AFGHAN SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA AND REFUGE REFERRAL PROCESSING SUPPORT

OUSD(A&S) has partnered with the Department of State (DoS) to assist with the employment verification portion of the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process for Afghan nationals who were reportedly employed by Department of Defense (DoD) contractors.  This effort was initially called Project Rabbit, but has transitioned into the DoD ASIV Support Team, or DAS-T. The Department’s goal is to streamline the Chief of Mission (COM) approval application (Step 1 of the Afghan SIV application process), by matching SIV applicants with human resource and employment data voluntarily provided by DoD contractors.  If matched, the DAS-T provides this employment information directly to DoS to assist in employment verification and in the COM’s determination that the SIV applicant provided “faithful and valuable service” to the U.S. Government, one of the most burdensome portions of the process. The Department of State uses this employment information to assist qualified SIV applicants in obtaining a COM approval letter and thereby completing Step 1 of the SIV application process.

DoD also assists and supports the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) refugee referral process for Afghan nationals who worked with or in support of the Department of Defense and the Administration’s State Department-led “Enduring Welcome” program to relocate Afghan allies and their families in the United States. Afghans referred to USRAP are not eligible for an SIV because they did not have qualifying employment or because they have not met the time-in-service requirement to become eligible.  The USRAP is managed by the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).  The State Department Coordinator for Afghan Relocations Effort (CARE) manages the U.S. Government facilitated relocation out of Afghanistan for Afghan SIVs and refugees who are eligible for the Enduring Welcome program.