Online Center for Afghan Refugees and SIV
This post attempts to clarify the qualification requirements and the type of applicants that qualify for the Afghan SIV program. What is the Afghan SIV program? The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program was created by the US Congress in 2009 to allow immigration of qualified Afghans that worked for or served the United States government in Afghanistan and have …
Are you wondering how long your Afghan SIV application will take? Find out the average processing times in this infographic. Click on the picture to read full details. Infographic obtained and modified from No One Left Behind organization. Average processing times based on the Quarterly Report of the Afghan SIV Program – July 2020.
Following are the eligibility requirements for the Afghan SIV program children in order to have visas issued under a parent’s case. Child must be younger than 21 years old. This means 0-20 years. Child must be unmarried. Being engaged (naamzad) is ok. If step-child from another husband/wife, then the child must had been under 18 years old at time of …
How To Avoid Common SIV Application Problems The following information has been sourced and adapted from the IRAP organization’s guide for COM approval. Below is a list of common SIV problems. This list is not complete. Always check the U.S. government COM guidelines. If there are any issues with the LOR or HR letter, ask for an updated letter that …
IRAP organization has published an excellent Guide for COM Denial Appeals. This guide is for Afghans who: Worked in Afghanistan for the U.S. government, a company with a U.S. government contract, or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) or a successor mission, and Submitted an application for Chief of Mission (COM) approval to the National Visa Center (NVC) and Received a denial …
Up to 55,000 foreign nationals and their families from around the world now have the chance to legally immigrate to the United States and achieve the American Dream with a green card in hand in 2021, thanks to the popular Diversity Visa program also known as green card lottery. The winners are selected randomly from listed of qualified entries. There …
On December 20, 2019, U.S. law changed. Afghan SIV applicants no longer need to meet the requirement that they worked as an interpreter or translator or “perform[ed] sensitive and trusted activities for the United States government in Afghanistan.” The law did not change other eligibility requirements. Because this requirement no longer exists, if you received a Chief of Mission (COM) …