What should you do if you lose your U.S. student visa or passport? For international students in the U.S., both the visa and passport are extremely important. Losing them accidentally can cause significant trouble. So, how should we handle this situation when we are forced to face it?
If you lose your passport while in the United States, the top priority is to report it to the local police department. As a student studying in the U.S., you have some advantages; when filing the report, the police will ask you to provide information such as your driver's license, student ID, and SSN. Under normal circumstances, it takes about a week to receive the police report. Try to explain the urgency to the police, as this may help expedite the process of replacing your U.S. student visa within a few hours. Generally, the police will give you a small card with a case number; keep this card and the police report safe, as they are required for replacing your passport.
To apply for a replacement passport at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States, you generally need to provide the following materials:
1) A completed "Application Form for Passport/Travel Document/Seaman's Book/Return Certificate of the People's Republic of China";
2) Two small 2-inch (4.8cm x 3.3cm) color photos with a white or light blue background, with the head width between 2.1cm and 2.4cm and length between 2.8cm and 3.3cm;
3) A photocopy of the lost or stolen passport (if available), including the personal information page, pages with endorsements or extensions, and the U.S. visa page;
4) Original and photocopy of proof of legal status in the U.S. (such as a U.S. Green Card, work permit, I-20 form, etc.);
5) A written statement regarding the lost or stolen passport. The content should include: your experience before and after arriving in the U.S., the location and circumstances of the loss or theft, passport number, date and place of issuance, your personal address, and contact phone number, etc.;
6) The police report.
Note: To replace a passport in the U.S., you must appear in person at the embassy or consulate. You cannot apply by mail or authorize someone else to act on your behalf, although the embassy may provide a return mail service. The processing time is approximately 30 days or longer, and the fee is $105.
If you return to China to replace your passport, in addition to submitting the loss report issued by the public security authorities and a written statement of the loss, you must also submit the original and a photocopy of your household register (Hukou) and resident identity card. You will need to fill out the "Application Form for Private Travel Abroad for Chinese Citizens," have your photo taken on-site, and you can collect the document 7 working days after submitting the application (Saturdays are working days). Processing fee: 420 RMB (400 RMB for the new passport issuance, 20 RMB for an endorsement).
After replacing your passport in China, you must attend an in-person interview when applying for a replacement visa. You do not need to pay the SEVIS fee again, but you must pay the visa fee at CITIC Bank again and write your new passport number on it. Since the receipt provided by CITIC Bank does not include the passport number, you will need to write it yourself. Therefore, you can pay the fee before receiving your new passport and simply fill in the number once you have it. Materials for the interview: DS-160 (with a 50x50 photo attached), I-20, U.S. university transcripts, etc.