VZCZCXRO9504
RR RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #0815/01 1281035
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 081035Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2296
INFO RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 2448
RUEHJA/AMCONSUL MEDAN
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 3324
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5940
RUESLE/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0147
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000815 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/EX, EAP/MTS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS CMGT KFRD ID
SUBJECT: Jakarta Seafarer Crew (C1-D Visa) Validation Study 
 
REF: 07 Jakarta 989 
 
JAKARTA 00000815  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: U.S. Embassy Jakarta recently conducted a validation 
study of C1-D visa issuances for January 1, 2008 - December 31, 
¶2008.  The study was based on Department of Homeland Security's 
(DHS) Arrival-Departure Information System (ADIS) and a survey of 
the Seafarer Manning Agent's records, followed by telephone calls to 
applicant's homes as needed.  The number of seafarers who violated 
their visa status was less than one percent.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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Methodology 
----------- 
 
¶2. The study was restricted to C1-D issuances to Indonesian 
applicants working as crew on seagoing vessels; third country 
national (TCN) applicants, and air crew were not included.  The 
sample was selected from issuances during the calendar year 2008; 
consequently a large number of visa recipients (21%) had not yet 
used their visas at the time of the survey.  Although many of these 
applicants had prior visas and prior travel to the United States, we 
only tracked the use of the most recent issuance. 
 
¶3. There were 5,895 C1-D issuances for the period.  The sample of 
1099 applicants was selected in accordance with FPP guidance, which 
recommends a sample size over 1001 to get results with 95% accuracy. 
 
 
¶4. Jakarta has a crew manning agency registration program that 
requires C1-D seafarer applicants to use a previously vetted and 
approved manning agency to submit visa applications.  This helps 
reduce opportunities for fraud and facilitates the adjudication of 
seafarers at the time of interview, as employment and training have 
been pre-verified.  Manning agencies are held responsible for 
apparent misuse of visas on the part of their crew visa applicants, 
fraud on the part of their staff or negligence in screening 
procedures. 
 
¶5. CCD reports were used to determine each seafarer's manning 
agency.  FSNs contacted each agency and requested detailed 
whereabouts and employment status of all of seafarers included in 
the random sample.  For applicants whose manning agency indicated 
they are still aboard ships, conoffs used ADIS to determine the 
status of the applicants.  Status was categorized as either 
"travelled- not misused," "visa unused," "presumed onboard" or 
"jumped ship." Given the nature of C1-D employment, frequent 
arrivals and departures to and from the United States are the norm. 
In cases where clear patterns of entry and exit were recorded in 
ADIS, the last entry was recorded as "departed," and the applicant's 
manning agency indicated that they are still at sea, applicant's 
status was recorded as "travelled- not misused." 
 
¶6. In cases where the manning agency indicated an applicant had been 
terminated, resigned or was home on vacation, FSNs contacted the 
applicant at home to verify their status.  Those with previous 
travel to the United States and were documented to have returned to 
Indonesia, were categorized as "travelled- not misused." Those 
seafarers who never joined a ship and were confirmed to still be in 
Indonesia, and those who joined ships in a third country but had yet 
to enter a U.S. port were categorized as "visa unused."  All "visa 
unused" individuals had no encounters recorded in the ADIS database, 
or had previous records, but no record since the visa was issued. 
 
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Findings 
-------- 
 
¶7. Table of findings: 
 
Confirmed Jump Ship:    3 (0.27%) 
Presumed on Board:      7 (0.73%) 
Traveled - No Misuse: 856 (78%) 
Visa Unused:    233 (21%) 
 
Total: 1099 (100%) 
 
 
¶8.  Breakdown of "Jump Ship" and "Presumed on Board" 
 
The three confirmed "ship jumpers" came from three different manning 
agencies, identified here as A, B, and C. Agent A, post's largest 
manning agency, had one confirmed case of ship jumping out of 404 
seafarers included in the sample, representing 0.25 percent of their 
applicants and one "presumed onboard" applicant whom the agent 
maintains is currently sailing in Europe, but for whom we were 
 
JAKARTA 00000815  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
unable to obtain independent confirmation of his status.  The 
confirmed ship jumper was a 31 year old male first-time employee 
going to work in the housekeeping department on a cruise line. 
 
Agents B and C each had one seafarer who jumped ship.  The one 
seafarer from Agent B was one of 147 in the sample, again 
representing a rate less than one percent for agent B.  He is a 42 
year old chef on a cruise line, had two prior visas and had been 
working for the cruise line for 8 years.  The last overstay was one 
of only 8 applicants from Agent C, a 13% overstay rate for this 
agent.  This individual is a 32 year old second officer on a cargo 
ship and although he had 11 years experience as a sailor, this was 
his first U.S. visa. 
 
An additional 6 individuals were labeled as "presumed onboard". 
Four of these applicants work on fishing vessels in the 
international waters off Guam. All of their ADIS records showed 
multiple entries into Guam but never recorded a departure. 
According to their manning agencies, and family members contacted in 
Indonesia these four applicants are all still on board fishing 
vessels, and will presumably return to Indonesia at the end of their 
contracts. Two additional individuals are reported by family members 
and their manning agencies as currently working on board ships in 
the U.S.  ADIS records show multiple entries and departures for 
these applicants, but their last 3 records are entries. 
 
-------- 
Analysis 
-------- 
 
¶9. This is the first validation study conducted by post on C1-D visa 
applicants and the data shows a surprisingly low number of 
individuals jumping ship or overstaying.  This could be partially 
due to the extra screening seafarers undergo at the initial port of 
entry, as well as our seafarers visa program here.  Almost all 
Indonesian seafarers are subject to NSEERs, and post frequently sees 
I-275 turn-around reports for sailors.  However, the number of 
I-275s received by post has also decreased in the last year, from 23 
in 2007 to 5 in 2008.  Most are for seafarers whose manning agencies 
were removed from the seafarer visa program for complicity in fraud. 
 
 
¶10. The percentage of seafarers (about one in five) who had not yet 
used their C1-D visa is likely a consequence of three factors:  the 
large number of sailors who join ships in third countries and only 
call at a U.S. port of entry late in their normal 6-8 month 
contract; post's revised policy to allow "tramper ships," which have 
no fixed itinerary, but may call on a U.S. port, to obtain C1-D 
visas for their seafarers; and the practice prevalent among manning 
agencies to obtain new documents for their seafarers when they 
return from contracts for a 2-3 month vacation.  Finally the 
seafarers who have not yet used their visas includes those whose 
offer of employment is rescinded prior to joining a ship, or who 
decide not to accept the offer. 
 
¶11.  The C1-D visa CY2008 adjusted refusal rate for Indonesians 
during the study period is 1.1 percent.  This is well below the 
target in the 2010 MSP of a 6 percent overall overstay rate for 
¶2008. 
 
---------- 
Conclusion 
---------- 
 
¶12.  The current visa validation study for C1-D visas supports the 
conclusion that manning agency registration in our seafarer visa 
program is an effective way to increase the pool of bonafide, 
eligible visa applicants.  The seafarer via program requires 
extensive documentation from manning agencies prior to registration 
as well as on site inspections of their offices, and maintains close 
coordination with all approved agents.  Any lapses in screening are 
closely monitored, and can result in temporary suspensions of agents 
until gaps are fixed. Under current management only about half of 
the manning agencies who initially apply for registration are 
accepted, and during 2008 several agents were terminated for 
complicity in fraud or unacceptable negligence.  We believe that it 
is this careful monitoring of agents that enables us to issue so 
many C1-D visas and still ensure a high compliance rate.  We are 
working on replicating the seafarer visa program with student visa 
applicants and their agents. 
 
 
HUME