ANGOLAN IMMIGRATION SERVICE DELAYS IN PROCESSING WORK VISA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LUANDA 000652 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR CA/OCS/ACS - STEVE DONLON AND AF/S FOR CA/EX PAUL CANTRELL JOHANNESBURG FOR RCO - MICHAEL VEASY E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: CASC MGT AFSN APER CMGT PGOV EPET AO SUBJECT: ANGOLAN IMMIGRATION SERVICE DELAYS IN PROCESSING WORK VISA RENEWALS LEAVE HUNDREDS OF AMCITS STRANDED ¶1. SUMMARY: AS MANY AS 200 AMERICAN CITIZENS IN ANGOLA HAVE NOW BEEN WITHOUT THEIR PASSPORTS FOR AT LEAST FOUR WEEKS AND MANY FOR AS LONG AS EIGHT WEEKS AS THEY AWAIT WORK VISA RENEWAL PROCESSING BY THE ANGOLAN IMMIGRATION SERVICES. THESE DELAYS ARE CAUSING HAVOC WITH 28-DAY WORK ROTATIONS USED BY MANY OIL COMPANIES OPERATING OFF-SHORE OIL RIGS IN ANGOLA, AS WELL AS DERAILING OTHER TRAVEL PLANS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS. IN ADDITION, POST IS PROCESSING A SURGE IN REQUESTS FOR SECOND AND EMERGENCY PASSPORTS IN RESPONSE TO THIS PROBLEM, STRAINING AN ALREADY UNDERSTAFFED CONSULAR SECTION. POST'S REQUESTS TO HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES FOR MEETINGS WITH IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS THIS PROBLEM HAVE SO FAR GONE UNHEEDED. AS A RESULT, POST REQUESTS THAT THE REVISED CONSULAR INFORMATION SHEET HIGHLIGHTING THIS PROBLEM AND SUGGESTING THOSE PLANNING TO WORK IN ANGOLA OBTAIN A SECOND PASSPORT BE PUBLISHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. END SUMMARY. ¶2. IN LATE 2005/EARLY 2006, THE ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT BEGAN INVESTIGATING OFFICIALS OF THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION SERVICE, SME (SERVICO DE MIGRACAO E ESTRANGEIRO) FOR CORRUPTION. THE END RESULT WAS A SERIES OF HIGH-LEVEL FIRINGS, INLCUDING THE HEAD OF IMMIGRATION IN THE SPRING OF 2006. ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF FIRINGS AND ROTATIONS OF STAFF HAVE OCCURRED PERIODICALLY SINCE THEN AS THE GOVERNMENT OF ANGOLA ATTEMPTS TO ROOT OUT CORRUPTION IN ITS IMMIGRATION SERVICES. WHILE CRACKING DOWN ON CORRUPTION IS LAUDABLE, THE RESULT HAS BEEN MASS CHAOS IN THE PROCESSING OF WORK-VISA RENEWALS BY FOREIGN NATIONALS WHILE THEY ARE IN-COUNTRY, A SITUATION THAT HAS WORSENED IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS. ¶3. AMERICANS AND OTHER FOREIGN NATIONALS WORKING IN ANGOLA RECEIVE ONE-YEAR WORK VISAS (NOTE: WE CURRENTLY ISSUE WORK-RELATED NIV'S FOR TWO YEARS. END NOTE) THE FIRST TIME ONE APPLIES FOR A WORK VISA, THE APPLICATION IS PROCESSED BY THE ANGOLAN EMBASSY IN THE APPLICANT'S HOME COUNTRY, BUT RENEWALS MAY BE PROCESSED BY SME IN ANGOLA. AS A RESULT OF INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS WITH MAJOR AMERICAN OIL COMPANIES OPERATING IN ANGOLA, POST ESTIMATES THAT UP TO 200 AMERICAN CITIZENS ARE CURRENTLY WITHOUT THEIR PASSPORTS BECAUSE OF HAVING SUBMITTED THEM FOR WORK VISA RENEWALS. DELAYS OF FOUR TO EIGHT WEEKS HAVE �0A;BECOME STANDARD IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, WHEREAS IN PRIOR MONTHS DELAYS OF TWO TO FOUR WEEKS WERE STANDARD. POST HAS ALSO RECEIVED TWO REPORTS OF SME LOSING U.S. PASSPORTS DURING VISA PROCESSING. ¶4. MANY OIL COMPANIES OPERATING IN ANGOLA HAVE WORKERS WHO COME FOR 28-DAY ROTATIONAL SHIFTS ON OFF-SHORE OIL RIGS. DUE TO THE WORK-VISA PROCESSING DELAYS, MANY OF THESE WORKERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO RETURN HOME FOR THEIR 28 DAYS OFF IN THE US. THE SITUATION IS HURTING MORALE AND SOME OIL COMPANIES ARE REPORTING THAT IT HAS BECOME DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT WORKERS TO WORK IN ANGOLA BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT SOME CURRENT WORKERS ARE QUITTING. ON OIL COMPANY OFFICIAL LAMENTED THE FACT THAT THE COMPANY IS LOSING HIGHLY-SKILLED WORKERS WHO CAN EASILY FIND WORK IN OTHER OIL-PRODUCING COUNTRIES THAT DO NOT "TRAP" THEM IN-COUNTRY FOR VISA-PROCESSING. INDEED, MANY AMERICAN CITIZENS, WHEN CONTACTING THE CONSULAR SECTION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, INDICATE THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE IN PRISON IN ANGOLA SINCE THEY ARE WITHOUT THEIR PASSPORT FOR SO LONG AND CANNOT TRAVEL. FAMILY MEMBERS OF "TRAPPED" WORKERS IN ANGOLA HAVE BEGUN TO CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT ABOUT THIS SITUATION, AND POST HAS RECEIVED TWO CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRIES IN THE LAST YEAR RELATED TO THIS SITUATION. ¶5. AS A RESULT, POST'S CONSULAR SECTION IS PROCESSING AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF SECOND AND EMERGENCY PASSPORT REQUESTS. IN 2005, POST PROCESSED A TOTAL OF 72 PASSPORT APPLICATIONS. IN 2006, WHEN THE PROBLEMS WITH WORK-VISA PROCESSING BEGAN, THAT NUMBER ALMOST DOUBLED TO 130. SO FAR IN FY 2007, POST HAS PROCESSED 150 PASSPORT APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING 13 EMERGENCY PASSPORTS, ALREADY EXCEEDING LAST YEAR'S NUMBER CONSIDERABLY. IN ADDITION, NON-IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATIONS ARE RUNNING 15% AHEAD OF LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS, AND POST JUST BEGAN PROCESSING IMMIGRANT VISAS IN THE LAST YEAR. THE ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD CAUSED BY THE INCREASED PASSPORT APPLICATIONS, RESPONDING TO NUMEROUS INQUIRIES FROM AMCITS ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION, AND TRYING TO ENGAGE THE ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT ON THIS PROBLEM IS STRAINING AN ALREADY UNDER-STAFFED CONSULAR SECTION (SEE 07 LUANDA 000209). ¶6. COMPLICATING MATTERS, ONCE A SECOND OR EMERGENCY PASSPORT IS GRANTED, AMCITS MUST THEN OBTAIN AN EXIT VISA IN ORDER TO DEPART ANGOLA ON A PASSPORT OTHER THAN THE ONE ON WHICH THEY ARRIVED. WHILE SME OFFICIALS HAVE SO FAR BEEN COOPERATIVE IN GRANTING EXIT VISAS IN A TIMELY MANNER, PARTICULARLY FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, POST IS CONCERNED THAT SHOULD SOMEONE NEED TO TRAVEL URGENTLY ON A WEEKEND OR HOLIDAY THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO OBTAIN THE REQUIRED EXIT VISA. ¶7. POST IS ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE TWO REPORTS IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF SME LOSING US PASSPORTS DURING VISA PROCESSING. POST HAS RAISED THIS ISSUE IN A DIPLOMATIC NOTE AND IN MEETINGS WITH HOST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. AMCITS WHO HAVE NOW BEEN WAITING EIGHT WEEKS FOR THEIR PASSPORTS ARE ALSO WONDERING IF THEIR PASSPORTS HAVE BEEN LOST BY SME. LUANDA 00000652 002 OF 002 ¶7. POST HAS BEEN REQUESTING MEETINGS WITH TOP SME OFFICIALS FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW, BUT THE REORGANZIATION OF THE SME HAS MADE A MEETING IMPOSSIBLE. SUCH REQUESTS MUST BE MADE VIA DIPLOMATIC NOTE AND WE HAVE SEVERAL REQUESTS STILL OUTSTANDING. WE HAVE ALSO MET WITH CONSULAR OFFICIALS AND THE NORTH AMERICA DESK AT THE FOREIGN MINISTRY TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE AND REQUEST THEIR ASSISTANCE IN SECURING A MEETING WITH SME. ¶8. POST HAS ALSO BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OTHER FOREIGN MISSIONS IN ANGOLA WHO REPORT SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND DELAYS IN THE PROCESSING OF WORK VISA RENEWALS FOR THEIR CITIZENS. IN AUGUST OF 2006, POST CONVENED A SERIES OF MEETINGS OF CONSULAR OFFICIALS FROM OTHER MISSIONS TO DISCUSS A JOINT RESPONSE TO THIS PROBLEM, RESULTING IN A JOINT DIPLOMATIC NOTE FROM 10 MISSIONS, MOSTLY FROM WESTERN EUROPE, REQUESTING A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM AND A MEETING WITH SME OFFICIALS. A SIMILAR DIPLOMATIC NOTE WAS SENT BY EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER COUNTRIES. THESE NOTES ALSO RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. ¶9. POST HAS SUBMITTED A REVISED CONSULAR INFORMATION SHEET FOR APPROVAL BY THE DEPARTMENT WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. POST REQUESTS THAT THE INFORMATION BE PUBLISHED AND APPROVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. POST WILL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE ALL AVAILABLE ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHILE ASSISTING AMERICANS WITH THEIR TRAVEL NEEDS THROUGH THE ISSUANCE OF SECOND AND EMERGENCY PASSPORTS. WITH NO INCREASE IN CONSULAR STAFF, HOWEVER, NON-IMMIGRANT VISA WAIT TIMES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS WE REDUCE THE NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE IN ORDER TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF AMERICANS WITH EMERGENCY TRAVEL NEEDS. EFIRD