FRENCH CONSUL DJIBOUTI WANTS TO EMULATE U.S. VISA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 001529

SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/21/2014
TAGS: CVIS DJ FR PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: FRENCH CONSUL DJIBOUTI WANTS TO EMULATE U.S. VISA
ADJUDICATIONS PROCESS

Classified By: Andrea K. Lewis, Vice Consul
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (c)


1. (U) Summary. The French consul in Djibouti is very
interested in the process by which AmEmbassy Djibouti
adjudicates visas. The Consul states that the American
process appears more selective. The French consulate is
changing the adjudications process in Djibouti for Schengen
(European Union) visas to emulate the American process. End
summary.


2. (U) ConOff paid a courtesy call on the French consul in
Djibouti, Marthe Meyrand. Meyrand received ConOff warmly,
asking lots of questions about American embassy methods for
processing visa applications. Meyrand is new in Djibouti,
stating she has been in country about four months. She said
she wanted to revamp the process of adjudicating visas at the
French consulate. She stated she was less concerned about
the danger of admitting potential terrorists, but would like
to mitigate illegal immigration. She was moderately familiar
with section 214(b) of U.S. law, assuming all visa
Non-Immigrant Visa applicants to be intending immigrants
unless adjudicating officer is convinced otherwise. She
stated that she wished French law made the same assumption.


3. (U) ConOff was given a full tour of the French Consular
office and introduced to all its members. One difference
noted was that the French do not employ local staff in the
consular section, as does the American Embassy; all employees
are French citizens or dual nationals.


4. (U) Meyrand also asked about visa interviews. ConOff
informed her that all applicants except certain exempt
diplomats were required to appear in person for interviews.
She seemed pleased by this response and informed that she had
also recently implemented an interview policy for Schengen
(European Union) visas issued in Djibouti.


5. (SBU) Comment: When the French interview policy was
implemented, it was not widely publicized, and ConOff heard
from sources that local people were caught off guard. Some
anger was expressed; many Djiboutians consider it a right to
go to France because of the historical colonization by the
French, and the ongoing close ties between the countries
since Djiboutian independence in 1977. Prior to the new
interview system, individuals could drop their paperwork with
the French Consul and pick up their visa three business days
later. The interview system has been viewed as a statement
of lack of trust. End comment.


6. (U) Meyrand also asked about the U.S. Embassy's
appointments system for visa interviews. Due to low volume,
AmEmbassy Djibouti does not require appointments, but takes
walk-ins on specified days. This information is publicly
available in Djibouti. Meyrand stated that a walk-in system
would not work due to the significantly higher demand in
Djibouti for French (now Schengen) visas than for American
visas.


7. (SBU) Meyrand also raised the issue of name checks.
ConOff was vague with answers, stating only that we do check
applicant names with Washington. Meyrand expressed
frustration with the name check system available to her,
stating that while it checked names across all Schengen visa
countries, returned hits did not provide any useful detail
either about the individual in question or their offense.


8. (C) While Meyrand asked many questions, she also offered
information about the French Consular system. ConOff was
guarded with answers, and conscious of security issues.
Meyrand was satisfied with vague answers and appeared pleased
to accept publicly available information. She told ConOff
that she is trying to model the French adjudication process
after the American process. She stated that the U.S. seems
far more selective in granting visas, and she would like to
emulate that selectivity in granting Schengens in Djibouti by
implementing as many of our processes as feasible into their
system.


9. (C) Comment: ConOff was surprised by the level of
implied autonomy exercised by the French Consul in Djibouti
to redefine the visa adjudications process. Whether this
autonomy exists in all French embassies is unknown. Also
surprising about the level of autonomy is that such decisions
affect more than just France. Schengen visas allow bearers
to enter any European Union country. Changing the
adjudications process could affect all E.U. countries. End
comment.
RAGSDALE