Updates on immigration pathways for Afghans

For twenty years, Afghans stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States — not as helpers, but as partners who risked their lives because they believed in the mission and believed America would stand by them in return. Today, tens of thousands are being targeted by the Taliban simply because they dared to build a better future: NGO workers delivering food and medicine, women’s rights defenders opening classrooms for girls, teachers, lawyers, community organizers, and journalists who documented abuses even when it was dangerous.

When the United States left Afghanistan and the Taliban returned to power, these individuals didn’t just lose their jobs — they lost their safety overnight. Leaving was not a choice then, and it is not a choice now; it is survival.

Afghanistan is now facing one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes anywhere in the world, with 21.9 million people — nearly half the population — needing aid to survive, acute malnutrition rising sharply, and 4.9 million mothers and children one step from famine. Child labor and child marriage are surging, women and girls are being erased from public life, and cuts in U.S. humanitarian funding have forced clinics and nutrition programs to close just as need reaches historic levels.

At the very moment Afghans face escalating danger, the pathways that once offered protection in the United States have been halted. Lifesaving assistance has ended, and nearly every avenue for safety has been wound down or shuttered — despite the thousands who are still relying on America’s promises.

Humanitarian parole, once an emergency lifeline and the primary route used during Operation Allies Welcome, is no longer functioning as a viable option. Broad parole programs have been paused, and case‑by‑case requests are heavily restricted or backlogged.

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program remains indefinitely suspended for nearly all populations, leaving Afghans with virtually no access to resettlement; only three Afghan refugees have been admitted this year. Only three Afghan refugees arrived through USRAP in FY 2026. Thousands of at-risk Afghans remain in harm’s way in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries.

A broad travel ban blocks Afghan nationals from entering the United States — even those already vetted, even those with family here, even those who served alongside our government.

Meanwhile, Afghans who have already reached safety in the United States are seeing protections rolled back.

Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan was terminated, stripping deportation protection and work authorization from roughly 12,000 people.

Green card and work permit processing has slowed or stalled, pushing families into legal limbo, lost jobs, and lapses in income.

Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program created by Congress in 2009 for Afghan allies who worked directly for the U.S. government or military, is also facing delays and challenges under current U.S. policies. Applicants for the SIV program must provide extensive documentation of their work for the United States, and clear multiple rounds of security vetting. Although ~6,000 visas remain authorized by Congress for this program, new applications closed on Dec. 31, 2025. Afghan SIVs are also now subject to entry restrictions under the Presidential Proclamation 10998 travel ban, despite previously being exempt.

Recent court orders (Afghan & Iraqi Allies v. Rubio) have mandated the State Department has resumed Chief of Mission (COM) adjudications, leading to increased staffing. But this still means that while more applicants will be deemed eligible for the program, they will still be unable to enter the U.S. due to the ongoing travel ban.