Afghanistan has long been one of the largest originators of displaced persons due to prolonged interethnic conflict and proxy wars (1, 2); however, the year 2021 witnessed the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the resultant collapse of the Afghan national infrastructure, and the subsequent takeover of the country by Taliban, Islamic State-Khorasan (ISK), and other . The Department of State will contact you with departure options for your family members after receiving your Form DS-4317. If you have a family member who is eligible to file, See below for information on Special Immigrant Status, Family-Based Immigration Petitions (Form I-130 or. Submit proof of your immigration medical examination. The receipt satisfies the Form I-9 requirement for 90 days from the date of hire (or in the case of reverification, the date employment authorization expires). In addition, if you are a principal refugee admitted to the United States within the past 2 years or a principal asylee who was granted asylum within the past 2 years, you may use the Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Petition, to request follow-to-join immigration benefits for a qualifying spouse or unmarried children under 21 years of age. The law requires applicants for asylum to apply within 1 year of their last arrival to the United States, unless they can show that they qualify for an exception to the 1-year filing deadline. On December 29, 2022,Pub. Life Under the Taliban Life in a Remote Valley in Kunar Province. If you have questions regarding any pending application, please see the Contact Uswebpage for more information. The elimination of this 19-page form will greatly ease the administrative burden on applicants and reduce processing time. There is no fee to request reissuing a card. This petition has a 2-year filing deadline. A lock ( A locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. It may take up to 90 days from the date you made your payment to receive your permanent resident card. Introduction. If you are a CQ conditional immigrants or SQ immigrant affected by a missing visa packet, you may receive a USCIS Application Support Center appointment notice to submit your biometrics (photograph or fingerprints or both). Your interview notice will list the exact location where you should report for your asylum interview. Asylum/Humanitarian Assistance: Afghans with safety concerns may contact the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protection office, which can be reached via their Protection Hotline numbers or email address: 0790691746 and 0704996168 (available on all working days), and afgkaprt@unhcr.org. You must apply as a refugee. If you have already applied and want to check the status of your application, call the US Department of State at +001-603-334-0828 you will need your SIV number and date of birth. Mr. Safi, who previously worked as a contractor for . If you did not complete Form I-485 at a U.S. government reception center or safe haven, we encourage you to file Form I-485 as soon as possible to apply to become a lawful permanent resident and get a Green Card. We are expediting pending affirmative asylum applications filed by certain Afghan applicants. For more information on getting an SIV overseas, see the Consular Processingpage. The 'Results' section covers the Afghan SIV process and time allotted to complete each step; Afghan SIV applications received, approved and denied from 2009 through 2021, and the overall average Afghan SIV processing time. USCIS may grant TPS to eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries) who are already in the United States. While the U.S. government has withdrawn its personnel from Kabul, we will continue to assist U.S. citizens and their families in Afghanistan from Doha, Qatar. The Biden Presidency Facts First 2022 Midterms Audio . For more information, see the DOSs, On or after July 20, 2022, you may seek special immigrant classification by filing Form DS-157, Petition for Special Immigrant Classification for Afghan SIV Applicants, when you apply for COM approval. MODERATOR: Hey everyone, good morning. Official websites use .gov If you were admitted to the United States as an Afghan SIV LPR and you still have your immigrant visa paper packet, mail your packet to: In the basis of eligibility section, provide your eligibility category; For the category under which you are applying, select , Select your reason for applying as either . "We remain committed to our Afghan allies and processing Special Immigrant Visa applications as expeditiously as possible, while always protecting our national security. Your previously filed Form DS-157 will be deemed a PETITION FOR SPECIAL IMMIGRANT CLASSIFICATION FOR AFGHAN SIV APPLICANTS. The U.S. government may be able to offer departure assistance for your eligible family members who are outside the United States if you are an Afghan national who entered the United States as a parolee and: You may apply for your lawful spouse* and your unmarried children under the age of 21 to enter the United States as refugees. You must sign your attestation, but it does not need to be notarized. In a report ( PDF) late last month, DHS said more than 36,400 Afghan refugees do not qualify for the special immigrant visa (SIV) programme designed for Afghans who worked with US forces during. . After you meet these requirements, you must enter your attestation at theAfghan Parolee Vaccination Statuswebpage. If you are outside of the United States, you or someone on your behalf may be able to request parole into the United States based on urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons. In addition, all Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers located in third countries should register with the nearest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office. and/or your country of citizenship as Afghanistan (Questions 18.a. Do not leave anything out. No. In the past, we relied on receiving these paper packets to issue Permanent Resident Cards (Green Cards). Specialized in Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), humanitarian parole (I-131/I-134), asylum and resettlement cases. You are a citizen or national of Afghanistan, or you have no nationality and last habitually resided in Afghanistan; You were paroled into the United States between July 30, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022; and, You were paroled into the United States after Sept. 30, 2022, and, You are the spouse or child of an individual who meets Category 1 above, or, You are the parent or legal guardian of an individual who meets Category 1 above and who is determined to be an unaccompanied child as defined under 6 U.S.C. If you still need to complete the immigration medical examination in the United States, a civil surgeon designated by USCIS must perform the examination. Their future is . You must demonstrate you experienced or are experiencing an ongoing serious threat as a consequence of your employment by the U.S. government. The administration must take immediate steps to ensure this program can operate with integrity, now and post-withdrawal, including through the allocation of 20,000 visas in Fiscal Year 2022. Home. Through Sept. 30, 2023, USCIS will not charge an immigrant fee to Afghan nationals. If such individuals apply for a Special Immigrant Visa outside of the United States or apply to adjust status in the DS-157 To find information about an asylum office, visit the USCIS Service and Office Locator. You must give notice each time you move, even if you are moving to a temporary location. Note: Confidentiality restrictions may apply to certain information on the Form I-730, depending on who submitted the information, who it relates to, and with whom it is being shared. (Your parole will not be valid if you violate its terms.) U.S. Embassy Islamabad is processing immigrant visas across all categories. TPS is a temporary benefit. If you do not attend your biometric services appointment, we may deny your application. The Afghan SIV process and number of days allotted to complete each step. September 30, 2022. Total Afghan SIVs Issued in FY 2022 (through December 31, 2021) Total Afghan Numbers Used1 Remaining SIVs for . Sign your Form I-485 in Part 10, Item 6.a. You are a noncitizen who entered the United States as an A-1, A-2, G-1, or G-2 nonimmigrant; You failed to maintain your A-1, A-2, G-1, or G-2 nonimmigrant status; Your duties were diplomatic or semi-diplomatic; Compelling reasons why you cannot return to the country represented by the government that accredited you as a diplomat; and. On Nov. 21, 2022, USCIS announced that Afghans paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) and certain Afghans paroled under Operation Enduring Welcome (OEW) are employment authorized incident to parole. For more information, see theGreen Card Eligibility Categories webpage. If the U.S. government can help your lawful spouse* and unmarried children under 21 depart Afghanistan, your family members will travel to a country outside the United States where they can be considered for refugee status through the U.S. Are not removable from the United States; Can obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD); and, Filing for adjustment of status based on an immigrant petition; or. Close All Open All In Part 1, Reason for Applying, select 1.a., Initial permission to accept employment, In Part 2, list your country of birth as Afghanistan. (Questions 19.c.) Refugees and asylum-seekers should seek to comply with all legal requirements of the country where they are located, including registration with host governments, if required. This means that if you are an OAW or certain OEW parolee, we do not need to approve your Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, before you can work in the United States. Include the following information in your explanation: You should also attest to the validity of your statement that you are unable to provide primary or secondary documentation. Include your most recent date of entry in the Date field on page 1 of Form I-589, Part A.I., Question 19c. Afghan nationals and their families relocated to the United States are made up of distinct groups: For information about the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process for Afghan nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or the International Security Assistance Force, known as ISAF, see theGreen Card for an Afghan National Who Was Employed by or on Behalf of the U.S. Governmentwebpage. The above method of changing your address will update the address on file with USCIS for all pending applications, petitions, or requests that you include receipt numbers for on the form. It is not possible to provide precise wait times as staffing and local conditions affect capacity and scheduling. 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