Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
09GUANGZHOU631 | 2009-11-16 07:09:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Consulate Guangzhou |
VZCZCXRO0936 RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC DE RUEHGZ #0631/01 3200709 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 160709Z NOV 09 FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1094 INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0873 RUEHPNH/NVC PORTSMOUTH 0010 RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE 0339 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0035 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0041 RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0030 |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUANGZHOU 000631 |
1. (SBU) Summary: In mid-September, Guangzhou's Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) conducted on-site visits as part of a validation study focusing on the accuracy of issuances and refusals for students from Fuzhou, Fujian. Fujian province has become notorious over the past 30 years for immigration document fraud and human smuggling. Fifty-one (51) cases from those that had been referred to FPU by visa line officers were randomly selected for site visits. All officers were able to gain better insight into what constitutes good and bad issuances from this area as well as how FPU investigations help visa officers improve the accuracy of their adjudications. End summary. Background: what we knew -------------------------- 2. (SBU) Guangzhou FPU conducted a student visa validation study in 2007. That study revealed that of the nearly 4.8 percent of students issued visas in Guangzhou who drop out of status in the United States, nearly 10 percent of those students were from Fujian province. Of those cases, 11.6% were from the provincial capital of Fuzhou. Our objective was to check the accuracy of information provided by applicants on the nonimmigrant visa application form (DS-156) and to confirm that the adjudications by the officer made sense. Process -------------------------- 3. (SBU) FPU gathered cases that had been referred by visa officers over a two month period prior to the site visit. Cases consisted of applicants from Fuzhou who had been interviewed, referred, and investigated by Guangzhou FPU according to existing SOPs. Fifty-one (51) cases that had either been issued or refused after FPU reported its investigation results back to the visa officers were randomly selected for on-site visits. The student applicant's home address and the work addresses of their parents were then plotted on a map. Five teams, each consisting of an officer and an FSN, including one team comprised of the ARSO-I and the FSN investigator, then divided the cases by geographic locations. 4. (SBU) The trip required coordination with the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), the provincial arm of the MFA, which sent a representative to meet us at the airport. Except for an arrival briefing on the procedure for issuing PRC official passports, FAO officials were not involved in our site visits. We had hoped to visit some of Fuzhou's top public schools to talk with administrators. Unfortunately, the FAO did not allow us to visit, claiming scheduling conflicts and H1N1 flu concerns. 5. (SBU) The teams first attempted to visit the applicant's residence. If that was not possible, teams visited the parents' place of employment. At the end of each day, team members convened to discuss their findings and the cases to be investigated the following day. The on-site exercise did not end once we returned from Fuzhou. Back in Guangzhou, officers checked the SEVIS (viz. current U.S. school enrollment) status of all students in the group who had been issued visas. We also added case notes for each applicant that we visited so that our findings will be available to all visa officers should the applicant apply again. Findings -------------------------- 6. (U) The 51 cases investigated consisted of 32 issued and 19 refused cases. Of the issued cases, all of their SEVIS records have changed to ACTIVE status, indicating that the applicant is presently registered at a school or college and that an appropriate adjudication was made. 7. (SBU) The 19 refused cases included many that an FPU investigation had determined were inconclusive but with several signs pointing to fraud. Indeed, a review of these cases shows that these doubts were with good reason. For example, some had non-existent home addresses, or business addresses that were actually the offices of a visa "consultant." Others had home situations so dire as to put into doubt the parent's ability to pay for the tuition. In one case, a parent openly admitted to purchasing a set of fake documents from a visa broker. 8. (U) A handful of refused cases, however, stood out. In two cases, the students were found at home and gave reasons for wanting to study that were consistent with the interview notes. The family situation indicated a level of affluence likely sufficient to cover the cost of studying in the United States. Two of the refused applicants later reapplied for student visas. Interviewing officers were able to review the notes from the site visit and approved the visas of both applicants. 9. (SBU) The site visit exercise also confirmed the accuracy of some basic student visa adjudication criteria. For example, many of the GUANGZHOU 00000631 002 OF 002 issued cases involved students who had graduated from a numbered public high school, which have a good reputation in Fuzhou. Refused students, on the other hand, often claimed to be attending an English language training academy. Several refused cases also failed to list an apartment number with their address. Because most housing in Chinese cities is in high-rise apartments, an apartment or floor number should be expected. Moving forward -------------------------- 10. (SBU) All participants concluded that the Fuzhou site visits yielded useful information about the cases that were adjudicated as well as the criteria being used to decide future student visa cases. We are now expanding the use of the site visit exercise. For example, NIV officers have launched "Fraud Fridays." Once a month, section workload permitting, a team of one officer and one FSN will be given 3-5 cases to site visit. The goal is to help all visa officers gain a better appreciation of the local environment and thus strengthen their own adjudication technique while sharing information with the other line officers. Thus, a similar process of adding case notes and developing training materials will occur after each site visit exercise. Comment -------------------------- 11. (SBU) We will continue to explore whether and to what extent China's economic transformation may be affecting the bona fides of visa applicants in traditionally high immigration fraud areas. Sending officer and FSN teams to conduct site visits on applicants helps officers to obtain a "street level" view of how people live in these cities. Facts on the application form can quickly be confirmed, and notes taken to benefit future adjudications. End comment. GOLDBECK |