Cable No.

6: The Context For Best Practices Page 1 of 3

Cable No. 6: The Context For Best Practices

State 185823

October 1997
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Ref: State 007919

Go to Cable 7

Introduction
1. This cable provides the background for a number of cables and procedural instructions to follow
identifying best practices. It summarizes current thinking in CA on managing the nonimmigrant visa
process, which consumes the majority of our resources. We are aware that local factors-ranging from
available technology to level of fraud-impact the implementation of best practices. Despite this
undeniable fact, certain fundamental goals apply every place. The trick is to find management practices
that contribute to these goals even when applied to vastly different local circumstances. As a first step,
everyone needs to share the same goals and focus on achieving them.

Fundamental Goals
^\. A visa off-
high quality decisions, people-friendly services and sharing of all pertinent information within the US \

The first two goals express a basic conflict in our traditional approach to visa processing. Quality
decisions can make the process less efficient, and, in the context of declining staff, posts have often been
forced to choose efficiency over quality. Visa lookout accountability legislation was a clear
congressional signal that we had to sacrifice efficiency where serious ineligibilities were concerned. We
may have also stressed efficiency too much in the way we handle sensitive and difficult cases with high
levels of public interest. The best practice review is considering how we can make best use of our
resources to accomplish both goals even at current resource levels.

People-friendly service is a relatively new addition to consular goals coming out of the increased
emphasis on customer service embodied in the Vice President's national performance review. Good
customer service does not mean that everyone gets a visa. Rather, it means that applicants are treated in
a professional manner that consular waiting areas are pleasant and attractive, and those applicants have
ready access to information that can shorten or eliminate long waits. Many management practices that
contribute to people-friendly service cost little in terms of time or money and are consistent with quality
decisions and efficiency.

The final goal of information sharing is one that necessarily is focused in Washington. Major exceptions
to this are the visas viper program and the Russian business investigation initiative (RBII) which depend
on input from the field.

Reconciling Efficiency and Quality

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3. For many years growing work and static personnel resources have led us to search for areas we can
eliminate or place last in our scale of priorities. But, with a few minor exceptions, everything we do in
consular work is too important to cut, either because of its impact on the public or because of its impact
on quality. For example, postponing or slowing down NIV services is like squeezing a balloon-the
demand pops up someplace else, either at another post, through the referral system or through pleas for
exceptions. Similarly, cutting out anti-fraud work harms our entire effort and leads to poor decision-
making. Giving inadequate information results in applicants arriving for an interview without necessary
documentation.

The consequences of cutting out or slowing down any discrete function are unacceptable. But viable
alternatives exist, namely to cut out the parts of all of our processes that contribute the least to good
decision making and to outsource or automate the parts that don't need to be done by government
employees. Several cables in this series have offered suggestions on how to replace certain functions
with automated or contracted-out approaches. Where feasible, these approaches work and posts should
adopt them.

Although much of our approach to visa work can be streamlined, the most pertinent example of a part of
the process that can be cut back successfully is the nonimmigrant visa interview. This doesn't mean that
interviews should be shorter; it means that interviews should be fewer. The personal interview is the
most expensive tool we have for decision making it takes officer time and waiting room space and is
basically not very people-friendly. Only the most difficult cases should have the most expensive
treatment.

Two Principles
4. The first principle is that nonimmigrant visa applicants should only be interviewed when the
contributes to the decision. Only borderline cases and likely refusals should be interviewed. At some
posts with pervasive fraud and high refusal rates, that means almost everybody although every post has
certain segments of the applicant pool teat are likely issuances. If a post has a high issuance rate,
however, interviews should be waived for most of the applicants. For example, a post with a twenty-
percent refusal rate should not be interviewing ninety percent of the applicants.

Limiting interviews to those cases that need them pays huge dividends in both quality and efficiency. As
fewer applicants are interviewed, more time can be devoted to the more difficult cases. Decisions on the
line, although difficult, are meaningful and engaging for the officers.

Decisions off the line are basically a review of possible ineligibilities displayed by class, also a
meaningful activity. "~—--^

We will be recommending best practices to assist posts in bringing down the number of interviewed}
cases by setting up effective waiver of personal appearance programs, drop boxes and prescreening
approaches to cut down on the number of applicants who have a full interview. Effective written J
reapplication programs can also contribute to this goal.

The second principle is that congress gave us 214(b) and we should use it. Some posts have a peculiar
zeal for seeking permanent ineligibility under section 212(a)(6)(c) for minor infractions. This is not an
effective use of consular resources. Quality means facilitating travel as well as devoting adequate time to
difficult decisions. It does not mean creating unnecessary work.

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Next Steps
5. In line with the thinking above, we will soon be sending out a series of cables describing best
practices. Those that are easy to implement and thought to work every place will be described in
sufficient detail so posts can put them into practice. Other more complex approaches and those, which
only work under certain circumstances, will be accompanied by detailed procedures or will be piloted at
a small number of posts before they are more widely recommended. For many of you, the easier
practices will look like common sense but we are writing them down as a guide for less experienced
section chiefs. The objective is greater uniformity and sharing of approaches, which have been
developed in the field and contribute to our basic goals. The list of best practices is dynamic and we will
add new ideas as they arise.

A final caution. All best practices have a dark side. That is, they can be implemented in a way that
creates more rather than less work. It is essential that consular managers read the cables on these
practices carefully take care in implementation and monitor results to avoid potential pitfalls.

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