April 2009 Minutes
April League Meeting Minutes
The April league meeting convened on the 14th at approximately 10:15 in the home of Sandra Collins-de Lange. Adrienne Urbanec co-hosted and assisted with refreshments while Robin Ernest presented our speaker.
Casey Graham serves as the Manager Consular of Fraud Prevention at the US Consulate. Even before she began to speak, an enthusiastic group peppered her with questions and asked for advice. Casey has been in Hong Kong for two years after serving with the State Department during numerous previous posting. In 1982, she was in Ghana with the Foreign Service teaching the basics of clean water and sanitation. Approached by the State Department, Casey decided to make the move.
Her husband, Vincent, is also a State Department employee and is currently assigned in Iraq. They have three grown children at George Mason University and two younger adoptees. Casey spent a few minutes sharing their trying ordeal with the adoption in India and sympathizes with people in similar situations.
The US Consulate employees 136 Americans and 186 local employees and they span 13 separate agencies. Our attendees were surprised to hear that the DEA and the IRS are counted among the Hong Kong based departments. The Fraud Prevention group addresses two distinct areas of paperwork control; immigrant and non-immigrant. The former reflects foreigners who are applying to permanently immigrate to the US and usually involve marriages; non-immigrants are foreigners applying for visitors’ visa. While Casey empathizes with folks wanting a better life in the States, she must turn away those submitting fraudulent applications.
The ‘bride’ rejections usually affect women from the Philippines while the Chinese, male and female, are more apt to be marrying ‘a relative’ who already resides in the US. Detection sometimes requires lengthy investigations but often takes no more than a few questions about the prospective spouse. While this process may not involve immediate punitive actions if the paperwork is denied, the applicant is barred from entering the US for life.
The non-immigrant investigations are for people seeking a limited time visa and arise from all types of people residing in Hong Kong. These situations vary widely and require myriad detective tactics but the first line of review is to establish if the applicant has family or other safety networks in the US. This is an immediate red-flag that they may overstay their visas.
A question was raised about American ex-pats who want to take their helpers home and the ‘urban legend’ that they flee after arrival. Casey shared that while this outcome is more usual than one might imagine, each application is evaluated on its own merit.
We briefly addressed the alien problem where no paperwork is sought and people attempt the trip illegally. These unfortunates are often lured by promises of good jobs and pay-offs for family members left behind. However, overwhelmingly these end in disappointing, if not tragic, outcomes.
Prefaced by a question regarding the recent hostage situation in Somalia waters, Casey discussed kidnapping in foreign countries. The State Department goes to great lengths to ensure our citizen’s safety and health all around the world. Sharing a few stories about tracking down wayward Americans, she regaled us with lively antidotes. Moving on to the topic of incarceration, we learned that 13 of our citizens reside in Hong Kong prisons. While most sentences are for drug infractions, there are more serious offenders serving their time here.
Our speaker said that she sympathized with those applying for visas because the process can be arduous and may discourage people from following legal channels of entry. She hopes that visa issuance becomes more streamlined thus allowing State employees to focus more resources on the cases where the law is circumvented.
Robin Ernest then presented our speaker with a token of our appreciation and reminded everyone of the annual general meeting on May 12th at the Congress Restaurant at the HK Convention Center to begin at 11:30. Susan Wallace will send out another notice soon.
Robin then closed with a reading of the officers’slate for 09-10
President Debra Joyce
Vice President Robin Ernest
Treasurer Robin Brown
Recording Secretary Adrienne Urbanec
Corresponding Secretary Amy Van Laak
Voter Services Sandra Collins-de Lange
Membership Susan Vermeulen
and reiterated that nominations would be accepted at the AGM. Following any additional names added to the slate, a vote will be taken.
The meeting ended around noon and a number of members and our esteemed guest proceeded to lunch.
Submitted by Adrienne Urbanec
The April league meeting convened on the 14th at approximately 10:15 in the home of Sandra Collins-de Lange. Adrienne Urbanec co-hosted and assisted with refreshments while Robin Ernest presented our speaker.
Casey Graham serves as the Manager Consular of Fraud Prevention at the US Consulate. Even before she began to speak, an enthusiastic group peppered her with questions and asked for advice. Casey has been in Hong Kong for two years after serving with the State Department during numerous previous posting. In 1982, she was in Ghana with the Foreign Service teaching the basics of clean water and sanitation. Approached by the State Department, Casey decided to make the move.
Her husband, Vincent, is also a State Department employee and is currently assigned in Iraq. They have three grown children at George Mason University and two younger adoptees. Casey spent a few minutes sharing their trying ordeal with the adoption in India and sympathizes with people in similar situations.
The US Consulate employees 136 Americans and 186 local employees and they span 13 separate agencies. Our attendees were surprised to hear that the DEA and the IRS are counted among the Hong Kong based departments. The Fraud Prevention group addresses two distinct areas of paperwork control; immigrant and non-immigrant. The former reflects foreigners who are applying to permanently immigrate to the US and usually involve marriages; non-immigrants are foreigners applying for visitors’ visa. While Casey empathizes with folks wanting a better life in the States, she must turn away those submitting fraudulent applications.
The ‘bride’ rejections usually affect women from the Philippines while the Chinese, male and female, are more apt to be marrying ‘a relative’ who already resides in the US. Detection sometimes requires lengthy investigations but often takes no more than a few questions about the prospective spouse. While this process may not involve immediate punitive actions if the paperwork is denied, the applicant is barred from entering the US for life.
The non-immigrant investigations are for people seeking a limited time visa and arise from all types of people residing in Hong Kong. These situations vary widely and require myriad detective tactics but the first line of review is to establish if the applicant has family or other safety networks in the US. This is an immediate red-flag that they may overstay their visas.
A question was raised about American ex-pats who want to take their helpers home and the ‘urban legend’ that they flee after arrival. Casey shared that while this outcome is more usual than one might imagine, each application is evaluated on its own merit.
We briefly addressed the alien problem where no paperwork is sought and people attempt the trip illegally. These unfortunates are often lured by promises of good jobs and pay-offs for family members left behind. However, overwhelmingly these end in disappointing, if not tragic, outcomes.
Prefaced by a question regarding the recent hostage situation in Somalia waters, Casey discussed kidnapping in foreign countries. The State Department goes to great lengths to ensure our citizen’s safety and health all around the world. Sharing a few stories about tracking down wayward Americans, she regaled us with lively antidotes. Moving on to the topic of incarceration, we learned that 13 of our citizens reside in Hong Kong prisons. While most sentences are for drug infractions, there are more serious offenders serving their time here.
Our speaker said that she sympathized with those applying for visas because the process can be arduous and may discourage people from following legal channels of entry. She hopes that visa issuance becomes more streamlined thus allowing State employees to focus more resources on the cases where the law is circumvented.
Robin Ernest then presented our speaker with a token of our appreciation and reminded everyone of the annual general meeting on May 12th at the Congress Restaurant at the HK Convention Center to begin at 11:30. Susan Wallace will send out another notice soon.
Robin then closed with a reading of the officers’slate for 09-10
President Debra Joyce
Vice President Robin Ernest
Treasurer Robin Brown
Recording Secretary Adrienne Urbanec
Corresponding Secretary Amy Van Laak
Voter Services Sandra Collins-de Lange
Membership Susan Vermeulen
and reiterated that nominations would be accepted at the AGM. Following any additional names added to the slate, a vote will be taken.
The meeting ended around noon and a number of members and our esteemed guest proceeded to lunch.
Submitted by Adrienne Urbanec
posted by League of Women Voters Hong Kong @ 9:07 AM
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