WASHINGTON – U.S. lawmakers revealed on Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s administration has reached a compromise deal with House Republicans to raise the number of resettlement visas available for Afghans who assisted the United States.
The current limit set by Congress for Special Immigration Visas (SIVs), which offer a pathway to U.S. citizenship, stands at 38,500. With the expected exhaustion of this limit around the anniversary of the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, negotiations have been underway to increase the allocation.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Representative Michael McCaul, disclosed that the compromise agreement would add 12,000 more visas to the existing quota. While the Biden administration and Senate Republicans had advocated for an increase to 20,000 visas, the agreed-upon figure of 12,000 marks a significant step forward.
“The White House and Congressional leaders have agreed to grant 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan nationals who assisted the United States,” McCaul announced during a hearing, noting that the allocation would be included in the State Department’s foreign operations funding bill.
Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat and Army veteran who spearheaded efforts in the House to raise the SIV ceiling, confirmed the 12,000 figure to Reuters.
However, despite this agreement, the demand for visas by Afghans still exceeds the available quota, and the SIV program is set to expire in 2026.
As of March 1, more than 80,000 Afghans were in the visa process, with approximately a quarter having already cleared the final interview and vetting stages outside of Afghanistan, according to a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The announcement coincided with a hearing featuring testimony from two former top U.S. generals, who highlighted the grave risks faced by Afghans who aided the United States in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s subsequent retribution campaign.
Despite challenges, the decision to increase visas comes amid a backdrop of immigration concerns, fueled in part by former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, and reports of Taliban reprisals against former officials and soldiers.
“This is a victory,” stated Representative Crow, emphasizing the significance of the compromise. “It’s not what we originally asked for. That’s what the Senate had approved. But it gives us a lot more runway for a longer-term fix and allows us to save more lives.”
