Embassy New Delhi, India and Constituent Posts - OIG - US ...

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notes and files to the eligible family members and clear the completed revocation requests.
(Action: Embassy New Delhi)
One of the biggest challenges consular managers in India face is ensuring consistency in
the standards of adjudication on H and L visas. The inconsistencies arise from the complexity of
these visa categories and create public relations problems, as large companies note different
decisions for employees in similar circumstances. As the consular section in Chennai processes
the largest number of such cases in India, the OIG team believes it would be logical to assign this
function to an officer in Chennai.
Recommendation 23: Embassy New Delhi should designate a mid-level consular manager in
Consulate General Chennai as the countrywide coordinator for the mission to establish, monitor,
and train officers in adjudication standards for H and L visas. (Action: Embassy New Delhi)
Blanket L visas are an even greater challenge for consular officers. These petitions are for
managers, executives, and professionals with specialized knowledge who work for companies
having multilayered structure and numerous related business entities. One officer estimated that,
because of the complexity of these cases, adjudicating blanket L visa applications takes five or
six time longer than it takes to adjudicate a tourist visa. Centralizing blanket L visa applications
at one post in India would provide for greater efficiencies, adjudication consistency, and
development of expertise. Precedents exist in other missions in which the adjudication of
especially complicated visa applications is centralized in one post. For example, only Embassy
London and Embassy Tokyo are authorized to accept E (treaty trader visa) applications in their
respective countries. Consulate General Chennai processes the most L visas in India and
therefore should be designated as the post in India for processing all blanket L visa applications.
Recommendation 24: Embassy New Delhi should request that the Bureau of Consular Affairs
designate Consulate General Chennai as the only post in India authorized to adjudicate blanket L
visa applications. (Action: Embassy New Delhi, in coordination with CA)
Recommendation 25: Embassy New Delhi should create a special unit at Consulate General
Chennai for adjudicating blanket L visa applications and create a program in which entry-level
officers are assigned to that unit on a rotational basis. (Action: Embassy New Delhi)
Standard Operating Procedures
Standard operating procedures are inconsistent among the five posts in India. As CA and
the mission revise policies and procedures on a regular basis, it is important that someone be
responsible for updating these procedures and coordinating the changes among the five posts.
Consulate General Hyderabad, the newest post in India, created many new standard operating
procedures for itself and has the most recent expertise on this subject. One of the managers in
Hyderabad would be a good choice for this coordinating role.
Recommendation 26: Embassy New Delhi should designate a countrywide coordinator for
standard operating procedures for all consular processes. (Action: Embassy New Delhi)
Consular managers find it difficult to coordinate administrative support issues for CTI.
For the consulates general, it is especially difficult, as most of the management support, such as
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