A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS
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Bulgaria is a country from which economic migration -- both legal and illegal -- continues strong. Many Bulgarian workers now reside in other European countries, especially Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom, but the U.S. remains another favorite destination. Chicago has probably the largest number of Bulgarian immigrants (perhaps more than 100,000), with other top spots being New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Detroit. The most typical pattern for Bulgarian illegal migrants to the U.S. is to spend six months or so at a time working and then return for an indefinite period -- sometimes permanently -- to Bulgaria. Even green card holders are often reluctant to actually reside permanently in the States, and many use their green cards as long-term multiple entry visas.
Just over half of all Bulgarians over the age of 15 (3.41 million) is believed to be economically active. While unemployment has been dropping over the last year, currently the unemployment rate is 10.4 percent, and rises to about 20.5 percent among younger Bulgarians. Approximately 30 percent of the employed have neither medical nor social insurance. Compared to the same period last year, the Bulgarian economy grew by 4.6 percent in the third quarter of 2005. Productivity in the public sector continues to decline, while the private sector continues to become more efficient.
Since 1990 approximately one million Bulgarians have apparently left the country, and best estimates are that at least half of them reside abroad illegally. Most of the Bulgarians who decide to settle abroad fall within the 30-45 age group. Typically they work, though long-term students do comprise an estimated 10 percent of this group. A recent Social Affairs Ministry analysis indicates that the number of Bulgarians who want to work abroad is decreasing, and that there may be an incipient trend of expat Bulgarians returning to their home country.
Official Bulgarian identification documents -- passports, ID cards ("lichna kartas"), birth certificates and so on -- are generally of high quality and quite tamper resistant, and difficult to obtain fraudulently. Criminal records, however, are a different matter. Due to a high level of corruption within the judicial system, it is relatively easy to ensure investigations are not pursued, prosecutions do not occur, or records are expunged.
B. NIV FRAUD
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B1/B2 Visa Fraud: FPU has detected no signs that visa fixers are becoming particularly advanced or canny here. We continue to see mainly unsophisticated fraud, such as fake invitation and/or employment letters, and the like. Last quarter we dealt with a handful of cases involving applicants tied to organized crime seeking business visas. In all of these cases we have sent advisory opinions to the Department requesting concurrence on visa ineligibility.
Using the methodology endorsed and provided by CA/FPP, FPU conducted a B1/B2 validation study, reported in 05 Sofia 2069.
In December, FPU conducted an investigation of visa-fixing operations around Sofia. All of these were ready to prepare an entire application package, including fake documents and coaching. A U.S. invitation letter costs about USD 600.00, while a letter of employment that is verifiable with the Bulgarian Social Security Services can be purchased for USD 200.00. If the visa is issued, FPU learned that an additional USD 2,800 is payable. Again, we have caught many of these phony papers at the visa windows, and have noted few that are very convincing. One visa-fixing shop offered documents verifying membership on a recognized sports team, along with a one-way ticket to the U.S. for 5000.00 Euros. None of these visa "companies" has a fixed address, name, or business or office phones. They use cell phones and meet their clients at coffee shops in the center of the city. There seem to be fewer visa-fixers in circulation now compared to recent years, but their fees appear to have increased.
Macedonians who live and work in Macedonia do continue to apply with recently issued Bulgarian passports, but their number has dropped significantly. About 20 Macedonians submit applications for Bulgarian citizenship at the Bulgarian Consulate in Skopje every day.
C1/D Visas: Nothing to report. H Visa Fraud: Post recently conducted a validation study for H2B visas issued from May 2003 through May 2004. FPU randomly selected 392 (50 percent) of the applicants and discovered that 20 percent had overstayed. During that time period post's H2B refusal rate was 14 percent. Due to this high rate of overstay, Post is taking an even closer look at all aspects of H2B applications. While we have not definitively identified any fraudulent petitioners, we remain wary.
One company we have strong suspicions about is AA Janitorial & Management Services (petition LIN-05-064-51805). In December three Ukrainians and a Russian flew to Sofia to apply for their H2B visas. Two of the Ukrainians had already applied for, and been denied, P3 visas as singers in Kiev. The applicants claimed that AA Janitorial & Management Services had required them to apply in Sofia, because the company did not have a representative in Kiev. FPU learned that the representative for Bulgaria is in fact Valentin Petrov Milev, DOB 24 Aug 1966 (Issued a B1/B2 here in 2000). He personally met the applicants at the Sofia Airport, found them a hotel, and brought the group to a travel agency called Valvex, where their application forms were prepared. A search in the Bulgarian Company Register showed that Milev is the sole owner of VALVEX Travel. VALVEX is well known to FPU and is believed to be involved in helping to smuggle Bulgarians to Mexico and on to the U.S. A CCD search of all known AA Janitorial & Management Services petitions -- LIN-05-064-51805 and LIN-06-012-52072 -- revealed large numbers of applicants who applied in Tashkent and Cairo. We could not find any information about the company or its business on the Internet. It seems they do not advertise their services. RSOs and FPUs in Kiev, Tashkent, and Cairo were accordingly informed about our concerns.
J-1 Visa Fraud: While our numbers in this category continue to rise dramatically (an expected increase of over 30 percent from last year), we thankfully haven't yet seen much fraud. That said, our validation studies indicate approximately 12 percent of our Summer Work and Travel J-1 recipients remain in the U.S. indefinitely after the summer ends.
P Visa Fraud: Post does not have many applicants in this category, but a large percentage of those we do get are petitioned by Magic Star Entertainment (MSE), which hires circus performers. We believe that MSE has been running a side business slipping in non-legitimate applicants along with real performers. We detailed this trend in 05 Sofia 2055 and we understand FPP and DS are conducting further investigations. Amembassy Bucharest has also reported on MSE.
C. IV FRAUD
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Post has noted a rising trend involving stepparents and stepchildren in the Chicago area. The pattern appears to be that the Bulgarian parent, whose status in the U.S. is uncertain at best and most often illegal, marries a (typically naturalized) American Citizen. The Amcit stepparent then petitions on behalf of the stepchild or stepchildren. Many stepchildren are 18 or older, although the cases can involve one or more younger children as well. The child has not met the stepparent or spent any time with her/him. There is no evidence of any relationship between the child and the petitioning stepparent. When interviewed, the child usually denies any knowledge of the whereabouts of the other natural parent. In most of these cases we come to the conclusion that the marriage is for the purpose of the adoption only, and that the natural parents are still in reality "together," though not both living in the U.S. Presumably the other natural parent plans on trying to get to the U.S. subsequently by some other means.
We also continue to note petitions based on fraudulent marriages between Bulgarians and Amcits, particularly in the Chicago area, where neither petitioner nor beneficiary are able to demonstrate an actual relationship. The most common claim in these cases is that the couple met online.
D. DV FRAUD
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Steady trend of marriage fraud.
E. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD
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Nothing to report.
F. ADOPTION FRAUD
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There were few adoptions by Amcits during this period, and we have no reason to suspect any fraud. The Bulgarian Parliament passed new adoption laws in 2003 in order to comply with the requirements of the Hague Convention, and implementation of these laws began in late 2004. Since then the number of adoptions of Bulgarian children by foreigners has dropped precipitously. There were only 29 adoptions here by Amcits in 2005, compared, for example, to 295 just four years earlier. In the past, before the legislative changes, corruption among Bulgarian orphanage directors was fairly rampant. Nowadays the process is far more regulated and slow, and decision-making power has shifted to a much higher level, within the Ministry of Justice.
G: ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFITS FRAUD
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Post has noted a growing number of following-to-join (Visas 92) Immigrant Visa cases where it is obvious the original successful asylum seekers based their claims on fraud, pretending to be of Roma ethnicity. See 05 Sofia 1868 and 05 Sofia 2003 for details regarding this trend. We are grateful to USCIS officials and consular officers at other posts for their interest in and responses to our reports, and we applaud USCIS's decision to reopen the original asylum cases.
H: COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES
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Post receives valuable help regularly from Law Enforcement Agencies in Bulgaria. Through the local Police, for instance, FPU has immediate access to the Bulgarian Border Police database, which tracks all entries and exits of travelers. Actual prosecutions for fraud or human trafficking here are still rare, though we did see several in 2005, a definite positive sign.
FPU took two one-day trips to Dupnitsa and Pazardzhik, towns known for fraudulent marriages, green card lottery winners, and visa-fixing. FPU met high-ranking Municipal officials who provided valuable information and who we hope will become good working contacts.
I: AREAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN
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Post continues to see Bulgarians obtain visas to Mexico, from where they will seek to enter the U.S. undetected.
J: STAFFING AND TRAINING
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Post has an FSO FPM, who is also NIV Chief. Post also has a Consular Associate who is working part time for FPU, and two full-time FSNs. Both FSN's completed the FSI Fraud Prevention Course -- PC 542 (2001 and 2003). We would like to see more training courses for FPU FSN's, particularly in the area of investigation and interviewing techniques, as well as writing skills.
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