MOLDOVA ELDERLY TRAVELERS B1/B2 VALIDATION STUDY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000721

DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/VO/F/P
DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC
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SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS, KFRD, CMGT, ASEC, MD
SUBJ: MOLDOVA ELDERLY TRAVELERS B1/B2 VALIDATION
STUDY

REF: 07 BUCHAREST 001336

1. SUMMARY: Embassy Chisinau conducted a
validation study of B1/B2 issuances to applicants
over 60 years of age. Post combined the results
from DHS's Arrival Departure Information System
(ADIS) with follow-up telephone calls. The study
covered 100% of B1/B2 issuances in CY 2008 to
applicants who were at least 60 years of age
within that year. The sample group consisted of
289 applicants. The study showed 5.2% of
travelers over 60 overstayed or adjusted status.
Furthermore, only 2% of travelers over 65
overstayed. END SUMMARY.

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Data Collection and Methodology
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2. Elderly applicants are often seen as possibly
problematic. Potentially of use as long-term
babysitters, and with limited disposable income or
other economic ties to their country of origin,
they are often seen as likely to remain in the
U.S. for extended periods. To evaluate such
assumptions, post looked at all the B1/B2 visa
issuances from January 1 to December 31, 2008, to
any applicant who reached at least the age of 60
years by December 31, 2008.

3. The total sample group was 289 individuals
whose travel patterns were examined with the use
of ADIS and the use of follow up phone calls.
Post looked at the numbers of people who traveled
or did not travel on the visa they were issued,
the length of time it took applicants to travel on
the visa they were issued, and the length of stay.

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Analysis
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4. Of the 289 people issued visas, 3.1% presented
Russian passports, 1% Ukrainian, with the
remainder traveling on Moldovan Passports.
(COMMENT: The absence of Romanian passports in
this population is notable given the large numbers
of Moldovan citizens who hold them. END COMMENT)
About 12% of the sample had traveled to the US
prior to the visa issuance in 2008.

5. Post examined the patterns of visa use for the
CY 2008 issuances. Thirty-five of the people
issued visas in 2008 (12%) have not used their
issued visa by the time of the study. Of the 254
travelers, 42% traveled within 30 days of
receiving the visa, 70% within two months, 90%
within six months. Almost all traveled within a
year of issue, with only two people waiting for
more than a year to travel.

6. To date, of the 254 travelers, 88% have only
traveled once, 12% have traveled twice, and two
people have gone three times. Over 72% of all
travelers have not spent more than three months in
the United States at any one time. Of those who
traveled, 25 are currently in the U.S., but only
seven of them have overstayed or adjusted status.

7. Fifteen travelers (5.2% of issuances) spent
more than six months in the U.S. (NOTE: one of
the travelers with no departure record was reached
by phone at her Chisinau residence, and after
getting over her surprise at hearing from post,
immediately requested information on potential
future visa issuances. END NOTE) Nine travelers
had overstayed according to ADIS, but had left the
U.S. at the time of the study. Seven people are
assumed still to be in the U.S. Of these, two
people have adjusted status, as has one person not
currently in the U.S. Illegal overstays for this
population amount to 13 people, or 4.5% of
issuances. Today, only 1.7% of the people in the
study sample are in the U.S. illegally.


CHISINAU 00000721 002 OF 002


8. Of those who traveled once, almost 94% were in
the U.S. for less than six months. 38% spent 31
days or less in the US, 22.5% spent between 32 and
62 days there, 12.6% people spent between 63 and
92 days, and 19.8% spent three to six months (93-
182 days) in the U.S. Of the 30 people who
traveled twice, only one overstayed, with trips of
184 and 187 days.

9. Advanced age was not a significant factor in
overstay rates. Only two of the 16 people over 80
overstayed, while the remaining overstays were all
under 70. Overstays over 65 were only 2% of all
issuances for this sample.

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Comment
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10. The low number of overstays in this target
group shows that most applicants issued visas
after the age of 60 (and especially over 65)
continue to have strong ties to Moldova, even if
they do not have a significant amount of
disposable income, or have family members in the
U.S. Apparently family, community, cultural and
habitual ties, as well as those to land or other
real estate, are quite strong for this population.

11. The relatively low number of people who made
multiple use of the visas, and their generally
positive travel history, further demonstrates that
most applicants in the sample did not use a
multiple entry visa to spend the preponderance of
their time in the U.S.

12. The results of this study show that Moldovan
pensioners are only marginally riskier issuances
than their Romanian counterparts (REFTEL),and
that shows that in absolute terms, Moldovan
pensioners are low-risk applicants, especially
those over 65 years of age. This initial
conclusion, however, should be reviewed over a
longer time horizon, and post intends to conduct a
study of longer term visa usage by this population
in the near future.


CHAUDHRY