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 those who worked with the United States, the
opportunity for refugee resettlement to the United States. This designation
expands the opportunity to permanently resettle in the United States to many
thousands of Afghans and their immediate family members who may be at risk due
to their U.S. affiliation but who are not eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa
(SIV) because they did not have qualifying employment, or because they have not
met the time-in-service requirement to become eligible. Access to the USRAP is
a critical mechanism to provide protection for these individuals.
Individuals Eligible for the P-2 Program:
·
Afghans who do not meet
the minimum time-in-service for a SIV but who work or worked as employees of
contractors,[1] locally-employed
staff, interpreters/translators for the U.S. Government, United States Forces
Afghanistan (USFOR-A), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), or
Resolute Support;
·
Afghans who work or worked
for a U.S. government-funded program or project in Afghanistan supported
through a U.S. government grant or cooperative agreement1;
·
Afghans who are or were
employed in Afghanistan by a U.S.-based media organization or non-governmental
organization.
·
Afghans and their eligible
family members (spouse and children of any age, whether married or unmarried)
can be referred to the P-2 program by a U.S. government agency. For
non-governmental organizations (NGO) and media organizations that were not
funded by the U.S. government, but are headquartered in the United States, the
senior-most U.S. citizen employee of that organization may make a referral.
P-2 Program for Afghan Nationals:
·
The Department of State
has designated certain categories of Afghan nationals as having access to the
USRAP by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need for resettlement.
·
To manage the P-2 program
for Afghan nationals, the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration (PRM) created a USRAP Afghan Referrals Workgroup comprised of
federal agencies to refer individuals directly to the USRAP.
·
If an individual is not
eligible for the P-2 program, he or she may be eligible for the Priority 1
(P-1) program by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need for
resettlement. Individuals may be referred to the P-1 program by the
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a U.S. Embassy, or a designated NGO.
Background on the USRAP:
·
The U.S. Refugee
Admissions Program (USRAP) is managed by PRM in cooperation with the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),
and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee
Resettlement (ORR).
·
There are currently three
categories of individuals who may access the USRAP, known as “priorities.”
Once cases receive access to the USRAP, they undergo the same processing steps,
including extensive security vetting.
·
Priority 1:
Individual cases referred by designated entities (an Embassy, designated NGO or
the UNHCR) to the program by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need
for resettlement.
·
Priority 2: Groups
of special concern designated by the Department of State as having access to
the program by virtue of their circumstances and apparent need for
resettlement.
·
Priority 3:
Individual cases granted access for purposes of reunification with family
members already in the United States.
For
further information, please contact prmpress@state.gov and
visit www.wrapsnet.org.
