Continued Anticipation: Afghans’ Wait for US Visas Two Years After Kabul’s Fall
The fall of Kabul to the Taliban in 2021 forced many Afghans to flee their country. Among them were women’s rights advocates, journalists, and others who had worked with the US government or international organizations.
These Afghans are eligible for special immigrant visas (SIVs), but the process of obtaining them has been slow and frustrating. The State Department estimates that there are about 150,000 Afghans who have applied for SIVs, and the processing time could take up to 31 years.
Shukria Sediqi is one of the Afghans who is still waiting for her SIV. She is a women’s rights advocate and journalist who fled Herat after the Taliban took over. She worked with the US government and international organizations to promote women’s rights, and she believes that she is in danger if she returns to Afghanistan.
Sediqi and her family fled to Pakistan after the Taliban took over, but they have been unable to obtain visas to the US. They are living in uncertainty and financial difficulty, and they are worried that the US will not fulfill its promises to help them.
The slow pace of the SIV process is a major concern for Afghans who are waiting for visas. Many Afghans have already been waiting for years, and they are running out of patience. They are also worried about the safety of their families in Afghanistan.
The US government has said that it is committed to helping Afghans who are eligible for SIVs, but the slow pace of the process is a major obstacle. The US needs to do more to speed up the process and help Afghans who are waiting for visas.