The Department of State remains committed to processing Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications from Afghan partners as expeditiously as possible. We have increased staffing, streamlined individual processing steps, made technological improvements, and surged additional staff to support third-country embassies and consulates processing these visa applications following the suspension of operations at Embassy Kabul. As a result, we are processing more initial applications than ever, and we are prioritizing SIV applicants for visa interview at any third-country immigrant visa processing post where applicants can travel and appear.
Through a recent court filing, the Executive Branch is seeking the flexibility to allocate our resources not on burdensome litigation reporting requirements but, instead, on processing of SIV cases and transparent reporting to Congress on our performance. We continue to believe that is in the best interest of our Afghan partners seeking SIV status. We look forward to continuing to share information with stakeholders and the public on our ongoing work to fulfill our commitment to our Afghan partners.