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US Vows to Speed Up Visa Processing for Afghans who Helped Americans

Nike Ching

   WASHINGTON - The United States'¯on Wednesday'¯reaffirmed ongoing
   support to relocate tens of thousands of Afghans who helped American
   forces during the nearly two-decadewar in Afghanistan.

   "We've identified a group of SIV(Special Immigrant Visa)applicants who
   served as interpreters and translators, as well as other individuals
   who have assisted usand that are at risk.They and their families
   wouldhavetheoptionstobe relocated outside of Afghanistan before we
   complete our military drawdown by September, in order to complete their
   Special Immigrant Visa processing,"State Department deputy
   spokespersonJalinaPorter told VOA during aWednesdayphone briefing.'¯

   The deputy spokespersondeclined to elaborate which third country would
   provide temporary relocation for Afghan SIV applicants."Due to security
   constraints,we will be limited in how much we can share in terms of
   numbers, locations and timing of these operations," Portersaid.

   The Afghan SpecialImmigrant Visa (SIV) program was created by the U.S.
   Congressin 2009toprovide safety for Afghan interpreters, contractors,
   security personneland othersaffiliated with U.S. troops and missions.

   At theWhite House, spokesperson Jen Psaki told reportersWednesdaythat
   the U.S. is "expediting that processing" and taking stepsto evaluate
   options"for moving individuals to another location so that they could
   complete" the visa process.
   Former Afghan interpreters hold placards during a demonstrations
   against the US government, in front of the US Embassy in Kabul,
   Afghanistan, Friday, June 25, 2021.

   There are approximately 18,000'¯AfghanSIV applicants waiting for
   approval to come to the U.S.

   U.S. officials' commentscame after the [1]U.S. House of Representatives
   passed aproposalTuesdaythatwould temporarily waive the requirement for
   SIV applicants to undergoa medical examination while in
   Afghanistan.They would be allowed to do so after entering U.S. soil.

   The medical examination requirementhas beencited asone of the reasons
   for serious delay in thevisaprocess because there is currently only one
   facility in Kabul that conducts all immigrant visa examinations,forcing
   applicants to travel to Kabul in often dangerous circumstances.'¯

   The House legislation will now go to the Senate.

   The SIV processinvolves more than a dozen steps and a role for the
   Departmentsof Stateand Homeland Security.

   There are approximately 18,000 Afghan principal applicants at some
   stage of the SIV application process.As of May, approximately 50%of
   these applicants are at an initial stage of the process,pending
   applicant action, according to a State Department spokesperson.

   In other words, approximately 9,000 of these applicants need totake
   actionbefore the U.S. government can begin processing their
   case.Approximately 30%of applications are awaiting a decision at the
   Chief of Mission stage. The final 20%were approved by the Chief of
   Mission and are moving through the immigration process, either in the
   petition or visa processing stages.

   Some criticssaidthe SIV program has been "plagued by backlogs for more
   than a decade."

   The International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that has
   resettled more than 15,000 Afghan SIV recipients since the U.S.
   Congress established the program, saidit wouldtake an Afghan
   applicanttwo to threeyears or more to reach safety in the U.S.

   [2]IRC said in a statement thatthe U.S. governmentneeds to develop an
   efficient adjudication process "that addresses the longstanding
   challenges in SIV processing that have resulted in years-long
   backlogs."

   In April,U.S. President JoeBiden ordered the withdrawal of U.S. troops
   from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaida
   attacks on the U.S., despite the growing threat by Taliban rebels to
   seize power.

   Since May, Taliban rebels have escalated attacks and seized dozens of
   districts in the Afghan countryside, sparking concerns the insurgents
   could gain control of Kabul as it did in 1996.

References

   1. https://crow.house.gov/media/press-releases/icymi-house-passes-crows-legislation-expedite-visa-process-afghan-interpreters
   2. https://www.rescue.org/press-release/irc-us-announcement-afghan-siv-withdrawal-leaves-more-questions-answers-populations

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