Washington, 20 March 2024 (TDI): The United States lifted the Afghan Visa restrictions under US President Joe Biden and Congress, today. US President Biden made a deal with the House of Republics to lift visas for those Afghans, who are working for the United States.
According to reports, the limit of the Congressionally authorized Special Immigrants visas is 38,500 for US citizens, which had been expected to be reached in August.
Representative McCaul stated that while the Republicans have agreed to an increase to 12,000 visas, the Biden administration is demanding 20,000 visas.
Moreover, He said, “The White House and Congressional leaders have agreed to grant 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan nationals who assisted the United States”.
According to reports, Representative Jason Crow and a Democrat Confirm that, “Special Immigrants Visas are increased to 12,000”.
Afghan People applying for US Visa
The Afghan visa restriction program will expire in 2026. And this agreement is short-term as Afghans are requesting more visas.
According to the State Department, on 1st March, more than 80,000 Afghan people applied for US Visas, and a quarter of those people have already passed the interviews and are waiting for confirmation.
As reports mentioned, After the US pullout, many Afghan citizens faced systematic punishment by the Taliban as they helped the USA at that time.
Furthermore, they mentioned, “The additional visas come despite an immigration backlash fueled by former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and the United Nations”.
Also, “It reports that the Taliban have killed, arrested and tortured hundreds of former officials and soldiers since the Islamists seized Kabul”.
Also Read: Afghanistan faces a humanitarian crisis with 23.7 million in need
“This is a victory,” Crow said. “It’s not what we originally asked for. That’s what the Senate had approved,” he added. “But it gives us a lot more runway for a longer-term fix and allows us to save more lives.”
