There came an amendment in the policies related to Afghan settlement. According to a senior administration official, United States President Joe Biden’s administration is stopping the temporary relocation of Afghans to the country.
The policy has seen a few exceptions and focuses on reconnecting close relatives with possibilities for permanent resident status.
The policy shift appears to come in response to allegations that the government did not adequately arrange the evacuation of Afghans in danger of Taliban retaliation when it decided to withdraw the last American troops from Afghanistan a year ago.
This opposition comes from some legislators, refugee institutions, and veterans’ groups.
Karine Jean-Pierre, The White House official reaffirmed the government’s commitment to its allies in Afghanistan during a media briefing. She also went into greater detail on changes made to the president’s relocation assistance policy.
She voiced her views as,
“We are introducing a new approach where new arrivals from Afghanistan will travel directly to the communities where they will be moving with the help of refugee resettlement agencies. Instead of the temporary residency that is provided by humanitarian parole, Afghans who want to reside in the United States will remain to have an immigration status that provides a path to long-term permanent resident status.”
Except for a few exemptions, the US would no longer accept Afghans under humanitarian release, a special service that allows transitory entry but no path to legal permanent resident status.
The revised policy will place a strong emphasis on relocating close family members of US citizens, those with green cards, and Afghans who were given Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) because they posed a risk to the Taliban due to their work with the US government.
Relatives accepted under those classifications will have permanent, long-term immigration status. It will allow them to quickly establish and integrate into their new neighborhoods.
The family reunion is a really major priority for Afghans themselves, for communities that care for them, for advocates across the country, and for veterans’ groups as well.
Sources
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-revise-afghan-resettlement-policy-us-official-2022-09-01/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/1/us-to-revise-resettlement-policy-for-afghans-official
