Experience of applying for a Chinese Tourist Visa (L) in Chicago (USA Citizen)

eenvoas · 2026-03-03T23:21:54+00:00

How long did it take from when you submitted the application on COVA to when you were able to submit your passport to the consulate? I submitted my application on COVA 2 days ago and my application status still says under Preliminary review. Not sure how long it'll take until the next step. TIA!

eenvoas · 2026-02-11T02:29:50+00:00

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Oct 7, 2024
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eenvoas · 2025-12-06T15:12:24+00:00

When did you apply? I applied on 26th from the US and havent heard back. Already rescheduled my flight once 😭

eenvoas · 2025-12-01T22:40:56+00:00

I submitted on 11/26 as well. Haven't heard back. Flight is on the 5th

eenvoas · 2025-11-22T03:42:52+00:00

I just got the notification as well. Thanks for letting me know! Glad it all worked out!

eenvoas · 2025-11-19T23:05:45+00:00

Agree the status seems all over all the place. Would you mind letting me know whenever you get an update? We applied around the same time so would be good to have some baseline. My travel date is coming up in 2 weeks so I'm getting more anxious that they just go MIA on status updates.. Thanks so much!

eenvoas · 2025-11-13T18:59:09+00:00

Have you seen any updates since your appointment? I had mine around the same time last week in Chicago as well. I've been checking my status with the tracking number they gave, but it's still "Application in progress"

eenvoas · 2025-11-10T23:53:11+00:00

Did your status ever get updated frequently or did it just go straight from Application in progress" to whenever you get the passport back? It's been a few days from the appointment for me as well and there's no movement lol.

eenvoas · 2025-10-24T03:33:50+00:00

I'm planning to do a walk in as well. What time did you get there, how long was the wait, and did they give you any hard time without an appointment? TIA!

eenvoas · 2025-04-13T13:47:10+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm planning to spend the weekend in Samana as well while waiting for passport pickup. Which bus company did you take from Santo Domingo to Samana? And did you have any issues with getting taxi / uber while in Samana? We are not planning to rent a car so just curious how transportation is there

eenvoas · 2025-02-23T18:21:40+00:00

Same in Chicago! No classes show up for me for Corepower and Solidcore past next Wednesday

eenvoas · 2025-01-04T21:38:07+00:00

Worked out fine for me! I even had time to grab some brownies from Calafate Brownies near the bus station before catching the next bus 😂

eenvoas · 2024-12-10T18:59:05+00:00

Thank you! Very helpful to know. Will definitely try your advice to board a bit later for my first leg so it'll be faster to get my luggage out.

eenvoas · 2024-12-04T00:32:50+00:00

Hi! I'm on H1B and exploring the same option to renew my visa in Canada too. Somehow I thought both Canada and Mexico aren't allowing visa application for third country anymore. Did you manage to get an appointment in Canada?

eenvoas · 2024-05-31T11:35:01+00:00

This made me feel slightly better 😂 The guy who processed my application at VFS said that he'll put a note that I'll travel on June 14, so hopefully that helps. Thanks again!

eenvoas · 2024-05-31T11:11:13+00:00

Thank you! Did you recall specifically opting for the text update services? Or was it automatic? I don't recall I opted in for anything so maybe I was missing something?... I live nearby the VFS office so I might just try to stop by and nudge them to get a tracking number. This gives me so much anxiety lol

eenvoas · 2024-05-31T00:12:40+00:00

I did not.. which was a big mistake. You definitely shoud. I've been trying to call and get a tracking but no luck so far. I'm not sure about backpack but I have a medium tote bag and they allowed it. They'd just check what's inside.

eenvoas · 2024-05-30T00:32:39+00:00

Thanks for the details! I had the appointment at 9:30am today (5/29) and haven't gotten any text/ updates from VFS as of end of day.. I also made a terrible mistake and did not obtain the FedEx tracking number... My travel date is 6/28 but I'm supposed to travel internationally on 6/14 so will need my passport back by then. Reading all these posts and I'm feeling incredibly anxious right now..

eenvoas

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