Crucial Information on Afghanistan Assistance

Thank you for contacting the Office of Senator Cruz. We are working diligently with the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to assist American citizens, Legal Permanent Residents, Immigrant Visa Applicants, including Special Immigrant Visa applicants and their families that are in Afghanistan to relocate. Please see the most recent guidance regarding Afghanistan here: https://www.state.gov/afghanistan-inquiries/

Consular services are no longer available in Kabul.

The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. U.S. citizens still in country should:

• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates and ensure you can be located in an emergency.
• Review your personal security plans.
• Be aware of your surroundings and local security developments at all times.
• Keep a low profile.
• Notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans.
• Make contingency plans to leave when it is safe to do so that do not rely on U.S. government assistance.
• Monitor local media.

This includes interviews and completion of previously-interviewed cases for any category of visa, including Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), in Afghanistan. However, DOS is developing processing alternatives so that they can continue to deliver this important service for the people of Afghanistan who have served alongside our military forces.

DOS will continue to prioritize SIV applications at every stage of the SIV process, At the applicant's request, DOS will transfer cases to other U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world. This effort is of the utmost importance to the U.S. Government.

Afghan nationals with pending SIV applications should follow the guidance available here. After the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved the applicant's petition and the applicant becomes eligible for an interview, applicants should notify the National Visa Center (NVC) at this NVC if they are able to travel to another immigrant visa processing post outside of Afghanistan (search here). The NVC will then assist the applicant to transfer their case to that location for an interview. If the SIV applicant is currently outside of Afghanistan, they should contact the National Visa Center at this link to have their case transferred to an U.S. Embassy or Consulate of the applicant's choice that has an immigrant visa processing unit. Finally, Afghans who are applying for a non-SIV immigrant visa and are able to travel to another immigrant visa processing post should use this link to request a case transfer.

Afghan nationals who are eligible for the SIV program, and who have not yet done so, are encouraged to submit one complete application package to NVC (AfghanSIVapplication@state.gov) to facilitate processing in an expeditious manner.  Please refer to Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans - Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government (state.gov) for more information regarding the SIV process and who to contact with questions. 

Immigrant visa applicants, including SIV applicants, should continue monitoring official U.S. Government websites, including travel.state.gov, for updated information.  If there are instructions pertaining to your individual SIV or immigrant visa petition, the U.S. government will contact you separately.

Please find additional SIV resources below:

• If the applicant has not yet received Chief of Mission (COM) approval for their SIV application and have questions on how to receive COM approval, the applicant should contact NVC at AfghanSIVApplication@state.gov. 
• If the applicant has received COM approval for your SIV application and have questions regarding the filing of your official Form I-360 petition, they should contact the USCIS Nebraska Service Center at sivtranslator.nsc@dhs.gov.  
• If the applicant has an approved Form I-360 petition and has questions regarding their case status, they should contact the NVC at NVCSIV@state.gov.  
• If the applicant has questions about their SIV interview, they should contact NVC at https://nvc.state.gov/inquiry or the U.S. Embassy or Consulate outside of Afghanistan nearest to you.  You can find a list of our U.S. Embassies and Consulates at http://www.usembassy.gov.  
• If you would like information about SIV resettlement benefits and post-arrival services, please contact the Refugee Processing Center at SIV@wrapsnet.org.
• If an interested party is a supervisor (or former supervisor) of an SIV applicant and would like to submit additional information in support of the pending visa application, please contact SIV-Veterans-Support@state.gov. 

Please note that our office cannot provide assistance with inquiries about refugee (P1/2s) / asylee or other humanitarian assistance questions.

• U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (P1/2s): Afghans eligible for and referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) must be outside of Afghanistan in a third country for their cases to be processed. For more information on the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, please visit https://www.state.gov/u-s-refugee-admissions-program-priority-2-designation-for-afghan-nationals/ 
• Asylum/Humanitarian Assistance: Afghans with safety concerns may contact the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) protection office, which can be reached via their Protection Hotline numbers or email address: 0790691746 and 0704996168 (available on all working days), and afgkaprt@unhcr.org. UNHCR's website provides information on asylum procedures abroad: https://help.unhcr.org/.

U.S. Citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents and SIVs, please email casework_cruz@cruz.senate.gov the following information for each person needing assistance and we will send is to the DOS Task Force. Please send in list format as below and not in attachments.

1. Full Legal Name
2. Age
3. Citizenship/Nationality
4. Date of Birth
5. Current Status (select one of the following):
   1. United States Citizen
   2. United States Lawful Permanent Resident (LRP or green card holder)
   3. Afghan Citizen currently holding an Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)
   4. Afghan Citizen who has applied for but is not yet approved for a SIV
6. Passport Number or Tazkera (Afghan National Identification) Number
7. Does this person have a USCIS or National Visa Center case number? If YES, Please provide this number. If NO, are they a beneficiary of the principal applicant's case number?
8. Connection to the United States (where applicable)
9. Current Location
10. Contact Information (including email, phone number, messaging capabilities, etc.)