New Travel Requirements for Chinese Nationals

Electronic Visa Update System for Chinese NationalsEffective November 29, Chinese nationals holding a 10-year U.S. visitor visa (e.g., class B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2) must enroll in the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) prior to traveling to the United States on or after November 29. EVUS is an automated system that determines eligibility to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure on a 10-year B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 visitor visa. Enrolling with EVUS is a requirement under U.S. Immigration law. In the initial phase of EVUS, only Chinese nationals who are traveling on a passport issued by the People's Republic of China will need to enroll. Those with a Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, or Taiwan passport are not subject to the new requirement.Chinese nationals who were issued a B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 visa prior to November 29, 2016 must enroll by December 14, 2016. If the B-1, B-2, or B-1/B-2 visa is issued on or after November 29, 2016, Chinese nationals will need to enroll in SEVUS when they receive the visa and before traveling to the United States. Failure to enroll or re-enroll will result in an automatic provisional revocation of the visa. The visa may be reinstated once the visa holder successfully enrolls in the system. Please note that after November 28, Chinese nationals will need to present proof of compliance with EVUS while traveling on a 10-year visa, otherwise they will not be permitted to obtain a boarding pass or enter through a land port of entry.To enroll, please visit www.evus.gov and enter the requested passport, visa, as well as other biographical and employment information. The system can take up to 72 hours to adjudicate the enrollment. Once enrollment is successful, the applicant will be issued a notification of compliance valid for two years or until the applicant's passport or visa has expired, whichever occurs first. The fee to enroll in EVUS is $8 or approximately 53 RMB. For more information, please visit www.cbp.gov/EVUS. The above information has been provided for educational purposes. If you have further questions concerning the above or other immigration matters, please do not hesitate to contact Clark Lau LLC (www.clarklau.com)