This is my account of a U.S. visa interview in Guangzhou on July 7, 2022, with an appointment scheduled for 9:15 a.m. It records what happened to me that day. Current applicants should use the consulate's current instructions and the State Department's DS-160 guidance for their own arrangements.
Before the interview
I had selected Shanghai when completing my DS-160, but booked the interview in Guangzhou after the Shanghai closure disrupted my plans. The day before traveling, I noticed that the DS-160 confirmation and appointment confirmation named different cities. I worried that I would have to start again. After checking the official guidance, I went ahead with the Guangzhou appointment, and the difference did not prevent my interview.
We left our bags and phones at a nearby newsstand and kept the claim tickets. This was the storage arrangement we used that day, not a consular storage service.
Checks and fingerprints
In the queue, staff checked the appointment confirmation. They then checked my passport and I-20 and attached a barcode to the passport. At security I was asked to uncover my ears; I do not know the reason for that instruction.
The next queue was for document checks, not yet the interview. I was initially directed to window 6 and ended up at window 5. The original post treated changing queues as generally harmless, but my experience does not establish that rule; the staff organize the queues.
After the document check, I went to another window for fingerprints. The staff scanned the passport barcode, then took the four fingers of my left hand, the four of my right hand, and both thumbs. I then joined the interview queue.
The interview
At window 15, the officer looked at my passport and I-20 and asked four questions:
- “What's your major?”
- “Who will be your sponsor?”
- “What do they do?”
- “Have you been to the U.S. before?”
The officer kept my passport and gave me a pink slip and a yellow slip. I understood this as approval at the interview stage, with the passport to be returned afterward. The interview outcome and the later printing and return of a visa are separate steps.
We then collected our belongings from the newsstand and paid 30 yuan for storage. After worrying about the location mismatch the day before, I was relieved that the interview itself had been brief.
中文版
记录一下 2022 年 7 月 7 日在广州美国领事馆面谈的经历。预约时间是上午 9:15。这是一篇当日经历记录，不能替代领事馆当前的申请与预约说明。
填 DS-160 时我选择了上海，但后来上海关闭影响了计划，于是预约了广州的面谈。出发前一天，我才发现 DS-160 确认页与预约确认页上的城市不同，担心需要重新填写、重新预约。查过官方说明后，我按原计划去了广州；这次面谈没有因此受到影响。
当天，我们先把书包和手机寄存在附近的书报亭，拿好领取凭证，再带着材料进入领事馆。这是我们当时采用的寄存方式，并非领事馆提供的寄存服务。
排队时，工作人员先核对预约确认页，随后检查护照和 I-20，并在护照背面贴了条码。安检时，我被要求露出耳朵，具体原因我并不清楚。之后是材料检查。我最初被安排到 6 号窗口，后来去了 5 号；旧文把“换队伍也没影响”写成了一般结论，这并不严谨，现场队伍仍应由工作人员安排。
检查完材料后，我到另一个窗口录指纹：先扫描护照条码，再录左手四指、右手四指，最后录两个拇指。接着去排正式面谈的队。
我在 15 号窗口遇到签证官。他看了护照和 I-20，依次问了上面列出的四个问题：专业是什么、谁提供资助、资助人做什么工作，以及是否去过美国。
随后，签证官收走护照，给了我一张粉色和一张黄色的小单子，照片见上文。我当时理解为面谈阶段获得批准，之后等待护照返还；面谈结果与后续签证制作、返还仍是不同环节。
出来后，我们凭领取凭证取回了书包和手机，支付了 30 元寄存费。前一天还在担心地点不一致，面谈结束后终于松了一口气。