DOS Cable on Iranian Processing Changes
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS PRIORITY
FBI WASHDC PRIORITY 0000
CIA WASHDC PRIORITY 0000
SPECIAL EMBASSY PROGRAM
DIRNSA FT GEORGE G MEADE MD PRIORITY
SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY 0000
DIA WASHDC//DH-6// PRIORITY
USINS WASHDC// PRIORITY
BUJUMBURA POUCH
JAKARTA POUCH
SURABAYA POUCH
Unclas State 095514
Visas Please Inform Consuls
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS, IR
Subject: Changes to Special Processing Requirements for Certain Iranian Applicants
Ref: 97 State 214934 (Special Processing Requirements)
1. Summary: In concert with NEA and the intelligence community, CA/VO has amended the special processing requirements for certain Iranian applicants. Effective immediately, Visas Eagle clearances for Iranians will be valid for one calendar year. Iranian teachers (up through high school) and certain medical personnel will no longer require Visa Donkeys and will be transferred to the Visas Eagle category. The following paragraphs explain the new, streamlined procedures for processing these Iranian cases. End summary.
2. New Visas Eagle Validity: Previously a Visas Eagle namecheck for an Iranian had no specific period of validity. The Eagle telegram, and the ensuing 30-day waiting period, had to be repeated with each trip. Iranian Visas Eagle namechecks will now be valid for a period of one calendar year. The initial visa issued and all/all subsequent visas issued during that year must be annotated with the date and cable number of the most recent Visas Eagle namecheck. For example: “Visas Eagle sent 25 May 1998, Istanbul 1234.” At the end of the year, or upon the next application following the expiration of the validity of the check, the process must be repeated. This change has no/no effect on the requirement to perform class checks. Only the validity of the Eagle namecheck has changed. The class check must be repeated prior to each issuance. As in all visa cases, if class hits exist, an SAO must be sent, regardless of the date of the last Visas Eagle.
3. Should an applicant apply at more than one post during the calendar year, the subsequent issuing posts should check the visa and Eagle annotation carefully and be fully satisfied of the applicant’s bona fides before issuing. When in doubt, posts always have the option of sending a Visas Alpha to the original issuing post or another Eagle or SAO to the Department. Remember, all visas issued during the calendar year must be annotated with the date and cable number of the most recent Visas Eagle namecheck.
4. As the original number of Eagle cables will be reduced, it is especially important that the initial Eagle cable contain all the required information, including:
- Applicant’s profession
- Purpose of travel
- Address in the U.S.
- Contact name(s) and number(s) in the U.S.
The more information posts are able to provide, the more smoothly the new process will run. Applicants found to have submitted bogus information, or in certain cases, incomplete data, will be entered in class as “00.” Applicants should be informed that submission of false or incomplete data could result in processing delays.
5. This change has no effect on visa validity, for the time being, Iranians may still only be issued single entry visas. However, it should reduce the amount of paperwork performed by posts with frequent travelers and should reduce the frustration level of those applicants who must either return to Iran after their interview or find accommodations outside of Iran while awaiting issuance.
6. If derogatory information is developed by the Department subsequent to the Eagle namecheck, the applicant will be entered into class as a “00” and will then, of course, be subject to the Visas Donkey (SAO) requirement upon the next application.
7. Eagles for Medical Personnel and Teachers: As employees of the Iranian government, doctors, nurses, midwives and primary and secondary school teachers were subject to the Visas Donkey SAO requirement. These categories represent a substantial portion of the total population of Iranian applicants while posing a relatively low threat from a terrorism and espionage standpoint. Effective immediately, most practicing medical personnel and primary and secondary school teachers (including retirees) will only require the annual Visas Eagle namecheck explained above. For example, a practicing pediatrician working at a local health clinic would not require a Donkey, nor would a practicing midwife or nurse. Exceptions are noted in para eight. When in doubt, posts may request assistance from CA/VO/L/C.
8. Doctors and educators who serve in administrative or education or have other direct affiliation with the GOL, teachers above the high school level and those whose travel is sponsored or paid for by the government are not/not affected by this change. They still require an SAO, unlike the example cited in Para 7, therefore, a pediatrician serving in an administrative capacity with the Child Health Program at the Ministry of Health would be subject to the Visas Donkey requirement. Of course, SAO’s are required for doctors and teachers who have “00” hits or who fit other elements of the usual Visas Donkey requirement, such as being religious leaders or medical personnel in the nuclear field.
9. These changes are part of our continuing effort to improve the visa process for all its end users, our posts, the applicants, and our partners in intelligence and law enforcement. We appreciate all the work that you put into these sometimes very difficult cases, and we hope that these changes will be helpful. An amended special processing requirements cable containing detailed instructions will be forwarded to the field shortly.
Strobe Talbott