VZCZCXRO5811
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #1361 2310431
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 190431Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3091
INFO RUEHJS/AMCONSUL SURABAYA 2503
RUEHJA/AMCONSUL MEDAN
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 3338
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5970
RUESLE/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0149
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001361 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS CMGT KFRD ID
SUBJECT: Crew (C1/D) Visa outreach in Jakarta 
 
REF: 09 Jakarta 00000815 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Embassy Jakarta's Consular section met with and briefed 
shipping agents who participate in our Crew Visa Program (CVP) as a 
follow-on to our crew and transit (C1/D) visa validity study 
(reftel).  We thanked the agents for their adherence to guidelines 
that see minimal abuse of C1/D visas, and received feedback in 
return.  Jakarta anticipates using the CVP as a model for a Student 
Visa Program (SVP), in furtherance of our goal to double the number 
of Indonesian students in the United States.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Thirty-one shipping agents attended our briefing on August 12. 
Merchant seamen, typically cleaners and waiters on U.S.-based 
Caribbean cruise lines, constitute approximately 20 percent of our 
60,000 nonimmigrant visa applicants per year, and contribute $252 
million in annual foreign exchange earnings to Indonesia.  All of 
the popular Caribbean cruise lines rely on Indonesian seamen, and a 
well run CVP benefits American vacationers, cruise lines, and 
Indonesia. 
 
¶3. To facilitate this high volume, economically lucrative visa 
classification, Jakarta's CVP includes vetting crew manning agencies 
for special C1/D visa processing.  The CVP helps reduce 
opportunities for fraud and facilitates the efficient adjudication 
of C-1/D visas, as the applicants' employment contract and training 
have been pre-verified.  The CVP 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. 
 
¶4. CG kicked off the CVP briefing by emphasizing its success in 
securing, standardizing, and streamlining the C1/D visa process for 
everyone's benefit.  Conoff stressed the importance of continued 
cooperation and adherence to program regulations, since manning 
agencies are held responsible for misuse of visas on the part of 
their applicants, fraud on the part of their staff and/or negligence 
in screening procedures. 
 
¶5. The agents expressed pleasure with the CVP and its benefits to 
all.  Several agents noted that Embassy Jakarta's CVP is more 
efficient than similar crew visa programs run by other embassies.  A 
few newer agents requested clearer guidance on tracking requirements 
for seamen after they join their ships, and others proposed sending 
mandatory reports to the embassy every several months noting the 
current status of their crew.  The agents expressed gratitude for 
the Consular's section's quick response to emails submitted to the 
JakSea@state.gov dedicated email inbox. 
 
¶6. COMMENT:  We are pleased with the success of our CVP, borne out 
by a recent validity study (reftel) that found a minimal 0.27 
percent C1/D visa abuse rate.  Our goal is to increase the pool of 
eligible visa applicants, who may qualify for visas in a secure and 
efficient process.  Our CVP does so for merchant marine crewmen.  We 
hope to replicate CVP by identifying and working with reputable 
agents for U.S. universities and junior colleges to create a 
similarly robust Student Visa Program (SVP). 
 
HUME