VZCZCXRO9083
RR RUEHJS
DE RUEHJA #1706/01 2540035
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 100035Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0032
INFO RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 2270
RUEHJA/AMCONSUL MEDAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 JAKARTA 001706 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/EX, CA/VO/F/P, EAP/MTS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS CMGT KFRD ID
SUBJECT: Jakarta F1 Visa Validation Study 
 
REF: Jakarta 1192 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: The Consular Section of US Embassy Jakarta recently 
conducted a student visa validation study.  The study covered F1 
visa issuances for the six-month period December 1, 2006, to May 31, 
2007, and was based on queries of Student Exchange and Visitor 
Information System (SEVIS) status within the Consolidated Consular 
Database (CCD) followed by queries of the Department of Homeland 
SecurityQs (DHS) Arrival-Departure Information System (ADIS).  The 
overstay rate was 4 percent.  However, an additional 13 percent of 
students adjusted status within 6 months of their arrival to the 
U.S., raising concerns about the legitimacy of their student intent. 
 The study found that many applicants who attended one English 
Language School violated U.S. immigration laws.  The data show a 
significant decrease in the overstay rate and number of suspect 
students during the last month of the study period, which was the 
first month of significantly tightened adjudication standards for 
English language school students.  This reduced overstay rate and 
reduced rate of quick adjustments of status in May 2007 mirrors a 
similar trend revealed in the B1/B2 study of the same period 
(reftel).  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------- 
Methodology 
----------- 
 
¶2. The study was restricted to F1 visa issuances to Indonesian 
applicants.  The sample was selected from issuances during the 
six-month period December 1, 2006, to May 31, 2007, the same study 
period as a recent B1/B2 validation study (reftel). 
 
¶3. In the study period, 753 F1 visas were issued.  The random sample 
selection was done in accordance with instructions in the Consular 
Affairs/Fraud Prevention Program (CA/FPP) document "How to use the 
CCD reports and Excel Spreadsheet to generate random samples of visa 
applicants for use in a validation study". The number sampled (567 
applicants) was based upon a statistical formula for calculating 
sample sizes. The sample number provides a standard +/- 2.1 interval 
for an overstay rate of 10 percent as suggested by FPP. 
 
¶4. Conoff used the Consolidated Consular Database (CCD) to check the 
Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) status of 
all the students in the sample. If the student was in "Active" or 
"Initial" status, the student was assumed to be enrolled in a valid 
program or in the process of transferring from one valid program to 
another.  If the student was in any other SEVIS status, Post looked 
them up in the Department of Homeland SecurityQs (DHS) 
Arrival-Departure Information System (ADIS) to help determine if the 
applicant never travelled, returned to Indonesia, or was still in 
the U.S.: 
 
-- A SEVIS status of "Cancelled" means the applicant failed to 
register, and Conoff tried to confirm that the student never 
travelled; 
 
-- A SEVIS status of "Terminated" means the academic program was not 
completed, and Conoff tried to confirm that the student went to the 
U.S. and returned to Indonesia; 
 
-- If the SEVIS status was "Completed", Conoff tried to confirm the 
student returned to Indonesia or transferred (sometimes with a 
different SEVIS ID) to another academic program; 
 
-- A SEVIS status of "Deactivated" means the student should have 
another SEVIS record at a different institution, which Conoff tried 
to confirm. 
 
¶5. By comparing the SEVIS history and the dates of SEVIS status 
changes with the studentQs travel history in ADIS, Conoff could make 
a reasonable assessment of the student's present status.  In many 
cases ADIS also reports if the traveler adjusted status to become an 
immigrant or claim asylum.  If the student entered the U.S., and 
ADIS reported that the individual adjusted status, and the student 
was not active in SEVIS for 6 months after entry, then for purposes 
of this study the traveler was counted as a "quick adjustment of 
status." (Note: Six-month cutoff was chosen arbitrarily. End Note.) 
Student adjustments of status are common and not inherently 
problematic, but if a student applicant arrived in the US and 
applied to be an immigrant within 6 months of entry and did not 
maintain their student status, they likely misrepresented themselves 
as students at the time of the visa interview.  Though not 
technically overstays, since they are in legal status, these 
applicants are problematic, since they appear to have abused the 
student visa process. 
 
-------- 
Findings 
-------- 
 
 
JAKARTA 00001706  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶6. Table of findings: 
 
SEVIS Status 
Active: 359 (63.3%) 
Cancelled: 38 (6.7%) 
Terminated: 88 (15.5%) 
Initial: 27 (4.8%) 
Completed: 54 (9.5%) 
Deactivated: 1 (0.2%) 
 
Total: 567 (100%) 
 
Presumed Status Based on Analysis 
Active Students: 390 (69%) 
Returned: 59 (10%) 
Never travelled: 6 (1%) 
Adjusted status after more than 6 months: 28 (5%) 
Adjusted status within 6 months of arriving: 60 (11%) 
Likely overstay: 24 (4%) 
 
¶7. Breakdown of Problematic Students: 
 
Sum of Overstay Percentage and Adjusted Status within 6 months of 
arrival (AOS-quick) Percentage: 
December 2006 Q- 6% (overstay) + 7% (AOS-quick) = 13% 
January 2007 -- 6% (overstay) + 8% (AOS-quick) = 14% 
February 2007 -Q 3% (overstay) + 17% (AOS-quick) = 20% 
March 2007 -- 7% (overstay) + 13% (AOS-quick) = 20% 
April 2007 -- 2% (overstay) + 29% (AOS-quick) = 31% 
May 2007 -- 0% (overstay) + 4% (AOS-quick) = 4% 
 
Average Age (yrs):  23.71 
 
Gender: Male  47% Female 53% 
 
-------- 
Analysis 
-------- 
 
¶8.  Though the presumed overstay rate was only 4 percent, the total 
number of students who adjusted status was 17 percent.  Student 
adjustments of status are legal and not uncommon, especially after 
years in the U.S. as a student (e.g., adjustment to H1B worker 
status after graduation and practical training).  However, the 
majority of students (13 percent of total) who arrived in the U.S. 
and adjusted status did so within 6 months of arriving, while the 
remaining 4 percent adjusted to immigrant status after a longer 
period of time in the U.S. 
 
¶9. During the study period, various visa brokers were facilitating 
Indonesians posing as students to enter the U.S.  Other applicants 
may have taken similar malafide approaches independently. 
Considering the 85 cumulative overstays and quick adjustments of 
immigrant status (cumulative questionable students), 21 students (25 
percent) registered at various "ELS Language Centers" around the 
country, and 10 students (12 percent) went to Concord English 
Language Center (ELC) -- a combined 37 percent of the cumulative 
questionable students registered with these two English language 
programs. 
 
¶10. FPP notified posts early in 2008 that the Concord ELC Program 
was a front to facilitate foreign nationals coming to the U.S. to 
work illegally.  Jakarta FPU had also been investigating fraudulent 
cases related to Concord and other language schools for months 
before. In April 2008, DHS shut down the Concord English Language 
Center.  ELS Programs and Concord ELC aside, the schools with the 
highest cumulative questionable students were Arizona State (6 
students), Cal State Chico (5 students), and Cal State Fullerton and 
Longbeach (4 students each). 
 
---------- 
Conclusion 
---------- 
 
¶11. This is the first documented F1 validation study at Post.  The 
percentage of students in active SEVIS status was lower than 
expected Q 67 percent.  However, an average of 77 percent of 
students issued visas during the study period are either still in 
school or returned to Indonesia.  In May 2007, this percentage was 
much higher at 94 percent.  This is likely due to tightened 
adjudicating standards, a reduction in issuances to English language 
students, and the early summer influx of students applying to attend 
community colleges, associate degree programs, and 4-year college 
programs. 
 
¶12. COMMENT: Post recognizes that this validation study methodology 
has weaknesses, but given the available data, it is a useful 
indicator of student visa trends.  Post access to ADIS proved an 
invaluable resource in determining the travel history of applicants. 
 
JAKARTA 00001706  003 OF 003 
 
 
 Post acknowledges that ADIS is far from completely accurate, but 
coupled with SEVIS and the CCD, the resource helped indicate when 
students arrived, when and if they left, and if they adjusted 
status.  Consular management has discussed the findings with the 
adjudicating consular officers to improve interviewing and 
adjudicating skills.  END COMMENT. 
 
HUME