CRI英语听力2012年07月合辑（文本＋翻译）：US-PROCESSES-MORE-VISAS-IN-CHINA.doc

1、The United States embassy and consulates in China have processed over one million visas in the 2012 fiscal year thus far.This is an increase of 43 per cent over the same period of last year.CRIs Alexandra Blucher has more.For years, the enormous growth in the demand for visas has been lapping at the

2、 doors of US embassy and consulates around China. Student and tourist visa applications account for the vast majority.Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in the US Embassy in Beijing, Charles Bennett, says building expansion is in need to accommodate the growth.Well in Beijing, in May, we just r

3、eopened our old consular section. We increased by 50% the number of windows to process visas atthroughout the country were in the process of upgrading or expanding our consular and visa facilities and some of those changes wont be completed for a year or so but virtually every office we have in Chin

4、a has some sort of facility upgrade or facility improvement going on right now.China isnt the only place seeing a large growth, in the same period Mexico saw 36 per cent increase with over million visas also being processed, as well as a 44 per cent jump in Brazil.In January, US President Barack Oba

5、mas administration announced worldwide changes to visa application procedures.For example, in the past, applicants in China were waiting up to 100 days to get an appointment with a consular officer. Now visas are processed in a week with a 90 per cent success rate.And, personal interviews are waived

6、 for repeat applicants who are reapplying within four years of their last visa.Bennett says its about both welcoming foreign visitors and creating jobs in the US.I think that just the sheer demand in places like China and Brazil has forced us to look at new ways to do things. because we realise that

7、 having people wait 100 days to get an appointment to apply for a visa, A) wasnt good customer service, which is something that we take very seriously, and B) wasnt meeting a demand that was out there.Nick Wan, whos 25, is studying higher education administration at Boston College, Massachusetts and

8、 is back in China now and has just re-applied for his student visa.Wan says that while the recent changes have made the application process much more convenient, there is still a problem with first time applicants, especially students, being terrified about the personal interview.I think the America

9、n Embassy has a very scary image among Chinese students who want to study in the United States because they think that is the last thing that they have to go through to be able to get an education in the United States and the complicated procedure of getting the visa kind of reinforces the scariness

10、 of going to the embassy for the visa interview.But Charles Bennett says that this scariness is a misconception and applicants should just be calm and be themselves:We fully understand that the decision that is made is a life changing one. Just answer our questions and tell us your story, dont try to memorise a speech and just be as natural and forthcoming with the consular officer as you can be and in the vast, vast majority of cases we issue the visa.For CRI, this is Alexandra Blucher.