The US State Department has announced the extension of its contract with civil groups to facilitate the relocation of Afghan refugees to the US. This move comes as the US reaffirms its commitment to aid former Afghan colleagues and their families in the midst of an uncertain political climate in Afghanistan.
Kabul24: The extension of the contract was announced on Monday, June 12, by US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, who signed a memorandum of cooperation with a coalition of over 200 groups and hundreds of volunteers known as “Afghan Ayok.”
Refugee Relocation Efforts and the US Plan for Withdrawal in Afghanistan
The US government has brought more than 97,000 Afghans to America since 2008, making it one of the largest recipients of Afghan refugees. The new agreement seeks to help more Afghan refugees relocate to the US and will provide aid to those stuck in Afghanistan and other third countries.
In his announcement, Blinken thanked private institutions for their cooperation and expressed his desire to continue to work with them in finding better and more effective ways of transferring people in danger out of Afghanistan.
The initiative will allow the government to improve its refugee relocation efforts while adhering to its commitment to welcoming former US partners and their families to the United States.
New Measures for Faster Processing of Visa Requests and Reuniting Families
As part of the new approach to accommodating more refugees, the US State Department has removed the requirement to fill out the DS 157 form and is working to find more efficient ways to reunite family members.
Previously, the form only made those who had worked with the US military or diplomatic mission in Afghanistan for at least one year after 2001 and their families (spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21) eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa or SIV. The new measures will make it easier and faster for Afghan refugees to reunite with their families in the US.
These changes come in response to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which stated that processing 175,000 Afghan refugees’ special immigration visa requests would take up to 31 years if the current rate of processing were to continue.
