For more information, see theGreen Card Eligibility Categories webpage. Their future is . Fee Information: Through Sept. 30, 2023, there is no fee to file Form I-485 to adjust status on the basis of classification as an Afghan special immigrant, or for any associated biometric services or to file an associated Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility. Filing Form DS-4317 will not prevent you from filing a Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition, if you are granted asylum or refugee status in the United States. The Afghanistan SIV process covers Afghan nationals employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The attestation should state that the information in the statement you provided is valid. Beginning Dec. 5. (Notify USCIS of an address change by filing Form AR-11, Aliens Change of Address Card, online using the Change of Address webpage.). USCIS may grant TPS to eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries) who are already in the United States. What efficiency improvements have been made to Afghan SIV processing? Time: 2023-02-28 14:23:38; source:Yahoo News . To apply for Chief of Mission (COM) approval for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, you must have access to email; have the ability to scan and save all of the required documents from the list as PDF files; and be able to submit these documents via email. Suite 504 If you do, the notice we send you will provide you the location of your local or designated USCIS application support center and the date and time of your appointment. A State Department spokesperson said in mid-July that 20,000 applicants are in various stages of. Please include your relatives country of birth on Part 4, Item 7., of the Form I-130. You must have a positive recommendation or evaluation documenting your faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government. On August 30, 2021, the final U.S. military flight left Kabul airport, completing a chaotic evacuation process from Afghanistan. Ste 400 2022 CS Pro Media x No One Left Behind Inc . It is not possible to provide precise wait times as staffing and local conditions affect capacity and scheduling. Individuals employed as civil servants in Afghanistan at any time from September 27, 1996 to December 22, 2001 or after August 15, 2021. . The Form I-485 processing time ends when you receive your permanent residence. Box 648003 and 18.b. the three SIV programs for Iraqi and Afghan nationals. One year later, the United States has yet to fulfill its moral, congressional, and court-ordered obligations to protect Afghans who remain at risk, including Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program applicants. Under the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (PDF), we are prioritizing asylum applications filed by certain Afghan citizens and nationals, or those with no nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan, as defined in Section 2502(a) of the Act (see section Operation Allies Welcome Expeditious Processing for Asylum Applications below for further information). USCIS may require you to appear for an interview or provide biometrics (fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature) at any time to verify your identity, obtain additional information, and conduct additional background and security checks, including a check of criminal history records maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), before making a decision on your Form I-765 application. Mark Attn: OAW anywhere on the front of the envelope; On page 1 of Form I-589, Part A.I., Item 19.c., write your current status followed by (Parole) in the Status field. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The following resources are kept up-to-date with key policy and legal developments. In June 2020, OIG reported 1 that the Bureau of Consular Affairs' (CA) method for collecting, verifying, and reporting Afghan SIV application processing times was inconsistent and potentially flawed. At this time, the U.S. Embassy Kabul has suspended operations, including all consular services, and USCIS cannot fully process requests for parole for individuals in Afghanistan. Afghan citizens or nationals who already started the SIV application process and received COM approval on or before July 20, 2022, must still file a Form I-360 with USCIS on their own behalf. [He/she] can also email NVCSIV@state.gov for questions about your SIV case. The Afghan SIV program was an important mechanism to repay these courageous individuals, but it has not lived up to the promise we made to participants when it was established over a decade ago. If you are applying for a Green Card after you wereparoled into the United States due to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and you are an Afghan national or derivative family member (spouse or unmarried child younger than 21) with an approvedForm I-360 from USCIS or an approved Form DS-157 from DOS, follow the instructions below to submitForm I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. For those petitioners that wish to be considered for the fee exemption and whose Afghan national relative was not born in Afghanistan, you cannot submit your petition online. If your address changes, you must notify us of your new address within 10 days by submitting, You do not have to pay the filing or biometric services fees for Form I-485 if you were paroled into the United States on or after July 30, 2021 , with an approved. Include a copy of your Form I-360 approval notice or COM approval letter, which also indicates approval of your Form DS-157. Given this precedent, this commentary suggests Congress should act to provide a more secure future for the more than 72,000 Afghans who were airlifted to the United States under an uncertain immigration status . because they're further along in processing, while others won't. . Form I-824, Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, is used to request further action on a previously approved application or petition. Lewisville, TX 75067. 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. Also available inDariandPashto. For these parolees, their unexpired Form I-94 is an acceptable List A receipt that shows their identity and employment authorization for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Close All Open All Find information on access to USRAP at theDepartment of States Refugee Admissions webpageandUSCIS Refugees webpage. If you are an Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) asylum applicant, your asylum interview might take place at a USCIS field office. If you request an SSN in Part 2 (Items 13.a.-17.b.) Do not leave anything out. You have not yet completed an immigrant medical examination, You must complete an immigration medical examination (documented on, Were admitted into the United States as a lawful permanent resident, You completed your immigration medical examination outside the United States before you arrived. You must complete all remaining medical requirements listed on the USCIS Notice Regarding Conditions for Parole, which may include required vaccinations and TB testing, within 60 days of arrival in the United States. If you have questions about your asylum interview, contact the asylum office with jurisdiction over your case. You can find the receipt number of your Form I-360 on your approval notice (Form I-797). 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. ALERT: From Dec. 9, 2021 until March 31, 2023, we are temporarily waiving the requirement that a civil surgeon must sign your Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, no more than 60 days before you file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. There are many forms of abuse and exploitation, including domestic violence, forced marriage and human trafficking. This is considered derivative refugee or asylee status, because your beneficiary will be deriving their status from you after you were admitted to the United States as a refugee or received a grant of asylum. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images August 19, 2021, 12:42 PM Need to update your initial EAD validity date to align with your updated Form I-94 parole period. Once the immigration medical examination is complete, the civil surgeon annotates the results on Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. File Online You have already completed the medical requirements to obtain lawful permanent resident status. After we receive and accept your application, we will inform you in writing if you need to attend a biometric services appointment. 5109 Leesburg Pike Skyline Six, Form I-693 retains its evidentiary value for 2 years after the date the civil surgeon signed Form I-693. For more information about changing your address, see the How to Change Your Address webpage. Individuals who are authorized parole may apply for employment authorization after arrival. For more information, see the Form I-730 webpage. 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. If you do not attend your biometric services appointment, we may deny your application. To request renewal of your employment authorization or replacement of your EAD, see the Form I-765 webpage. Attn: IV We will reject the form if any of these fields are missing: Submit Form I-765 with a copy of the Form I-94, passport, or other travel document described above. For more information, see instructions on the DOS website on Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government. ); Copies of supporting documentation of the correct information. For more information, see the USCIS Policy Manual and the Department of State's Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans webpage. Life Under the Taliban Life in a Remote Valley in Kunar Province. For inquiries regarding a pending Chief of Mission application or immigrant visa, please visit theDepartment of States Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Governmentwebpage for contact information. Marriage certificate for your lawful spouse*; Birth certificate for each child under the age of 21; USCIS does not routinely send emails to inform you that you have been approved for a diversity visa, immigrant visa, nonimmigrant visa, or any other type of immigration benefit, except in certain situations. Administrative Processing: 120 Days Total Processing time for visa issuence: 705 Days Source: Report of Afghan SIV Program - July 2018 Conclusion The most important point to remember is to avoid making comparisons with other cases and to patiently wait for your own case to be processed for completion until your visa is issued. Javed, 38, an SIV applicant in Kabul, said he lives in fear every day because he worked as an operations manager and translator at Bagram airbase, the largest US military installation in Afghanistan. This page provides information for Afghan nationals. If you have been persecuted or have a fear of future persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, you may be eligible for asylum. You were inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States; You are physically present in the United States; You are eligible to receive an immigrant visa because you are the beneficiary of an approved, An immigrant visa number is immediately available to you at the time you file your application. 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. Principal applicants accounted for about 31,000 of the total, and dependent spouses and children accounted for the remaining 69,000. Email addresses from the U.S. government always end in (.gov). Applying for any other immigration benefit or protection for which you may be eligible. 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. A high number in this field reflects older cases being completed, not older . CNN There are tens of thousands of Afghans who have applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) whose applications are still being processed nearly a year after the botched US withdrawal from. 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. Report your compliance at theAfghan Parolee Vaccination Statuswebpage. You can email your DD Form 2870 to dha.ncr.healthcare-ops.mbx.dod-oaw-health-records-request@mail.mil or mail it to: Defense Health Agency The secretary of homeland security may designate a foreign country for TPS when conditions in the country temporarily prevent its nationals from returning safely or, in certain circumstances, when the country is unable to adequately handle the return of its nationals. Additionally, the agencies found that the SIV processing time between the two quarters went from 435 days to 743 days -- nearly doubling -- while actual approvals dropped off. (This occurs when your priority date for your immigrant category is current. 1820 E. Skyharbor Circle S If you have not received your EAD after submitting a Form I-765, checkCase Status Onlineor contact the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283(TTY 800-767-1833) Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, for information on the status of your application. . 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