VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1338/01 3271713
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 102102Z NOV 09 ZDS
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0028
INFO RUEHBH/AMEMBASSY NASSAU
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001338 
 
C O R R E C T E D   C O P Y - REMOVE ZEN 
 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR CA/FPP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS SMIG KFRD OEXC DR
SUBJECT: Troubling Overstay Rate for Santo Domingo Summer Work 
Program 
 
SUMMARY 
 
 
 
¶1. Post's validation study for the 2008 J1 Summer Work Travel (SWT) 
shows a 24 percent overstay rate.  Of those who stayed in the U.S., 
38 percent were previous SWT visa holders with good travel.  Post 
met with J1 summer work recruiters to show them their individual 
overstay rates and to strongly encourage them to implement better 
screening of their applicants in 2009. Post also changed its 
informal criteria for approval of J1 summer work visas based on the 
findings of the validation study. END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
METHODOLOGY 
 
 
 
¶2.  We selected our applicant pool using CA/FPP procedures as 
outlined in the Validation Studies section of the Fraud Prevention 
intranet site.  Instead of taking a random sample, Post considered 
all 1065 visas that were approved for the SWT program between 
February and July 2008. 
 
¶3.  Officers tracked the selected applicants' whereabouts primarily 
using come-back letters, entry and exit records, and follow-up 
phone calls.  If we did not receive a comeback letter, we checked 
ADIS for entry and exit dates.  If there was no record in ADIS, we 
contacted the applicant by phone to determine if s/he had returned 
to the Dominican Republic.  Based on the list of overstays, we 
calculated rates for each individual recruiter and further 
investigated each case looking for similarities and/or trends. We 
also reviewed whether applicants who overstayed had prior J1 or 
B1B2 visas. 
 
 
 
RESULTS 
 
¶4.  For the 2008 J1 summer work travel program, Post adjudicated 
2173 visas of which 1065 were issued, reflecting an overall refusal 
rate of 51%. Of the visas issued, two hundred and fifty one of the 
applicants did not return to the Dominican Republic at the 
conclusion of the program, indicating an overstay rate of 24%. As 
of January 2009, ADIS records and follow-up phone calls revealed 
that none of the 251 overstays had subsequently returned to the 
Dominican Republic. 
 
 
 
¶5.  A closer review of NIV records for the students who did not 
return revealed some interesting trends. While lack of specific 
adjudication notes made it difficult to determine a correlation 
between the rate of no return and issuance criteria, such as grade 
point average (GPA) and English proficiency, Post learned the 
following: 
 
 
 
-- 38% of overstays held prior J1 visas, suggesting that the first 
J1 travel may have served as a sort of scouting trip to develop 
contacts and set up more permanent work for the next trip. This 
finding was troubling for the consular officers as many would 
routinely issue visas to applicants who had travelled well on a 
prior J1 visa. 
 
 
 
-- Many of the students who did not return were in their mid to 
late 20s, having either changed majors or started college late. 
Several of the students also only had 1-2 years left to complete 
their studies.  Being behind their peers or having almost completed 
their education correlated to an increased likelihood of overstay. 
 
 
 
-- Unlike previous SWT experience, previous B1/B2 visa issuance was 
a good indicator of appropriate use of the SWT program. Only 1% of 
the 251 students who stayed already had a B1/B2 visa. 
 
 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
 
¶6.  An informal review of the 2007 SWT Program's overstay rates 
revealed that 31% of participants stayed in the United States after 
the end of the program. This led Post to adopt stricter standard 
criteria for J1 visa issuance in 2008. Generally, officers expected 
more advanced levels of English fluency and a minimum GPA of 3.0, 
with the expectation that more serious students would be more 
likely to return to finish their degrees. Post also met with the 
SWT recruiting companies and encouraged them to adopt stricter 
screening practices. 
 
 
 
¶7.  While the overstay rate dropped significantly, from 31% in 2007 
to 24% in 2008, it is still too high and it has prompted officers 
at Post to reconsider SWT visa issuance criteria.   Informal 
standards generally adopted for SWT visa adjudication in 2009 
include:  possession of a B1/B2 visa, exceptional English skills, 
at least 2 years of school remaining, lack of strong family ties to 
the U.S., and a GPA of 3.2 or higher. The stricter criteria has led 
to a higher visa refusal rate for 2009, from 51% to 64%. 
Unfortunately, preliminary follow-up recently conducted at Post 
suggests there is still a very high overstay rate in this category. 
Given the persistent problem with this particular program, Post 
plans to complete another validation study for the 2009 J1 Summer 
Work Travel Program to determine if current visa adjudication 
standards are sufficiently rigorous. 
Lambert