Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act

Summary#

This bill, titled the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act, creates several immigration and resettlement pathways and administrative changes for nationals of Afghanistan and people who served or worked with U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. Key provisions include: a new conditional permanent resident status for certain Afghans who are present in the United States and were inspected and admitted or paroled by specified dates; rules for assessments and possible waivers of some grounds of inadmissibility; tolling of parole expiration while an application is pending; required nonadversarial meetings and assistance through the Office of Refugee Resettlement; protections that preserve the right to seek asylum; and a prohibition on fees for certain initial documents and employment authorization.

The bill requires the Secretary of State to designate an office to carry out embassy-like services for Afghans while there is no operational U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. It designates "Afghan allies" as refugees of special humanitarian concern for up to 10 years and directs remote refugee processing where possible. It creates an Afghan ally referral program run by the Department of Defense and other agencies with a secure online portal, review and appeal processes, and protections for applicants. The bill expands qualifying categories for special immigrant visas to include parents and siblings of U.S. service members and veterans, sets annual and aggregate visa caps for that category, and allows fee waivers for some immigrant visa processes for 10 years. The bill also requires staffing, remote processing tools, monthly and quarterly reporting on refugee and arrivals data, and an Interagency Task Force to develop a resettlement strategy and contingency plans.

What it means for you#

• If you are a qualifying Afghan present in the United States and meet the bill's eligibility rules, you may be eligible to have your status adjusted to conditional permanent resident status and later have conditions removed under the timelines and procedures in the bill.
• If you are an Afghan ally as defined in the bill, you may be eligible for refugee designation and referral into the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program through the new referral process and secure portal.
• Certain close relatives (parents, brothers, or sisters) of U.S. service members or veterans from Afghanistan may be eligible for a new special immigrant visa category, subject to the annual and total caps in the bill.
• The bill directs agencies to offer remote processing (video interviews, digital file transfers, remote collection of signatures where allowed) and to provide nonadversarial assistance through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. It also requires agencies to respond to congressional inquiries about pending applications.

Expenses#

• The bill contains several authorizations that "authorize to be appropriated such sums as are necessary" to the Attorney General, HHS, DHS, and the Secretary of State to carry out parts of the law. It also authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 2024 through 2034 for the Afghan ally referral program.
• The bill allows fee waivers and exempts certain fees and surcharges for eligible Afghan applicants for specified periods, which could affect fee receipts.
• No publicly available information on total projected costs or net fiscal impact is provided in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

The bill states its purpose in the short title: "To fulfill promises to Afghan allies." Its provisions focus on creating pathways to legal status, refugee designation, and special immigrant visas for people who served with or aided U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, and on improving remote processing, vetting, and interagency coordination to resettle and protect eligible Afghans.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.