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The U.S. is evacuating a “significant” number of employees from its embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, as Taliban forces gain ground across the country. The State Department announced on Thursday it is reducing its civilian footprint of roughly 4,000 personnel to a “core diplomatic presence” given the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. “Our embassy remains open and our diplomatic […]

MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today for this call to discuss the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Priority 2 Designation for Afghan Nationals. This call, as you know, is on background. For reporting purposes, our briefers should be referred to as senior State Department officials. Just for your knowledge, and again, not for […]

Today, the Department of State is announcing a Priority 2 (P-2) designation granting U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) access for certain Afghan nationals and their eligible family members. The U.S. objective remains a peaceful, secure Afghanistan. However, in light of increased levels of Taliban violence, the U.S. government is working to provide certain Afghans, including […]

 In March 2021, USCIS conducted an initial random selection on electronic registrations for the FY 2022 H-1B cap, including for beneficiaries eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The agency determined that it needed to select additional registrations to reach the FY 2022 numerical allocations. On July 28, USCIS selected previously submitted electronic registrations using a random […]

Nearly a decade after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to provide protections to undocumented immigrants brought here as children, Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District of Texas struck down the program on July 16, ordering U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to stop issuing […]

Senate Democrats’ supplemental spending bill for Capitol security would also make significant moves to protect Afghan interpreters and refugees as the U.S. military finishes its withdrawal from Afghanistan. The $3.7 billion measure, introduced Monday in response to the Jan. 6 riot, would increase the number of authorized Afghan special immigrant visas from 26,500 to 46,500. […]

Backlogs, processing delays, and revenue shortfalls are nothing new at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency has long suffered from severe structural problems that hurt people who depend on it for work authorization, adjustment of status, naturalization, and many other immigration benefits. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agency operations has […]