CONSULAR SECTION ALGIERS WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES

UNCLAS ALGIERS 000040 SIPDIS CAIRO FOR RCO CHRIS ROWAN E.O. 12958 AS AMENDED: N/A TAGS: CVIS CMGT AG SUBJECT: CONSULAR SECTION ALGIERS WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES ORIENTATION PROGRAM ¶1. Summary: U.S. Embassy Algiers consular section recently implemented an orientation program for potentially vulnerable new immigrants to the United States. Diversity visa (DV) winners, female fiancs and female spouses of American citizens are given the opportunity to pick up their visas at the consular section during a 90-minute "Welcome to America" orientation session. We believe that providing these individuals with this extra information will make their transition to the United States smoother and safer. End summary. ¶2. Consular officers at Embassy Algiers had noticed that many fiance and spousal visa applicants were entering into potentially exploitative or abusive situations. Many immigrant visa petitioners are new American citizens who have obtained their U.S. citizenship through marriage to, and subsequent recent divorce from, a non-Muslim American citizen and then returned to Algeria to marry a much younger woman from a traditional background. When asked why they chose to marry this person, the petitioners have generally stated that she would stay home to cook, clean and make children. On multiple occasions, consular officers observed that the female immigrant visa applicants did not answer the consular officer's questions directly but deferred to the accompanying American citizen petitioner. In such cases, the consular officer separated the couple to speak to the women alone. Oftentimes, the consular officer found that the women's families have orchestrated the marriages and that the brides have had little, if any, input into the marriage arrangements. However, this has not meant the women are any less committed to their wedding vows. We have also seen women who agreed to join their petitioners in the United States even after the interviewing consular officer disclosed to them the petitioners' previously undisclosed criminal records (often including domestic violence charges) or prior marriages. ¶3. Further, numerous DV lottery winners tell us of their plans to stay initially with distant friends or family members in the U.S. of whom they know little or nothing. As many such immigrants have never before left their small towns, much less the country, we included them in our orientation program. ¶4. With such impressionable and perhaps vulnerable new immigrants in mind, the consular section created a 90-minute "Welcome to the United States" orientation session. Now, after an officer deems a DV, female K1, CR1, or IR1 applicant qualified and authorized for issuance, the applicant is given the opportunity to pick up his or her visa at one of the bimonthly orientation sessions. The USCIS "Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants", is the primary tool for each orientation session. In each session, the applicants are given their IV/DV packets, a copy of the USCIS guide in French or Arabic and a brief overview of the guide's content. Local consular staff presenters stress several key points found in the guide, such as: what to expect at port of entry, a general overview of how local U.S. law enforcement helps individuals in distress and the basic rights/responsibilities of a new immigrant to the U.S. The vital piece of information that we emphasize in each session is that no spouse, friend or family member has the right to take their immigration documents and status away from them. ¶5. At the end of each session, each attendee is asked to fill out an evaluation regarding the content and delivery of the orientation. We have found that all attendees appreciated these sessions, and we received a few suggestions for improvement. Several people stated that they wanted more information on how to go to school and/or learn English once in the United States. Therefore, we added the relevant information for state-sponsored English as a Second Language programs to each person's information packet. ¶6. Since November 23, 2009, we have conducted the orientation sessions for a total of 47 new immigrants, without any negative impact on the consular section's busy schedule or resources. We look forward to providing this service for many more such immigrants in the future. PEARCE