You may or may not know that many of the Afghan evacuees who came to the U.S. at the end of last year are here on Humanitarian Parole. This status is temporary and does not have a pathway to permanent residence. There are other options Afghans may be pursuing, but it’s complicated.
Humanitarian Parole
This is temporary protection currently applied to 70,000 evacuees of Afghanistan. It provides protection from deportation, access to work authorization, and some support from resettlement agencies.
Cost: $575 if re-endolled
Validity: Expires after 2 years
Path to Permanent Status: No
Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
TPS is a temporary protection for Afghan nationals present in the U.S. since before March 15 if they meet eligibility requirements. It provides protection from deportation and work authorization.
Cost: $545
Validity: Expires after 18 months
Path to Permanent Status: No
Asylum
This category is for people fleeing home due to credible fear. Evacuees generally must apply within one year of arrival. The process is complicated, but if received, it provides access to permanent protections and some federal benefits.
Cost: $0 to apply, $1225 to adjust status if received
Validity: Permanent protections and path to citizenship
Path to Permanent Status: Yes
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV)
This category of visa is for people who can demonstrate they were employed by the U.S. government in Afghanistan and experienced serious threat due to that role. It requires extensive documentation and the process is heavily backlogged.
Cost: $0
Validity: Permanent protections and path to citizenship
Path to Permanent Status: Yes
Adjustment Legislation (not yet passed by Congress)
Advocates are asking Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. Why is this legislation important? According to HIAS, “The Afghan Adjustment Act allows certain Afghan evacuees to apply for permanent status after one year of being paroled into the country. It relieves the immediate burden on the SIV process — which currently has over 18,000 cases in the backlog — and asylum process — which currently has over 1 million cases in the backlog — and prevents Afghans paroled in the U.S. from losing their jobs or being deported while their applications for these statuses are pending.”
This allows evacuees who complete screening and vetting to be eligible for permanent status. It would provide access to permanent protections and some federal benefits.
Cost: Unknown
Validity: Permanent protections and path to citizenship
Path to Permanent Status: Yes
