VZCZCXRO3319
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHGZ #0670 3450627
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 110627Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1160
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE 0374
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0929
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0312
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI 0302
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0303
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0371
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 0276
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC 0058

UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 000670 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CA/VO, CA/FPP, CA/P, EAP/CM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS CMGT PREL KFRD CH
 
SUBJECT: CHINESE MFA HOSTS VISA CONFERENCE:  MANTIS SAOS, REFUSAL 
RATES, AND FINGERPRINTS 
¶1.  (U)  SUMMARY:  The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) 
organized a visa conference in Guangzhou on December 2-4 to discuss 
U.S. visa policy.  Consistent with previous visa conferences, the 
 
main issues on the Chinese side were complaints about the length of 
time to process Mantis security advisory opinion (SAO) requests, 
wait times for interviews, refusal rates, fingerprint requirements, 
and communication with applicants who are subject to administrative 
processing.  Mission China cited major reductions in SAO processing 
time over the past year, the new Consulate building in Guangzhou 
which is scheduled for completion in 2013, and the scheduled release 
of the DS-160 online application as examples of our ongoing effort 
and commitment to improving service and efficiency.  In response, 
the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) requested formal 
instruction on the DS-160 online application.  The MFA will likely 
continue to press us to finish processing Mantis SAOs within ten 
working days, to exempt more high-level applicants from fingerprints 
requirement, and to share the specific reasons applicants are denied 
visas after undergoing administrative processing.  END SUMMARY 
¶2.  (U)  The Chinese participants, headed by Mr. Wang Xiang Yang, 
the Director of the Visa Division at the Consular Department of the 
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), included representatives 
from the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) of the provinces of Anhui, 
Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shanxi, Yunnan, and 
Zhejiang; the Ministries of Civil Affairs, Commerce, Defense, 
Education, Finance, Public Health, and Railways; and multiple 
state-owned enterprises including Air China, the Bank of China, 
China Telecom, the Chinese Academy of Science and Social Sciences, 
the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), the 
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the National Energy 
Bureau, Shandong Airlines Co., and the ZTE Corporation. 
¶3.  (U)  In his opening remarks, Mr. Wang described the U.S.-Sino 
relationship as 'steady' and praised the 'positive progress' in 
trade and commercial issues between the two countries in recent 
years.  He highlighted the recent Presidential visit and meetings 
between U.S. and Chinese officials in Beijing as a symbol of the 
important role that U.S.-Sino cooperation is playing in 
international affairs.  Mr. Wang stated that in order to facilitate 
the people-to-people contact that President Obama had emphasized 
during his recent visit, the U.S. missions in China should reduce 
the time it takes to process Mantis SAOs.  He noted that it still 
takes approximately one month for Chinese applicants with a 
scientific or technical background to undergo administrative 
processing and requested Mission China to finish administrative 
processing for these applicants within ten working days.  Mr. Wang 
stated that the MFA looks forward to maintaining 'friendly 
cooperation' and 'close communication' with the U.S. missions in 
China. 
¶4.  (U)  The U.S. participants consisted of the Consular Section 
Chief and the NIV Unit Chief in Guangzhou, the NIV Unit Chief in 
Beijing, the Deputy NIV Unit Chief in Shanghai, and three Vice 
Consuls.  The Consular Section Chief in Guangzhou noted that 85% of 
the applicants for a F-1 visa are successful and that the average 
processing time for applications from FAO is one working day.  He 
noted that only about 3% of FAO applicants end up requiring 
administrative processing which now takes only an average of two to 
three weeks.  The Consular Section Chief cited the new Consulate 
building in Guangzhou which is scheduled for completion in 2013 and 
which will house 22 more public service windows (i.e. from 43 to 65) 
as one example of mission China's effort and commitment to improving 
service and efficiency. 
¶5.  (U)  As another example of our commitment to improving service 
and efficiency, the NIV Unit Chief in Guangzhou highlighted the 
scheduled release of the DS-160 online application on 01 March 2010. 
 He noted that the DS-160 online application may reduce the need to 
return to the Embassy or a Consulate for successive interviews and 
that since the DS-160 enables us to conduct the pre-processing and 
the pre-screening of data in advance of interviews, processing 
delays will likely be reduced.  He also reminded participants that 
applicants who were issued a full validity visa within the last 12 
months can save time by using the drop box system.  In addition, the 
Guangzhou NIV Unit Chief noted that Mission China as a whole 
approves about 82% of B1/B2 visa applicants and about 96% of 
applicants from FAO.  He noted that some problems with FAO 
applicants include the usage of fake invitation letters, the 
omission from application forms or the denial during interviews of 
having family in the United States, and requests for special favors 
for their non-FAO friends or relatives. 
¶6.  (U)  During the Q&A session, a ICBC representative asserted that 
applicants who are subject to administrative processing should 
receive clear communication of this.  Representatives from Air China 
and Shangdong Airlines asserted that the wait time for interviews 
needs to be reduced further and that more high-level applicants 
should be exempted from the requirement for interviews and 
fingerprints.  An official from the Shanghai FAO reminded us that 
FAO applicants were already examined and approved by the Chinese 
government to carry out official business.  Therefore, when a FAO 
applicant is denied a visa, the FAO would like to know the reason 
for the denial so that they can better screen their applicants.  In 
addition, FAO requested some type of formal instruction on the 
DS-160 online application so that they can in turn provide training 
to their applicants. 
¶7.  (U)  In response to these questions, the U.S. participants 
stated that every applicant who is subject to administrative 
processing knows about it because they are told of it at the time of 
the interview.  The U.S. side also stated its willingness to move up 
interview dates for certain applicants who have urgent travel plans 
and emphasized the importance for applicants to make it clear with 
MFA, not with them, if their travels are urgent.  Due to privacy 
concerns, the U.S. will not share personal information with the FAO. 
 It is important to note, however, that applications are refused 
based on the individual applicant and not on the affiliated agency 
or enterprise, and that, in the end, 98% of those who undergo 
administrative processing are approved for a visa.  Mission China 
also concurred that some type of formal instruction for the FAO on 
the DS-160 online application would be useful. 
¶8.  (U)  In his concluding remarks, Mr. Wang reiterated that 
administrative processing should not be an obstacle to 
people-to-people contact.  The United States remains the most 
important destination for public affairs delegations from China.  He 
claimed that the 18% refusal rate is still high and urged the U.S. 
to further reduce the refusal rate and the number of people who are 
subject to administrative processing. 
 
GOLDBECK