US EditionUS State Department stops processing visas for Afghan allies
The suspension affects about 180,000 Special Immigrant Visa applicants who assisted U.S. forces, reflecting heightened security concerns after a recent attack, the State Department said.
- On Nov 29, the U.S. State Department ordered diplomats worldwide to stop processing visas for Afghan nationals, effectively suspending the special immigrant program including Special Immigrant Visas.
- The cable on Friday said the pause was aimed at verifying applicants' identities, ensuring eligibility under U.S. law after a Wednesday shooting in Washington, D.C. intensified legal immigration scrutiny.
- Consular officers were told to reject Afghan visa applications and refuse cases when they arise; authorized but unprinted visas should be reversed while printed visas must be destroyed, and scheduled appointments remain.
- The pause affected hundreds of thousands awaiting U.S. processing, advocates warned, with applications still open for 265,000 Afghans outside the U.S., including about 180,000 in the SIV pipeline.
- Amid broader enforcement moves, officials publicly signaled a pause on Afghan passport visa issuance, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on platform X that `ALL individuals` traveling on Afghan passports would have their visa issuance `paused`.
15 Articles
15 Articles
US State Department Stops Processing Visas for Afghan Allies
US State Department stops processing visas for Afghan allies
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its diplomats worldwide to stop processing visas for Afghan nationals, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters, effectively suspending the special immigration program for Afghans who helped the United States during its 20-year-long occupation of their home country.
The US State Department has announced that it has suspended the issuance of visas to all Afghan passport holders. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on social media on Friday that the issuance of visas for Afghan citizens has been stopped and no decisions will be made on refugee applications for the foreseeable future. Immigration officials have said that all refugee decisions have been temporarily suspended so that each application can…
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