Hong Kong students aiming to pursue studies in the United States remain unable to secure visa appointments at the US Consulate in the city, according to local education consultancies, despite visa slots becoming available in Beijing and other locations across the region.
Three education consultancy firms told the South China Morning Post on Monday that they were still unable to access appointment slots through the US consulate in Hong Kong, a situation that has persisted since last Thursday. The ongoing issue is causing growing uncertainty among students and their families following a series of abrupt US policy shifts in recent days.
Samuel Chan Sze-ming, managing partner of Britannia StudyLink, which specialises in placements at top-tier institutions, confirmed that his firm had not been able to book appointments at the Hong Kong consulate. However, he noted that his centres in Thailand and Vietnam were able to successfully make visa arrangements through US missions in those countries.
Kitty Wu, director of the Hong Kong-based Litz USA Student Service, echoed the concern, saying she had made repeated attempts to book appointments for her clients since Thursday, but without success.
Meanwhile, Will Kwong, managing director of AAS Education Consultancy, said one of his colleagues managed to secure a US visa appointment for a mainland Chinese student via the US embassy in Beijing — highlighting the uneven availability of appointments across different jurisdictions.
The US consulate in Hong Kong has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the suspension or unavailability of appointment slots.
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