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

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Hindi is widely spoken and understood throughout the country, and many applicants
speak it as a second or third language, even in non-Hindi areas. On the other hand, in Mumbai
where most of the interviewing officers are trained in Gujarati, the major language of the state of
origin of most IV applicants (Gujarat), this language is not useful in the metropolitan area of
Mumbai where the primary local language is Marathi. Gujarati is a niche language, meaning that
it is useful in one post only for one purpose. Most of the IV LE staff can and do interpret for the
officers, and additional staff could be added at minimal cost because salaries are relatively low in
India. Even if one of the first-tour officers has an assignment to Mumbai in the future, it is not
likely to be as an interviewing officer or even in the consular section, making the usefulness of
Gujarati even more limited. Under these circumstances, the fact that about half of the
interviewing officers have had Gujarati language training seems excessive.
The criteria for designating language study for a particular position per 13 FAM 221 b.
(1) is that “only those positions where language proficiency is essential, rather than merely
helpful or convenient, should be designated. . .” Language training, though useful, is expensive
and time consuming. It should only be undertaken when it is of value to both the officer and the
Department.
Some officers noted that the language training they get serves another purpose – to get
them to a professional level and off language probation. While this is desirable for tenuring
purposes, it limits their options because they are not likely to get further language training until
they are tenured. This means they cannot get training in a world language that would be more
useful in future assignments.
In some cases the language training is in the more formal versions (Tamil and Gujarati)
or not specific to the region where applicants come from (Tamil), thus requiring an adjustment
and further study when they arrive at post. The ELOs also say that they do not usually get
sufficient training in the language needed specifically for consular interviewing. Reading skills
may be less important than speaking, and language-designated positions could be designated for
speaking only.
The inspection team believes the Department is providing language training for far more
consular officers in India than is necessary. The OIG team estimates the cost of training an
officer for 30 weeks to be approximately $100,000, counting salary; so if 19 positions are not
designated, the savings would be approximately $1,900,000. These savings do not include the
incentive pay that is available for officers who obtain a 3/3 level in an incentive language.
Recommendation 39: Embassy New Delhi, in coordination with the Foreign Service Institute,
the Bureau of Human Resources, and the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should recommend to the
Department of State a reduction of at least 50 percent in the number of language-designated
positions for consular officers assigned to the embassy and consulates general. The request
should identify the specific positions that are no longer language designated. (Action: Embassy
New Delhi, in coordination with FSI, DGHR, and CA)
Visa Referrals
In general, Mission India’s leadership and consular managers handle visa referrals
according to the worldwide policy, which requires the constant and vigilant attention of all
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