The recent announcement of  new visa policies by Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama has been warmly applauded by many Chinese-Americans, who can now enjoy extended visa validities when travelling between the two countries.

The new visa plan, enacted on November 12, reciprocally increased the validity of visas for short-term business and tourist trips and the validity of student visas issued to both nations' citizens. The maximum length of business and tourist visas has been extended to 10 years, and student visas to five years. In particular, the policies aim to take advantage of China's growing economy and the potentially huge demand in China for convenient tourism, experts say.

Chunping Shen, a Chinese-American lawyer based in Los Angeles, said that previously the US enforced strict visa policies when it came to Chinese citizens and that in the past business and tourist visas only offered multiple visits for one year, and added that the short validity of visas had caused a lot of hassle for Chinese nationals traveling to, or investing in, the US.

However, Shen said that extended visa validity does not mean that the application process for a US non-immigrant visa will be less strict. Visa applicants' financial status will still be strictly analyzed to check that applicants are not attempting to immigrate through the back door.

Applicants still have to provide enough evidence, including proof of assets, property ownership, bank statements and employment letters, to show that there is no possibility of  what is called "immigration potential".

John Cheng, president of the American Chinese Business Association, told the Global Times that he still remembers how difficult it was for Chinese  nationals to get a visa to the US in the 1980s, noting that the new visa policies are the positive result of great efforts made by both countries and that the better communication the policies will engender may help to dispel any mistrust  between the world's two largest economies.

Cheng said that the extended multi-visit visas will be more convenient and less costly for travelers, especially those that are thinking of making investments in the US, stressing that these extended visa policies will help mitigate some Chinese-Americans' dissatisfaction with the lack of dual citizenship legislation in China. 

Li Xiang, a Chinese student studying in the US, applauded the new policies as extended visa validity will make it easier for him to visit his parents in China during school breaks. He said that the F1 student visa used to provide only one year of travel for Chinese students studying in the US, and that if they returned China during the summer or winter break, they were required to renew their visa through the US Embassy in China.

He added that this was very time consuming and that students even ran the risk of interrupting their studies due to visa problems.

David Lin, president of the US-China Cultural Institute, said that the Obama administration feels it has to make some progress in Sino-US relations after they have experienced difficulties in the Middle East and Russia. The extended US visa policy has won Obama great support from the Chinese-American community, Lin added.