VZCZCXRO4597
RR RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHGH RUEHNEH
DE RUEHCI #0188/01 1900655
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 090655Z JUL 09
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2411
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2272
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0989
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0985
RUEHNEH/AMCONSUL HYDERABAD 0052
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0006
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2971

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000188 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CA/FPP FOR JILL NYSTROM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KFRD ASEC CVIS CMGT IN
SUBJECT: GUARDING AGAINST VISA FRAUD WITH "BATCH CHECKS" IN ADIS 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Post recently expanded its approach to 
validation studies, providing more frequent and focused 
assessments of B1/B2 visa applicants. Using a "batch method" of 
retrieving Arrival Departure Information System (ADIS) records 
of multiple travelers with a single search, Post can quickly 
evaluate the travel of numerous applicants to guard against 
fraud and empower adjudicating officers. So far, the results 
reaffirm Post's adjudication practices. Post's Fraud Prevention 
Unit (FPU) adopted this "batch method" from FPU Shanghai. END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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BACKGROUND 
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¶2. (SBU) Though the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 
provided Post's FPU with access to ADIS, FPU rarely checked more 
than one or two travelers at a time. When multiple travelers 
were involved, Post conducted a separate search for each one, a 
tedious and time-consuming process. In some cases, when several 
hundred travelers were analyzed for a formal validation study, 
Post tasked the Office of Fraud Prevention Programs to request 
ADIS records from DHS. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In March, Post learned of the "batch method" of ADIS 
checks from FPU Shanghai's intranet site: 
http://shanghaiconsular.state.gov/2009/03/bat ch_checks_in_a 
dis.html. Following the steps provided by FPU Shanghai and adding 
techniques learned from experience, Post can now retrieve and 
assess ADIS records for dozens of travelers in approximately 15 
minutes. These results now inform visa adjudications as well as 
revocations when fraud is suspected. 
 
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RECENT EXAMPLES 
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¶4. (SBU) Applicants from Sikkim: Many applicants from the remote 
and relatively poor states in Northeast India face difficulty 
overcoming the presumption of immigrant intent. Post refuses 
about 36 percent of B1/B2 applicants from the state of Sikkim. 
Of the 144 B1/B2 visas issued since January 2005 to Sikkim 
applicants, 119 traveled and returned within status. Another 3 
adjusted status, 14 never traveled, and 8 are confirmed 
overstays (5.56% of issuances). Of these overstays, 6 are women. 
Post plans to report further findings septel in a larger 
validation study of Indian northeastern states. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Religious tour groups: Last year, a tour operator and 
many of his customers applied for visas to attend the opening of 
a Jain temple in Phoenix. A CCD search of the tour's U.S. 
contact returned 42 issuances. Using ADIS, Post learned that 35 
of applicants traveled, all of whom returned at the conclusion 
of the tour. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Sales incentive trips: Companies in India regularly use 
trips to the United States as incentives for agents to meet 
sales targets. Occasionally, an entire family will claim to have 
qualified for one of these trips. Some of these groups, such as 
cement dealers who run small shops with informal financial 
records, can be troublesome for adjudicating officers. Using a 
text search in the CCD, Post identified 92 issuances to cement 
dealers and their family members to participate in an incentive 
tour in 2008. There were zero overstays. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Travel agencies: Many applicants within the consular 
district use travel agencies for package tours, and some 
agencies are thought to be more scrupulous than others. 
Searching the CCD for one frequently used travel agency, Post 
found 226 B1/B2 issuances associated with package tours offered 
by that agency during the last two years. Only one traveler from 
this group is a confirmed overstay. Post will now conduct 
similar studies of other popular travel agencies in the consular 
district to identify any suspect operations. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶8. (SBU) Post commends FPU Shanghai for sharing this useful 
innovation. As ADIS records can exert significant influence on 
visa adjudications, Post also welcomes moves to expand access to 
ADIS data and incorporate it into Consular applications. 
Furthermore, these batch checks could become more nuanced if 
certain fields from the DS-156 visa application form, such as 
state of residence, are indexed for searching in the Consular 
Consolidated Database (CCD). Although workarounds are possible, 
 
KOLKATA 00000188  002 OF 002 
 
 
Post sees value in expanding the CCD's data mining potential to 
incorporate capabilities previously available in the Ad Hoc 
Reporting Tool. 
PAYNE