VZCZCXRO3152
RR RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHNEH
DE RUEHBI #0151/01 0990302
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090302Z APR 09
FM AMCONSUL MUMBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7095
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 8324
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 2031
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 1822
RUEHNEH/AMCONSUL HYDERABAD 0028
RUEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0013
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 2282

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MUMBAI 000151 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP - JILL NYSTROM; PASS TO DHS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFRD CVIS CMGT IN
SUBJECT: C1/D VISAS: SMOOTH SAILING IN MUMBAI 
 
REF: 05 MUMBAI 1639, 04 MUMBAI 2613 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  ConGen Mumbai, one of the top C1/D visa 
adjudicating posts in the world, issued more than 16,000 C1/D 
visas in FY2008.  A recent validation study confirmed an 
overstay rate of less than one percent.  Post's Shipping 
Executive Program (SEP), which allocates appointments for 
well-established shipping companies that maintain high 
recruiting and reporting standards, aided post's adjudications. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  In FY2008, Mumbai issued 16,696 C1/D visas and refused 
2,011, a refusal rate of 10.7 percent.  FY2008 issuances were up 
1.7 percent compared to FY2007.  In FY2007 post issued 16,417 
C1/D visas and refused 1,525(8.4 percent). 
 
SHIPPING EXECUTIVE PROGRAM 
 
¶3.  Many C1/D visa applicants were recruited by post's SEP 
member companies, which includes 12 large ship crew recruitment 
agencies and three major airlines (reftels).  Of 18,980 C1/D 
visa appointments made in Mumbai during FY2008, 8,387 (44.2%) 
were from SEP companies.  SEP companies, who undergo a screening 
process before gaining membership, use their own login to 
schedule visa appointments through our visa appointment 
scheduler's website and provide official letters for their 
applicants that contain the company seal, an authorized 
signature, and other security features.  Post also requires them 
to notify us of all individuals who do not report for duty as 
scheduled for duty.  (Note: Posts considering implementing a 
Shipping Executive Program, may write to MumbaiSEP@state.gov for 
more details.) 
 
¶4.  The NIV officer responsible for managing the SEP portfolio 
also maintains lists of shipping companies or agents labeled as 
"Caution" and "Delisted" companies.  Applicants from delisted 
companies are adjudicated with extreme caution based on previous 
malfeasance or ongoing concerns about the companies' hiring 
practices.  Applicants from Caution companies are adjudicated 
with extra care based on questionable past and current hiring 
practices. Companies not on any list are considered "neutral." 
 
VALIDATION METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS 
 
¶5.  The validation study randomly selected 1,000 applicants from 
the 16,696 C1/D visas issued during FY2008.  Arrival and 
Departure Information System (ADIS) checks were conducted for 
all the cases.  The ADIS checks confirmed departures for 856 
visa holders.  Post made separate verification and pretext calls 
for the remaining 144 cases.  In most instances, calls to the 
employers revealed the visa holders had departed the United 
States.  In other cases, post called residences and spoke to 
family members, or to visa holders themselves, to verify 
departure.  Post suspected or confirmed fraud or overstays in 
only nine of the 1,000 cases, a rate of only 0.9 percent. 
 
¶6.  For seven cases, verification calls to employers confirmed 
the visa holders failed to join ship as scheduled or did not 
depart the United States after signing off their ship.  The 
overstays were a mixture of new visa holders and those with 
previous visas and travel to the United States. 
 
¶7.  In the remaining two cases, post suspected, but could not 
confirm, fraud or overstays.  Although the visa holders were not 
found in ADIS as having departed the United States, calls to 
their family did not reveal conclusive evidence to confirm 
fraud.  One of the visa holders was a trainee seaman and the 
other a long-term seaman with more than twenty-five years of 
experience.  Both had previous C1/D visas and had traveled to 
the United States before. 
 
¶8.  Post last conducted a C1/D validation study in 2005.  Based 
on 250 C1/D visas issued in July 2005, the study found a visa 
misuse rate of 5.6 percent.  Given the larger sample size, and 
therefore more reliable results, of the new validation study, 
the drop in the fraud rate to less than 0.9 percent is a 
significant decrease. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶9.  A minor but possibly useful finding of the study was that 
seven of the nine errant visa holders were joining passenger 
cruise ships, primarily in food service work.  Future C1/D 
validation studies might seek to test the premise that employees 
joining cruise ships are more likely to commit fraud than 
commercial seafarers. 
 
 
MUMBAI 00000151  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶10.  A surprising finding was that no significant difference 
existed in fraud rates of SEP and non-SEP companies.  If no SEP 
program had been in place, however, the fraud rate likely would 
have been higher.  We still believe the SEP has a useful 
deterrent effect.  Post will continue to work closely with SEP 
companies to improve their internal controls. 
 
¶11.  Mumbai's high volume of C1/D applicants, a refusal rate of 
less than 11 percent, and a fraud rate below one percent 
indicate sound C1/D visa adjudication practices.  The Shipping 
Executive Program remains a reliable anchor underpinning this 
excellent track record.  End Comment. 
FOLMSBEE