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Afghanistan Inquiries

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul suspended operations in Afghanistan on August 31, 2021.

Immigrant visas, special immigrant visas, as well as P1 and P2 referrals may be electronically filed.  In order to process travel visas to the United States, individuals and families will need to leave Afghanistan and find a U.S. embassy or consulate for an interview.  U.S. government relocation assistance may be possible.

The Department of State Travel Advisory for Afghanistan is Level 4: Do Not Travel, due to armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping.  Travel to all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe.

  • U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) should not travel to Afghanistan to accompany eligible family members for relocation. More information on relocation for family members is available on the Afghan Family Reunification webpage.
  • The United States is taking every available measure to assist Afghans who are at risk, particularly those who worked for or with the United States or have supported international efforts.  We have established mechanisms to help Afghans at risk receive protection from potential retaliation or harm.  The two key mechanisms to support Afghans who are at risk because of their affiliation with the United States are the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program and referrals to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). More information on these programs can be found below.

U.S. Citizens

Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) and Qualifying U.S. Citizen and LPR Family Members

  • LPRs in need of U.S. government assistance to depart Afghanistan should email complete biographic details and contact information (email and phone number) as well as their passport number to CARETravelData@state.gov.
    • U.S. Citizen and LPR qualifying family members requesting relocation from Afghanistan can visit: The Afghan Family Reunification Page
    • The Afghan Family reunification page explains how qualifying family members of U.S. citizens and LPRs are prioritized for relocation assistance if they have an approved U.S. immigrant visa petition and notification from the National Visa Center (NVC) that their case is ready for an interview.
    • This prioritization applies without being accompanied by a U.S. citizen or LPR family member.
    • U.S. citizens and LPRs should not travel to Afghanistan to accompany eligible family members for relocation. You are not required to be in Afghanistan for the U.S. government to help your family members depart from Afghanistan.
    • The Department of State will contact your family members with departure options after the NVC has notified your family members that their immigrant visa applications are ready for an interview.
    • Family members applying for non-SIV immigrant visas will need to travel to a U.S. embassy or consulate outside of Afghanistan that processes immigrant visas when the case is interview ready. Upon arrival in another country, you may contact the NVC to request a case transfer.

Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Applicants

  • We continue to prioritize Afghan SIV applications at every stage of the SIV process, including transferring interview-ready cases to other U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. This effort is of the utmost importance to the U.S. government.
  • Starting July 20, 2022, the Department of State and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have combined two steps in the Afghan SIV application process: (1) the Chief of Mission (COM) approval, and (2) the SIV petition. The new SIV petition for Afghans is two pages and submitted with the COM application, compared to the 19-page USCIS petition.  As a result, applicants processed through this framework will receive COM approval and petition approval almost simultaneously and need not submit an I-360 petition to USCIS.
  • Afghan nationals who are eligible for the SIV program but who have not yet applied should submit one complete application package, including the Form DS-157 Petition for Special Immigrant Classification for Afghan SIV Applicants , to the National Visa Center (NVC) (AfghanSIVapplication@state.gov) to facilitate processing as quickly as possible. Please refer to Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans – Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government for more information regarding the SIV process and who is eligible.
  • Immigrant visa applicants, including SIV applicants, should continue monitoring official U.S. government websites, including travel.state.gov for updated information. If there are instructions pertaining to your individual SIV or immigrant visa petition, the U.S. government will contact you separately.
Please find additional SIV resources below:  
If you have not yet received Chief of Mission (COM) approval for your SIV petition and have questions on how to receive COM approval Email the NVC at AfghanSIVApplication@state.gov
If you have received COM approval for your SIV petition and have questions regarding the filing of your Form I-360 petition with USCIS Contact the USCIS Nebraska Service Center at sivtranslator.nsc@dhs.gov
*New* If you have questions about the new DS-157 Petition for Special Immigrant Classification for Afghan SIV applicants or are unsure which petition you need to file Visit Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans – Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government 
If you have an approved SIV petition and have questions regarding your visa case status Email the NVC at NVCSIV@state.gov
If you have questions about your SIV interview Contact the NVC the U.S. Embassy or Consulate outside of Afghanistan nearest to you
If you are an SIV recipient in the U.S. and would like information about SIV resettlement benefits through post-arrival services Contact the Refugee Processing Center at SIV@wrapsnet.org

U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)

  • Our commitment to the people of Afghanistan is enduring. We continue to receive and process submissions for Afghans who may be eligible for referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Afghans eligible and referred to the USRAP generally must be outside of Afghanistan in a third country for their cases to be processed. We recognize that it may be difficult for Afghans to obtain a visa to a third country or find a way to enter a third country, and like many refugees, may face significant challenges fleeing to safety. Our expectation – and the expectation of the international community – is that people who want to leave Afghanistan should be able to do so.
  • Information on the Priority-2 designation for access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program is available at the Refugee Admissions page. Information for Afghan nationals regarding the P-2 designation and instructions for U.S.-based media and U.S. NGOs to submit P-2 referrals are available at www.wrapsnet.org.
  • Note: As of December 2022, we have begun to re-email applicants with an accepted referral who have not indicated relocation to a third country. This email requests applicants confirm their location is Afghanistan. The State Department is contacting applicants as part of ongoing U.S. government efforts to potentially relocate vulnerable Afghans to a processing location.

Asylum and immigration related information for Afghan Parolees

  • For information regarding asylum processing for Afghan nationals who were paroled into the United States, please visit USCIS’ Afghan Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) Parolee Asylum-Related Frequently Asked Questions .
  • 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. For parole requests filed on behalf of Afghan nationals, USCIS is currently prioritizing the parole applications for Afghan nationals outside of Afghanistan over those who are in Afghanistan given the availability of completing processing for parole beneficiaries in a location with those individuals at a U.S. embassy or consulate, but USCIS continues to process parole applications for individuals in Afghanistan as well.

Afghan Consular Services to Afghans Living in the United States

UNHCR Assistance

  • Individuals who believe they are being persecuted or who fear persecution in their own country and have managed to flee to another country should follow procedures to seek asylum or other forms of protection with local/national authorities. Such individuals can also seek assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR’s immediate focus is to ensure that Afghans who are seeking safety can reach it, including across borders and into neighboring countries if needed and that they can receive assistance to meet basic needs.
  • Globally, possibilities for resettlement of Afghans under UNHCR’s program are determined by participating governments. With respect to potential resettlement in a third country, resettlement quotas from governments around the world can currently only include a small proportion of refugees worldwide (less than 1%). Although some individuals may be determined to be in need of life-saving resettlement and may meet eligibility criteria, this is contingent on many factors, including the severity of resettlement needs, the protection environment, the position of the host country, and the availability of resettlement places. More information can be found on the UNHCR website. 

How the Public Can Help

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