什么要去美国读书？你在那儿想学什么？完成学业
后你打算做什么？
我们知道，要准确地预料毕业后的事情是很不容易的。如果你不清楚，就直说
不清楚，坦率的承认会使签证官觉得你诚实可信。我们并非要得到一个十分确切的
答案，我们要看的是你是否认真考虑了这一问题：你对未来是否有计划或是有某种
雄心？这一计划在中国的现状背景下是否可信？如果你去美国所学的课程在中国派
不上用场，那我们该会怎么想呢？如果你能解释清楚所学内容今后在中国如何有用，
那就有助于你在签证官的眼中成为有资格获取签证的人。
我们要看的另一方面是你目前在国内的现状，你的家庭成员（国内的与海外的）
都有谁？父母做什么工作？他们在政府机关、工商企业、教育界所任的职务在你回
国后是否对你有帮助？
我们对你家庭的经济状况也感兴趣。如果你的家庭现在就能供你去美国上大学，
父母在国内事业开展得不错，我们也就容易相信你回国后事业也能有成。如果你是
借了数千美元去美国上学，那我们就很难相信你在毕业后能马上回国。你将去哪儿
挣钱还借款呢？
没有哪种单一的条件让我们决定给签证还是不给，我们会综合考虑申请人的全
部情况而做出审慎的决定。不能说我们的决定就是完美无缺的，我们的工作速度很
快，这是不得已的，因为面谈时间很短。但我们总是力图做出尽可能正确的决定。
如果你被拒签了，要仔细听签证官对你所说的话。比如，如果签证官说你经济
来源不清，下次来时就要带上说明钱的出处的文件；如果签证官说你无法让人信服
你毕业后就回国，那就仔细想想在向签证官解释你的蓝图时如何更清晰、更有说服
力，然后再申请签证。如果第二次来时你的材料无任何变化，结果恐怕还是一样的。
Consul Hopper at Beida
Last Tuesday afternoon Consul General David T.Hopper,the
head of visa operations at the American embassy, came to
Beijing University with three other visa officers to explain
the\"secrets\"of applying for a US student visa,and were welcomed
by the students.They will go to Qinghua and People's
University in the near future.
In the past,visa officers have seemed rather mysterious
and cold.They hold the power to grant or deny you a
visa-they say yes and you get a visa, they say no and you
are rejected. There is nothing you can do about it;separated
from them by a glass window,you cannot make busy officials
stop and listen to your explanation.This time the Americans
came out from behind their glass wall to talk to students
face to face,and the officials' friendliness was immediately
apparent.
What questions do visa officers have in mind when they
face a student applying for a visa?Here is the gist of what
Mr Hopper explained:
1. Are you a genuine student, headed to the US for the
purpose of studying?Some applicants use fake documents,or have
no real intention of attending college in America--the whole
project is just a ruse to get to the US. The officers
look closely at I-20 forms, diplomas and school records for
evidence of fraud.
2. Can you pay for your studies?Some applicants have full
scholarships, but many are self-supporting, in whole or in
part,so the visa officer must make sure the money is
available.
3. Are you really going to America to study and only to
study, not to work?[The problem here is work after graduation,
not part-time campus jobs while the student is in an academic
program.]Do you intend to leave the US when you have your
degree?Of course this is quite difficult to prove to the visa
officer,and correspondingly difficult for the visa officer to
judge.But the visa officer cannot simply ignore US visa law,
which states that if you give a person a student visa, you
must be convinced that he intends to leave the US when his
studies are finished.
How do we assure ourselves that the applicant has such an\"
intention\"? First of all, we listen to what you say.The visa
officer will try to move you away from prepared speeches.We
need to know what your answers are,not what someone else
advised you to say.What is your career plan?Why are you going
to America? What do you plan to study there?What plans do
you have for after graduation?
We know how difficult it is for a student to have a
clear idea of what he means to do after receiving his US
diploma.If you are not sure, just tell us you are not sure.
The admission will give greater credibility to your other
answers.We are not looking for certainty, but for evidence
that you've given serious thought to the matter o you have a
plan or ambition of some sort?Is it believable in the Chinese
context?If you tell us that you mean to study a subject that
appears of no use in China,then what are we to think?But if
you can explain how what you learn will be useful in China
in the years to come,that will help you to qualify for a
visa.
Another thing we look at is your current situation in
China.What family do you have here--and abroad?What do your
parents do for a living? Do they occupy positions in
government,industry,commerce or education from which they can
assist you when you return from America?
We are also interested in your family's financial situation.
If your family can afford to send you to the US to study
and are doing well in China,we are likely to believe that
you too will prosper after you come back.On the other hand,
if your family has no money and you are borrowing thousands
of dollars to finance your US education,it will be more
difficult to persuade us that you intend to come right back
to China after finishing your studies.Where are you going to
get the money to repay those loans?
There is no one thing that determines whether we grant a
visa or not.We consider all the factors in coming to what we
hope is a sound decision.We don't claim that our decisions
are perfect.We work fast because we have to:interview time is
necessarily short.But we always try to make the best decision
we can.
If you are denied a visa, please listen carefully to
what the visa officer tells you.For example, if he says,\"I'm
not sure of your finances,\"then the next time you come, bring
new information that shows where your money is from.If the
officer says,\"I'm sorry but I'm not convinced that you intend
to come back,\" think about your plan again and figure out
how to explain it more clearly and persuasively;then reapply.If
you come back a second time and say similar things,you will
probably get the same response. |
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发表于 2005-9-20 13:37:31
