ZAGREB FY-2004 CONSULAR PACKAGE NARRATIVE

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000132

SIPDIS

FOR CA/EX, EUR/EX, EUR/SCE - BBELL, OIG/ISP, M/FSI/SPAS,
CA/VO, CA/FPP, CA/OCS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT HR
SUBJECT: ZAGREB FY-2004 CONSULAR PACKAGE NARRATIVE

REF: 05 STATE 207085

The following is Embassy Zagreb's Consular Package Narrative
for FY05. Response is keyed to questions in reftel.


Management:
--------------

A) Please certify that your post contact information on the
CCD is current and complete.

It is current and complete.

B) Are there any additional fields you would like to see
added to the post directories on CCD? If so, which?

No.

C) Do you have sufficient staff to meet consular MPP
objectives? If you believe you do not, please describe
steps you have taken to maximize efficiency. Note any
special circumstances at your post that hinder
productivity. Specify the number, type, and grade of
personnel you would need in order to fully meet MPP
objectives.

We almost have sufficient staff. We could use a
part-time office/manager, general projects
assistant to assist in clerical duties and consular
management projects. When specialized consular staff
are busy processing visas, assisting customers, or
working on time-consuming ACS cases, the general
clerical tasks and detailed but lower level tasks associated
with overall consular management projects, including consular
outreach, usually get covered by an officer, or fall by the
wayside. We believe that our full-service consular section would
benefit from the services of an office manager. If
there are any MRV funds available to fund such a position, it
would be much appreciated.

D) Please indicate if you have requested any staffing
increases and/or grade increases through the MPP process.

None requested.

E) Do you have sufficient space to meet consular MPP
objectives? If you believe you do not, describe the nature
of the space limitations. Note steps post has taken to
address these limitations, including development of design
proposals, allocation of post funds, requests for OBO or CA
funding, etc.

We have enough space.

F) Are you currently in a construction cycle (planning,
construction or acceptance)? If so, please indicate the
status of your project and any significant issues that have
arisen or that you expect to arise.

No. We moved into a spacious, new chancery in May 2003.

G) Describe any management practices (such as off-site fee
collection, use of a user pays call center, courier
pass-back, post hosted web appointment system, business
programs) that post has instituted or discontinued in the
past year. Was the change effective?

In April 2005, we moved from a first come, first-served NIV
interview system to an internet-based appointment system hosted
on ConGen Hong Kong's server. The success of the system and its
positive reception by our NIV clients far exceeded our
expectations. Applicants have virtually no complaints and we
receive a steady stream of compliments on the ease of making an
appointment and the reduction in waiting time for applicants.
Depending on the number of officers interviewing (one or two),
we finish NIV interviews as early as 10:00am or by 12:30pm at
the latest (in our highest season or with only one officer
interviewing). With the exception of one four-day period, we
have managed to maintain next-day appointment availability with
no degradation in service. We continued to deliver visas on the
same day as interview until November 1, 2005, when more frequent
IDENT slowdowns forced us to move to next-day delivery. With
the introduction of the appointment system, we have managed to
even out the workload throughout the week. We have also
designated one day as a "no-interview" day to allow officers and
FSNs to concentrate on longer-term projects, training, reading
cables and consular management issues.

The majority of the credit for the benefits gained from the
appointment system goes to ConGen Hong Kong and we appreciate
the un-reimbursed time they devoted to helping us set up our
system. We would strongly recommend that CA take over
administration of this internet-appointment system or a similar
one, if enough other posts are interested in using it.

H) What measures (i.e. metrics) are you using to manage
your work? Specifically, do you use the data available in
the CCD, Q-matic or other sources to monitor the
efficiency and effectiveness of your section and if so,
how?
We frequently use Workload Summary (WL) and Approved and Refused
by Adjudicator (11C) reports in NIV to keep track of NIV
workflow and to allow interviewing officers to keep track of
their own pace. CCD reports on IDENT Waived Fingerprints is very
helpful for accountability. We also use the CCD IDENT/USVISIT
reports to monitor fingerprint quality. The fingerprint quality
reports have allowed us to discern a strong seasonal trend in
fingerprint quality.

- Have you developed your own metrics such as surveys,
error rates, etc? If so, what are those measures and how
are you using them?

As Zagreb is an IV-processing post for Slovenia, Croatia, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina, many IV applicants have to travel long
distances for appointments. We endeavor to provide same-day
service to IV applicants as long as biometric requirements
allow. To insure a quick turn-around of IV applicants, we use an
informal "clocking in" system to keep track of when IV
applicants arrive at the IV in-take window and when applicants
(with IV FSN assistance) are ready for interviews. IV FSNs
record both times on all cases for interview, adding
accountability and ensuring prompt service to IV applicants. We
feel a similar clocking system is not necessary for NIV
applicants as the time between when the applicant presents his
or her applicants at in-take and is data entered for an
interview is generally quite short.

Post completed a J-1 validation study in 2005 that officers use
to guide their decision-making. A comprehensive B-1/B-2
validation study was conducted in January 2006.

The consular section chief and ACS FSN hold periodic town hall
meetings with American citizens to solicit feedback on how we
can better assist the approximately 2,500 American citizens
resident (1,300 registered) in Croatia.

- Have you developed any post-specific management
information systems to track your progress? If so please
describe what you are doing with the tools and how they
have helped you.

Since switching to an online appointment system in April 2005,
we have instituted a post-specific system whereby local security
guards are informed about both NIV and IV appointments a day in
advance so that applicants with valid appointments can be
cleared through security as quickly as possible. We estimate the
appointment system itself and the excellent working relationship
between our NIV and IV sections and the Local Guard Force have
kept wait times below 45 minutes per applicant from curb-side to
adjudication.

Post has previously used an Excel spreadsheet to record fraud
prevention unit phone calls but has found the spreadsheet does
not easily allow officers to review progress on fraud cases. We
are in the process of re-crafting our fraud database to better
enable oversight of ongoing investigations.

I) Please advise whether and why post might benefit from a
Consular Management Assistance Team (CMAT) visit. (By
year's end, CMAT's will have visited more than 85 posts
since their inception. If a CMAT visited your post over
the past year, please summarize any benefits and what
steps, if any, could be taken to further enhance the
productivity of CMAT visits.)

As the current consular section chief will depart post in early
summer 2006, we feel that a CMAT visit would be more beneficial
if it took place after arrival of the new section chief to
enable better follow-up on any recommendations made.

J) Training:
--------------
- Please summarize post's program of training and
orientation for new consular officers. Have FSI's on-the-
job training modules proven useful at post?

Post conducts a detailed two-week orientation program for new
consular officers, which includes an introduction to post's
Standard Operating Procedures, a review of local and regional
documents, an on-the-job checklist of NIV and IV procedures, NIV
and IV workflow mapping diagrams, a review of current American
Citizens Services cases and reports, and a review of back-up
Accountable Officer duties and responsibilities. New officers
are assigned a seasoned officer to shadow for the two-week time
period before assuming adjudication duties. New officers, who
generally arrive at post with 2/2 Croatian-level are enrolled
upon arrival in consular-centric language classes to facilitate
their work at the window. We also send new officers before
their arrival at post a power point introduction to the
consular staff, complete with photos of each staff member and a
description of his or her duties.
FSI's on-the-job training has been especially important for post
this year with the hiring of a second IV assistant who is in the
process of completing FSI's PC-102 distance course. The
training module, coupled with on-the-job training, has been
extremely effective. Post is currently reviewing other FSI
modules in anticipation of the arrival of a new entry-level
officer and to review options for refreshing/strengthening
current staff's knowledge.

- Please comment on the effectiveness of FSI consular
training for consular personnel at post, including entry-
level officers, mid-level officers, and FSNs.

Entry-level officers are well prepared by ConGen/FSI for their
new responsibilities. The one FSN who had training at FSI this
year said she had a positive experience at FSI and that she
appreciated the opportunity to improve her understanding of NIV
procedures and regulations. Zagreb looks forward to hosting and
benefiting from a CLDC in spring 2006.

Systems:
--------------

K) Do you have the equipment you need to meet consular MPP
objectives? If not, please describe the equipment you need
and efforts you have made to obtain it.

We have the equipment we need to meet MPP objectives.

L) What public address/microphone system(s) are you using?
What are the strong and weak points of the system? (CA/EX
is working with OBO and FSI/SPAS/CONS to improve microphone
systems worldwide. Input from posts will be most valuable
as we continue this work).

Post is using a Farfisa brand microphone system, which has a
phone located on the officers' side of the window and a wall-
mounted microphone and speaker on the applicants' side.
Officers dial an extension to call applicants to the window via
P.A. speakers located both in the waiting room and outside the
building (for applicants who choose to wait outdoors). The
system is problematic in that it is frequently difficult to hear
either the officer or applicant and the sound levels frequently
shift, making it difficult to hear one speaker over another.

The integration of the telephone into the system is helpful as
it cuts down on the hardware on the counter and the officers can
contact the guards directly to request assistance. One drawback
is our inability to transfer calls from one phone to another.
Another is that incoming calls cannot be identified, as there is
no display function.

M) How would you rate your consular section's satisfaction
with automated consular systems (excellent, good, average,
poor)?
Excellent. Officers noted the systems are easy to use.

- Are there any unresolved software or hardware issues?
No. Post recently conducted an inventory of all equipment and
involved both IM and GSO to ensure post and section inventory
controls records match. All hardware and software seems to be
functioning as intended and the IM staff is able to resolve any
unexpected malfunctions.

- How do you rate the training of post personnel both
within the consular section and in Management/IM on the use
and support of Consular systems (excellent, good, average,
poor)?

Excellent. A Harris-Orkand team recently visited post and
worked closely with the IM team on Consular systems. Post's
current IM manager had no previous experience with Consular
systems and found the Harris-Orkand team's visit extremely
beneficial. We also especially appreciate the consular-specific
systems training for IM staff offered in Frankfurt.

- Please comment on the usefulness of the new ACRS Plus
system (if installed at post.)

ACRS Plus was only recently installed. We haven't noticed any
differences yet, but we'll review it more closely.

N) What types of assistance would you need from the next
training and refresher teams coming from the consular
systems division to assist consular system users?

The refresher courses and new-officer troubleshooting training
the team provided this month has been extremely helpful and
would be welcome in the future.

Please also comment on the quality of assistance provided
by the CA Overseas Help Desk.

The CA Overseas Help Desk team, especially Lucy Uncu, Elizabeth
Mulvey, and Mir Roughani, have been consistently responsive and
communicative. Post appreciates their invaluable assistance.
O) What strategies have you used to increase the use of
EVAF forms? If you do not use the EVAF, what obstacles
prevent you from doing so? Are there local conditions
(such as limited public access to the internet, or host
country blocking) that limit the utility of the EVAF?
Would you find direct on-line data entry for NIV applicants
(not requiring a printed 2D barcode) useful?

Only about two percent of our applicants use the EVAF form. At
least 40 percent of the submitted EVAFs cannot be scanned
because the applicant used a printer that does not print dark or
clearly enough or the applicant neglects to bring in the bar-
coded last page. On those EVAFs that are successfully scanned,
our FSNs check the scanned data and have found that virtually
all of them have a mistake that needs to be corrected (date of
birth, etc). Our Croatian-language DF-156 forms ask for the
father's name as well (to help identify applicants who have the
same commonly used Croatian names and surnames). EVAF users who
do not speak fluent English often look at the Croatian-language
form to help them fill out the EVAF, and put the father's name
on the EVAF form. The father's name gets scanned into the
surname section, and has to be manually corrected. Our FSNs
have found that the EVAFs usually take longer to enter
(perfectly) than simply entering the information themselves from
the standard application. Finally, most of our applicants
choose to fill out the DS-156 in Croatian. Until there is an
EVAF in Croatian, we do not expect EVAF use to rise
significantly.

We understand that many posts offer faster service or an earlier
appointment slot for EVAF users. However, as we still maintain
next-day appointment availability and the spacing between
appointments results in reasonable wait times for all
applicants, there is really little advantage to be gained
through offering earlier appointments or shorter waiting periods
to EVAF users. Our officers still interview much more slowly
than the FSNs enter data, so the applicant's wait from curb to
end-of-interview would not be reduced through faster data-entry
(and as noted above, because we check and correct EVAFs for 100%
accuracy, the EVAF can be slower than normal data entry.)

We believe the main obstacle to widespread use of the EVAF is
the absence of a Croatian version of the form. We feel sure
that applicants would more readily use a form in their native
language and would make fewer mistakes. We understand that in
some countries, many EVAF applicants use the services of
middlemen (travel agents, etc.) to fill out the English EVAF
forms. With a Croatian version, more applicants would fill out
the form themselves (reducing fraud potential) and officers
would have more confidence that the applicants indeed understood
all questions, particularly the complex wording used in the
critical questions on ineligibilities. We would be pleased to
provide the Department with a post-produced Croatian translation
of the EVAF if it would assist the Department in issuing the
official Croatian version sooner.

ACS:
--------------

P) What is unusual about your ACS work and how do you
manage it? Please comment on both the positive and
negative aspects of the new ACS Plus system (if installed
at post.)

Most of our ACS inquiries deal with problems related to property
restitution, legal problems with purchased property or
inheritances, and lack of movement on cases in the slow,
backlogged Croatian judicial system. Croatia's 1996 Restitution
Act, as amended in 2002 allows foreigners to file claims for
property seized by the former Yugoslav government from 1945
1991, but only when a bilateral agreement on the issue exists
between Croatia and the foreign claimant's country. The Chief
of the Consular Section (together with the Front Office) has
devoted extensive time to following this issue and pushing the
GOC to begin negotiations on the required agreement. In
addition, we receive many amcit requests for assistance on a
variety of complex cases (usually involving property) buried
somewhere in the courts or elsewhere in the bureaucracy. While
we do not get involved in private legal matters, we have found
that simple requests for status updates often get the case
moving again. Finally, more and more Americans are joining the
frenzy to buy Croatia's hot coastal properties before they are
priced out of the market, and inquiries related to buying and
registering property have increased accordingly.
Our location well outside of the center of Zagreb, and the
concentration of American citizens in coastal areas also means
that we do much of work by telephone, whenever possible. If we
need to visit someone "in the field", it means a one or two day
trip out of the office. Because most of the registered
Americans are located so far away, we have found that periodic
"town hall receptions" in the major coastal cities are an
excellent venue to put on our traveling consular services road
show, starring our regional federal benefits assistant, with
strong supporting roles by SCS and PPT/CIT staff.
Observations on the ACS plus system are limited to one month's
experience. We note the obvious increase in officer time
devoted to passport processing (the officer must deal with each
passport case in the software system at least three times.) We
are also very disappointed that a mailing label function,
available in the old ACS system was not included in ACS plus.
Because warden messages can be very long and complicated, and as
most of our registered Amcits are elderly and do not have
internet access, we often mail messages (and the consular
newsletter) directly to each Amcit, rather than activate the
telephone-based warden system. We also direct mail out
invitations to regional 'town hall receptions.' The current
system of requesting the support desk to create an excel
spreadsheet from our database from which we create mailing
labels is definitely a step backwards. Another noted problem is
in the Subject Details page of core biographical information,
where we must fill in whether or not the subject acquired
citizenship through "parents, birth, naturalization, or
marriage." This question is not on the passport application
form, and applicants become uneasy or upset when we call them to
find out the answer. In addition, it seems to us that "parents"
falls into the "birth" category while "marriage" is not distinct
from the "naturalization" category. We also strongly believe
that the privacy act section should allow for more details as
most privacy act waivers relate to a specific event and rights
are waived only for certain individuals on a specific, limited
issue.

Q) Please comment on how you have managed the
responsibilities involved in providing assistance to
Americans who are the victims of violent crime or
terrorism, as well as the additional reporting
requirements (for example, in death cases or serious
crimes).

Croatia has an extremely low crime rate and incidents of violent
crime against American citizens have been very rare. In the
past year we had only one case of an alleged violent crime
(sexual assault) against an American citizen. We followed FAM
guidance and provided her with the relevant contacts and
addresses for victims of violent crime. The Consul weighed in
with the police and her local employer when the victim filed her
police report. The Ambassador and Consul personally met with
the Minister of Justice to emphasize the Embassy's interest in
the rule of law and a fair and transparent court procedure
against the alleged perpetrator, who is an influential member of
the local community where the alleged crime took place. We
sent a consular officer to observe the investigative hearing
against the alleged perpetrator and provide moral and practical
support to the victim who gave testimony at that hearing. We
continue to follow the ongoing court case and maintain contact
with the victim, who departed Croatia shortly after the
incident.

Visas:
--------------

R) Please describe how your NIV workflow has changed over
the last year. How long does it take to conduct a typical
B1/B2 interview at your post?

The main change to the NIV workflow was the transition in April
2005 from a first come, first served appointment system to the
internet-based appointment system. (see response to paragraph G
above).

NIV interviews typically take 3 minutes to conduct.

- What business facilitation programs do you have in
place?

At this time we have a zero day wait for visa appointments.
Until that changes we do not anticipate the creation of a
business-specific program. In addition, the Consular section
enjoys a strong relationship with Amcham and the resident
Regional Foreign Commercial Officer and works closely with the
FCS office to facilitate requests from investors for information
and/or visa appointments.

- What is the process for requesting an expedited
appointment for students, business travelers and emergency
cases?

See above response concerning wait times. Also, post cooperates
closely with Public Affairs, FCS, and the public to facilitate
cases. Afternoon appointments are made available for student
and business cases and emergency interviews are conducted as
soon as the applicant(s) can make it to the Consular section.
In one case this year the family of a Croatian-American soldier
killed in Iraq was escorted directly into the section and
immediately processed during the regular morning appointment
time. The press reported favorably on the Embassy's service to
the family of the soldier, including specific praise for the
visa service.
Please provide the web link for your NIV services.
The web link to our NIV services
is:www.usembassy.hr/consular/niv/index.htm

S) Ten print finger scans is a requirement for the future.
What changes will you have to make to accommodate that
change? The new system will entail a reader that is 8.5
inches deep by 11 inches wide and almost five inches tall
and will require dedicated power requirements. Will you be
able to adapt the windows with the services available at
post or will you require CA/EX/CSD support with the systems
or OBO support for construction?

Post meets the space and power requirements for installation of
the new system.

- How are the new requirements on facial recognition
impacting your work?

As post has few third-country applicants, the introduction of
Phase Two of the Facial Recognition Program has had minimal
impact upon workload.

Do you feel that the adjudicating
officers have the skills to make these determinations?

Officers said ConGen facial recognition training provided a good
foundation for determinations.

T) What is the status of your IV workload? If you have a
backlog of IV cases due to the approval by USCIS of an
unusually large number of petitions in FY 2005, please
discuss your plans and time-lines for working out the
backlog.

Thanks to the addition of a much-needed MRV-funded IV FSN-
position, as well as extra effort by all IV staff members, we
have eliminated our backlog and currently have no wait for IV
appointments.

- What is your policy on accepting petitions filed at
post? How long do you take to process them and what is the
impact on your visa section?

We handle immigrant visas for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and Slovenia. We accept all immediate relative petitions
(including petitions for Amcit parents) for applicants resident
in Croatia four days per week. Sarajevo and Ljubljana normally
take petitions for immediate relative applicants resident in
their countries. However, if petitioners and applicants from
Bosnia or Slovenia appear at our window, we accept their
petitions as well. If all documents are available, petitions
are processed the same day. There is no significant workload
impact.

U) Please discuss the status of your DV workload (i.e.
growing, stable or shrinking).

Very small. Stable.

V) Please discuss any issues or concerns you have with
third country national cases.

We process IVs for Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia.
Around 60 percent of our cases are from Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and 72 percent of total IV cases listed Bosnia and Herzegovina
as place of birth. We have no special concerns with these
cases.

Fraud Prevention:

W) Please comment on the support provided to your post by
CA/FPP to combat consular fraud. What additional
assistance from the Department might benefit post's fraud
prevention program?
CA/FPP have been an excellent source of ideas for ongoing fraud
investigations and suggestions on how post can improve its fraud
prevention program. As CA/FPP's suggestions, post has expanded
its fraud prevention program to include CLASS checks on IV
petitioners and now requires all minor passport applicants to
personally appear at the same time they present their
application photos to guard against imposter fraud. CA/FPP has
been particularly helpful in an ongoing L petition investigation
concerning Vibrofloors USA, data mining through the CCD for
information related to the petitioner and coordinating contact
between post's FPM and FPMs at other posts with applications
from the same petitioner. The ability to search a text string in
the CCD, currently available only to CA/FPP, has greatly
assisted post's fraud investigations. Post's FPM and anti-fraud
FSN (who also backs up on NIVs) attended a very educational
Greek/Balkans roundtable conference hosted by U.S. Embassy
Athens in November; in addition to presenting post's own
experience on recognizing and combating NIV petition fraud, we
very much appreciated the chance to hear about other regional
posts' experiences using facial recognition and fingerprints to
uncover fraud.


- Please provide reference numbers for the last four
general fraud-reporting cables that you have submitted and
any cables that discuss validation studies at your post.

Zagreb 129; Zagreb 105; 05 Zagreb 790; 05 Zagreb 188; 04 Zagreb
513; 03 Zagreb 2474

General:

X) Describe country conditions that affect your ability to
provide consular services (infrastructure, fraud, political
setting, etc).

Dissemination of public announcements and other warden messages
is labor intensive since many of our registered Amcits are
elderly dual nationals living on islands or in other remote
areas where Internet and sometimes even telephone connections
are lacking. Travel for prison visits or Amcit outreach is also
time-consuming due to difficult road/traffic conditions and the
distances involved.

Y) Describe any other issue not raised in the preceding
questions that you believe to be significant to the
consular section's effectiveness in handling its
responsibilities.

We need a proper access control system on the door between the
consular section and the rest of the interior of the Embassy.
The consular section is very large and the door that leads to
the rest of the Embassy is quite a walk from any desk or work
area. It is an unacceptable interruption to our workflow and to
our ability to serve clients if employees have to stop their
work at the window, or leave their desk to open the consular
section door for another Embassy employee who needs to enter.
Non-consular employees need to enter the section for a variety
of reasons, either for a notary or passport service,
consultation on an IV application for a spouse, consultation on
a work issue shared with the consular section, GSO inspection or
repair services, etc. We do not require employees seeking a
consular service (other than an IV or NIV interview) to come to
our customer windows because the consular waiting room entrance
is separate from the main Chancery entrance. It would entail a
long walk (often in the bitter cold or rain) to exit the Embassy
and re-enter at the public entrance to enter the consular
waiting room.

When OBO completed construction of our new Chancery in spring
2003, they only installed a cipher lock on the consular section
door leading to the rest of the Embassy. The door's location
allows consular employees to see anyone who enters. Because
only a limited number of employees has the lock combination,
consular employees must continuously leave the window, their
work stations, or telephone conversations with customers to open
the door for whomever might be knocking.

We would like to install a system whereby employees needing to
enter would ring a doorbell and consular employees at a variety
of stations (desks, NIV processing station, windows) could buzz
the person in. The cost estimate for such a system is $4,100.
The Embassy would like to request consular MRV funds for this
access system, or if no consular funds are available, we request
assistance in obtaining funding from OBO to correct this
oversight. We will send supplemental MRV funding requests
septel for the access system and for the part-time office
manager/special assistant position mentioned in paragraph C.
FRANK