PALO ALTO, U.S./HONG KONG -- Driven by a desire to experience college life in America, 19-year-old Vivian recently took a train for four hours from central China to the southern city of Guangzhou, the nearest place where she could take a visa interview at a U.S. Consulate. Her plan hit turbulence the moment she arrived.
"What is your major?" Vivian recalled the visa officer asking her. "The next thing was that I would have to go through a background check."
