TUNIS VISA VALIDATION STUDY

UNCLASSIFIED UNCLAS TUNIS 000835 DEPT FOR CA/FPP DEPT ALSO PASS TO KCC CAIRO FOR CROWAN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFRD, CVIS, CPAS, CMGT, ASEC, TS SUBJECT: TUNIS VISA VALIDATION STUDY Ref: (A) CA FPU Guidance Document 10972 1. Embassy Tunis conducted a validation study covering all non-diplomatic non-immigrant visas (NIV) for the month of April 2009, excluding K visas. This time period was selected as it was the first complete month of visa operations after returning Libyan NIV applicants to Embassy Tripoli. 2. During this period, 246 non-immigrant visas were issued. Of these visas, 90.6 percent were B1/B2 visas. Other categories issued during this time included F1 (4 percent), J1 (3.6 percent), J2 (0.4 percent), H4 (0.4 percent), O3 (0.4 percent), and C1/D (0.4 percent). Tunisian applicants comprised 85.7 percent of issued visas. No other single nationality represented a significant percentage of issuances. Most third country issuances were to applicants from African countries, usually linked to African Development Bank staff and their families. 3. The validation study found that 99.6 percent of visa recipients were in status. The majority of checks were performed using the Department of Homeland Security's Arrival and Departure Information System (ADIS). In cases where arrival and/or departure information was not available, Embassy Tunis consular staff contacted travelers to inquire about their status. It was not possible to contact one applicant, who is reported to be living in a third country; this applicant represents the 0.4 percent of travelers who were not verified to be in status. 4. When contacted, 63 applicants who were issued visas (25.6 percent of total issuances) said that they did not travel. Of these, the majority cited concerns about H1N1. A number of applicants who are medical professionals noted that the Tunisian Ministry of Health had explicitly ordered them to remain in Tunisia during April, as concerns about H1N1 spread were increasing. 5. Embassy Tunis' overall issuance rate - net of administrative refusals - was 80.1 percent for the same time period. Embassy Tunis will continue to ensure that qualified travelers are issued visas in a timely manner, while guarding against the possibility of fraud. GRAY