Visa Validation Study - Jordan's General Intelligence

UNCLAS AMMAN 002199 STATE FOR CA/FPP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD CVIS JO SUBJECT: Visa Validation Study - Jordan's General Intelligence Directorate is Golden -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Amman is initiating a series of targeted validation studies of visa applicants. Post was interested in analyzing tourist travel for employees of Jordan's General Intelligence Directorate (GID),as GID alleged that their employees, pre-vetted by GID for leisure travel, "never overstay." Post has recently verified this assertion by confirming 100% compliance of GID employees with U.S. immigration laws governing length-of-stay in the United States. -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In the past, Amman's consular section limited the tourist visas of low-to-mid-ranked GID officials, to reflect the purpose and length of travel. In a July meeting with GID, Embassy officers learned that GID employees applying for tourist visas would present GID letters as part of their application. Also, GID officials assured the USG that their employees would not stay in the United States beyond the authorized time frame. Post tested this assertion by designing and implementing a validation study. -------------- METHODOLOGY -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During the months of August and September, Post ran a validation study of all Jordanian GID employees who received B1/B2 visas during the 2008 calendar year. First, Post extracted records from the Consular Consolidated Database using the 'text search' function to cull visa records where 'GID' appeared in the Case Notes. This resulted in a pool of 40 applicants. Post's Fraud Prevention Unit then verified the applicants' travel through the DHS database, "Arrival Departure Information System" (ADIS). -------------- RESULTS -------------- ¶4. (SBU) ADIS results revealed that of the 40 GID employees issued B1/B2 visas outside of the referral process, the 27 employees with records in ADIS exhibited a 100% compliance rate with U.S. immigration law governing length-of-stay. Of the 13 employees lacking an ADIS record, it is unclear whether or not the GID employees actually traveled to the United States during that time period. -------------- CONCLUSION -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Post concludes that GID employees applying for visitor visas who present a letter from their supervisor appear to be good candidates for visa issuance. The validation study results reaffirm Post's confidence in issuing full validity B1/B2 visas for GID applicants who meet these criteria. BEECROFT