More than three million Chinese tourists are expected to visit the United States by year 2019, as new US visa rules take effect.

The change in visa policy is expected to boost U.S.-China tourism. 

Chinese tourists visiting America or U.S. Citizens coming to China may now be granted a 10-year B-category non-immigrant visa. 

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This is double the length of time covered by the current student visas, which are only valid for up to 5 years or the length of program. 

The new visa rule also allows Chinese and American travelers to save more money, since they don't need to apply for visas annually.  Visa application could cost as much as $160 to process. 

The U.S. Travel Association records showed a total of 72.2 million foreigners visited the U.S. in 2014.  With the new rule, this number is expected to hit 88.3 million in the next four years - with a huge portion coming from China.

"I think America is a top destination for many different reasons," Hansi Men, an investment immigration lawyer at Streit & Su law firm said. 

"Most people in China still think America is number one. Many Chinese parents also take their children to America to show them top schools like Yale and Harvard," he added. 

Good news for U.S.

Tourism officials said Chinese visitors traveling in the U.S. are the biggest spenders.  In 2014, 1.8 million Chinese tourists visited the U.S. and spent $21.1 billion. The U.S. Department of Commerce expects the number of Chinese visitors to jump 21 percent this year. A consultant for luxury brands had predicted, Chinese tourists may spend up to $80 billion by 2021.

The policy change was also welcomed by airline officials, saying this may lead to bigger spending by Chinese travelers doing business in the U.S.  Analysts predict, Chinese businessmen may even step up their home-buying binge, particularly in Southern California.

The visa policy change was signed at the APEC summit in November last year. 

Canadian tourists remain to be top visitors in the U.S., followed by Mexicans, and Britons. China currently ranks seventh.

TagsChinese Tourists, tourism, US Visa, exchange student, student visa, US-China relations, APEC summit