Find Resources for Assisting Afghan Clients

As the situation in Afghanistan develops, we are actively working to provide you with the latest updates, information, and resources that you need to assist your clients and get involved in this time of crisis.

The situation in Afghanistan is constantly changing and the information provided below could be outdated. AILA recommends that individuals consult with an attorney for further information and guidance. AILA members: this document is accessible to the public and can be shared with clients and the community who may need access to resources. Members of the public: if you need an immigration lawyer, please consult AILA's Immigration Lawyer Search.

AILA Member Exclusive Resources | Forms for Requesting Assistance for Afghans | Practice Resources | Government Announcements | Resettlement Information | Share Information | Get Involved | Where to Donate | Organizations of Interest | AILA Correspondence | Legislation

AILA Member Exclusive Resources

• Afghans in Need of Immigration Assistance
• FAQs for Afghan Clients and Representatives During Ongoing Crisis in Afghanistan
• Crowd Sourced Afghan Evacuation Contact List
• Report a Trend to AILA’s Afghan Response Task Force
• New Afghan Evacuations Listserve
• Help Afghans Find You Online
• Access Emergency Roundtable Recordings: Assisting Afghans
  
  • Watch recording from the August 25, 2021, roundtable
  • Watch recording from the August 17, 2021, roundtable
  • Read Key Takeaways from August 17, 2021, roundtable

Forms for Requesting Assistance for Afghans

• Common Questions When Filing a Humanitarian Parole Application - August 22, 2021 (Special thanks to Khanbabai Immigration Law Firm)
• Humanitarian Parole Application Checklist for Afghans - August 22, 2021 (Special thanks to Khanbabai Immigration Law Firm)
  • PDF Version
  • Customizable Word Version
• Pars Equality Center Afghan Support Intake Form – PARS Equality Center may be able to provide legal assistance for individuals in Afghanistan.
• Repatriation Assistance Request – This form can be used by U.S. citizens, LPRs, an individual with an approved immigrant visa petition who has submitted all documents to NVC, or an individual accompanying a U.S. citizen or LPR child to request evacuation assistance from DOS.
• Evacuation Assistance Form - **For AILA members only.**
  • This form, organized by Human Rights First, may be used by Afghans seeking evacuation who may not fit under the parameters of the Repatriation Assistance Request form collected by DOS. Submission of this form does not guarantee evacuation. It will be delivered to the U.S. government for cross referencing of need. **For AILA members only.**
• Resources Shared by Retired Lieutenant Colonel Margaret Stock During Emergency Roundtable on Resources for Assisting Afghans
  • DOD Form Significant Public Benefit Parole
  • DOD Parole Program

Practice Resources

• LIRS: Afghan Parolee Support Program FAQs
• Know Your Rights: Parole and Beyond for Afghan Nationals – August 30, 2021
  
  • Share in English
  • Share in Dari
  • Share in Pashto
• All About Parole Practice Advisory
  • The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., CLINIC, provides this practice advisory on parole. Appendix A of the Advisory includes a template letter to USCIS to request humanitarian parole.
• AILA Practice Pointer: Assistance for Afghan IV Holders and Certain Pending IV Applicants
  • AILA provides a practice pointer with information and guidance for assisting Afghan immigrant visa holders and certain Afghan immigrant visa applicants, including information on DOS’s Repatriation Assistance Request form, potential humanitarian options for other Afghan clients, and other resources.
• Practice Alert: Medical Exam Waiver for Certain Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Applicants
  • AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee provides a practice alert on DOS and DHS joint issuance of a blanket waiver of the requirement to undergo a medical exam prior to immigrant visa issuance or admission to the United States for certain Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants.
• Steps to Protect Your Online Identity from the Taliban: Digital History and Evading Biometrics Abuses
  • Human Rights First provides fact sheets in English, Pashto, and Dari about how to evade the misuse of biometric data, as well as fact sheets in English and Pashto about how to delete your digital history.
• Human Rights First: Phone Security for Clients in Afghanistan
  • Human Rights First provides short guide to help human rights activists erase their digital footprints.
• Resources from the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
  • IRAP provides resources for assisting individuals in Afghanistan, including SIV and P-2 guides, as well as a guide for media and NGO employers in Afghanistan

Government Announcements and Guidance

DHS: Operation Allies Welcome

• DHS Fact Sheet
• Information for Afghan Nationals on Parole Into the United States
• Guidance on Parole for Certain Afghan Nationals Into the U.S. – August 23, 2021
• CBP: Afghan Parole Information
  
  • Share in English
  • Share in Dari
  • Share in Pashto

DHHS: Afghan Arrivals Being Processed within the United States – August 3, 2021

DOS: Afghanistan Inquiries

• Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans - Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government
• Update on Visa Processing at U.S. Embassy Kabul - August 16, 2021
  
  • The consular section at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul is closed. All IV appointments have been cancelled. DOS is prioritizing the return of USCs and LPRs and assisting their immediate family members. IV applicants may request their cases be transferred. Those eligible for SIVs are encouraged to apply.

Resettlement Information

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Resettlement Information for Afghan Parolee Support Program – August 24, 2021

Share Information with Other AILA Members

• AILA Message Center Forum for Kabul/Afghanistan Evacuations

How to Get Involved

• Pangea, Centro Legal de la Raza, and the Afghan Diaspora for Equality & Progress
  
  • These groups are coordinating a project to pair volunteer legal workers with Afghans seeking humanitarian parole into the United States. They are seeking volunteers to assist on a pro bono basis. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this google form, and attach a signed confidentiality agreement and they will pair you with a family.
• Human Rights First (HRF) Pro Bono Opportunity - August 23, 2021
  • The team welcoming Afghans at Dulles airport are urgently seeking *experienced immigration attorneys* to volunteer this coming week for over the phone shifts to answer legal questions of arriving Afghans. There are a range of shifts available during the day and into the night. No telling how many calls (if any) you will receive during the shift. Please complete this survey if you are able to volunteer. Please only complete if you are an experienced immigration attorney who can answer a range of immigration-related questions. If you are not available this week but interested in hearing about future legal rep needs to Afghans, please sign up at our HRF link here.
• Sign Up as Point of Contact with AILA
  • If you have SIV/P-2 experience, sign up to be a point of contact for AILA as we field inquiries from veterans' groups and other nonprofits that are reaching out for pro bono assistance.
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services
  • Find ways to volunteer, donate, and send a message to President Biden and Congress.
• Lutheran Social Services National Capital Area (LSSNCA)
  • Afghan Allies have begun arriving at Fort Lee, Virginia, and LSSNCA is mobilizing its community supporters to be a part of this historic welcome of 2,500 individuals in less than six weeks.
• Church World Service (CWS)
  • Explore resources for raising awareness and contacting your senators and representatives in CWS's Take Action article.
• Evacuate Our Allies (EOA)
  • Call on the Biden administration to prioritize the evacuation of Afghan allies this social media toolkit from EOA. It includes key messages, tweets, hashtags, graphics, and resources.

Where to Donate

• Afghan Legal Support & Resettlement Fund - Fundraiser by Pars Equality Center
• Miles4Migrants
  • Miles4Migrants uses donated frequent flyer miles, credit card points, and cash to help people impacted by war, persecution, or disaster reunite with loved ones and start new beginnings in safe homes.
• Women for Women International
• Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security

Organizations of Interest

• Afghan Coalition
• No One Left Behind
• Human Rights First

AILA Correspondence

• AILA and Partners Sent Letter to Biden Administration on Legal Limbo of Afghan Evacuees – September 3, 2021
• AILA Urges the Biden Administration to Extend the Afghan Troop Withdrawal Date to Guarantee Safe Passage for All – August 24, 2021
• AILA Requests Clarity from USCIS on Afghanistan Evacuation Policies - August 20, 2021
• AILA President Allen Orr Responds to the Escalating Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan - August 18, 2021

Legislation

• H.R. ___: to authorize resettlement benefits for certain nationals of Afghanistan, and for other purposes.

Cite as AILA Doc. No. 21081935.