Find Resources for Assisting Afghan Clients

The situation in Afghanistan is constantly changing and the information provided below could be outdated.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.

Evacuate Our Allies

is a coalition of trusted human rights, religious and refugee organizations working alongside veterans and frontline civilians to evacuate at-risk Afghan allies to safety.
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Pro Bono Opportunities | AILA Tools | Practice Resources | Operation Allies | Evacuation Resources | Parole Process | Refugee and Resettlement Information | Other Resources | Legislation

Pro Bono Opportunities

Use your immigration knowledge to help an Afghan individual or family in need of pro bono assistance today. Find pro bono opportunities.

AILA Tools

• Call for Examples: Third Country Processing Experiences for Afghan Nationals
• AILA Provides One-Pagers Related to Immigration Options for Afghan Nationals
• Help Afghans Find You Online
• AILA GMS Analytics Subcommittee Afghanistan Project
• Report a Trend to AILA’s Afghan Response Task Force

Practice Resources

Humanitarian Parole

• 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.
• Practice Pointer: Best Practices for Preparing and Filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver – October 21, 2021

SIV

• 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.
• CLINIC put out a helpful practice pointer on Age-Out Rules for Afghan SIV Derivative Children
• The Afghan SIV Training Course from IRAP and VECINA developed for legal practitioners. This online resource provides an overview of the SIV process, detailed recommendations on specific steps and issues, downloadable templates, and links to additional resources.
• 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

Asylum

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Migration and Refugee Services/CLINIC Webinar - TPS for Afghans and the One-Year Asylum Filing Deadline: Webinar recording and PowerPoint slides (June 10, 2022)
• USCIS Guidance on One-Year Asylum Application Deadline for OAR/OAW Afghans
• The Immigration Justice Campaign offers resources to assist attorneys representing Afghan nationals in asylum proceedings.
• DOS Provides Videos About the Asylum Process in Various Languages
  
  • English Version
  • Dari Version
  • Pashtu Version
• AILA Provides Translated Forms in Pashto and Dari
  
  • Form I-589 in Pashtu
  • Form I-589 Instructions in Pashtu
  • Form I-589 in Dari
  • Form I-589 Instructions in Dari
• ABA COI/HIAS. To assist all Afghan asylum seekers who plan to pursue their asylum claims pro se, ABA COI /HIAS developed a comprehensive Pro Se Asylum toolkit, which has been translated into Dari and Pashto. There is also a Asylum Pro Se Plus PRO BONO Toolkit and a four-part substantive training series to assist lawyers representing Afghan asylum applicants.
• VECINA. This is a comprehensive course on affirmative asylum representation for Afghans after the fall of the Taliban in August 2021. In this course, you will learn everything from where to send the paperwork, to how to craft a particular social group.

Other

• Frequently Asked Questions: Temporary Protected Status for Afghans – This CLINIC FAQ describes the basic eligibility criteria for and bars to TPS as well as considerations for determining whether to seek TPS for Afghan clients, including the intersection of TPS, asylum and the SIV process.
• DHS Notice of Designation of Afghanistan for TPS
• DHS Notice of Special Student Relief for Afghanistan
• Know Your Rights: Parole and Beyond for Afghan Nationals – August 30, 2021
  
  • Share in English
  • Share in Dari
  • Share in Pashto
• 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.
• New resettlement resources from CORE
  
  • U.S. Laws Video (English, Dari and Pashto): This short video covers basic foundational knowledge about U.S. laws that can be used as a primer to share more in-depth details about other specific U.S. laws. CORE providers can share video with Afghan arrivals and use this video with other U.S. law activities as a part of CO delivery.
• FAQs for Afghan Clients and Representatives During Ongoing Crisis in Afghanistan
• 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.
• FAQs for Afghan Clients and Representatives During Ongoing Crisis in Afghanistan
• 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

Operation Allies

• Best Practices and Resources for Representing Operation Allies Welcome Parolees and Afghan Nationals
• DHS OIG Report: DHS Did Not Adequately or Efficiently Deploy Its Employees to U.S. Military Installations in Support of Operation Allies Welcome
• USCIS Reminds Afghan Nationals under OAW to Notify USCIS of Address Changes
• USCIS Announces Parolees Can Now File Form I-765 Online
• USCIS Will Conduct Selected Interviews for OAW Asylum Applicants at Local Field Offices
• USCIS Guidance on One-Year Asylum Application Deadline for OAR/OAW Afghans
• Key Takeaways from Operation Allies Welcome Liaison Meeting on Humanitarian Parole - December 17, 2021
• Liaison Update: Key Takeaways from Stakeholder Engagements with DHS Operation Allies Welcome Leadership
• Operation Allies Welcome | Homeland Security (dhs.gov)
  
  • Afghan Related Information | USCIS
  • Green Card for an Afghan Who Was Employed by or on Behalf of the U.S. Government | USCIS
• 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
• DHS Provides Guidelines for Translators and Interpreters to Support Operation Allies Welcome
  
  • DHS Fact Sheet

Evacuation Resources

• Afghan Evacuation Data Collection Form
• IRAP Information on Refugee Status and Immigration Pathways (also available in Dari and Pashto)
• #AfghanEvac - DOS Flight Manifest Eligibility Chart
• #AfghanEvac - Tools and Resources for Afghans in Need
• Evacuate Our Allies Ops Center: Evacuee Current Updates
• UNHCR's Help pages
  
  • UNHCR – New Arrivals from Afghanistan in Pakistan

Parole Process

Practice Resources Related to Parole

• Agency Failures Make Obtaining Humanitarian Parole Almost Impossible for Afghans – March 16, 2023
• Key Takeaways from Operation Allies Welcome Liaison Meeting on Humanitarian Parole – December 17, 2021
• Practice Pointer: USCIS Processing of Humanitarian Parole Applications for Afghan Nationals
• Call for Examples: Third Country Processing Experiences for Afghan Nationals
• Practice Pointer: Humanitarian Parole for Afghan Nationals in Third Countries
• Resources for Assisting Afghans: Humanitarian Parole (Roundtable Recording, October 22, 2021) – Watch the Recording Now
• 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
• LIRS: Afghan Parolee Support Program FAQs

Agency Resources Related to Parole

• USCIS: Guidance on Evidence for Certain Types of Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole Requests
• USCIS: Information for Afghan Nationals on Parole into the United States
• USCIS: Auto-Reply from the USCIS Humanitarian Parole Branch with information about parole processing, including expedite requests.
• USCIS: Afghan Parolee Vaccination Status | USCIS
• Employment Information Regarding Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Holders and Parolees - October 29, 2021
• 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
• USCIS International Operations Officer Training: Humanitarian and Significant Public Benefit Parole - March 8, 2017
• MOU between USCIS, ICE, and CBP Regarding Parole Authority – September 10, 2008

Resources Related to Parole from Military Bases

• Afghan parolees departing military installations information sheet and an SIV attachment
• Resources Shared by Retired Lieutenant Colonel Margaret Stock
  
  • DOD Form Significant Public Benefit Parole
  • DOD Parole Program

Refugee and Resettlement Information

• CRS: Afghan Eligibility for Selected Benefits Based on Immigration Status – October 27, 2021
• DOS Press Statement: Launch of the Sponsor Circle Program which will enable groups of individuals to form sponsor circles to provide initial resettlement assistance to Afghans – October 25, 2021
• Refugees | USCIS
• IRAP Provides FAQs from DOS on Afghan Priority 1 and Priority 2 Referrals to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Resettlement Information for Afghan Parolee Support Program – August 24, 2021

Other Resources

• Human Rights First’s Project Afghan Legal Assistance Dropbox of Resources, which includes resources related to asylum, special immigrant visas, family reunification, public benefits and social services, screenings and trainings, translations, templates and sample affidavits, and more.
• Tarjimly Interpretation Resources:
  
  • Dari Workshop
  • Pashto Workshop
  • English Workshop
• Archived Afghan Country Conditions Updates (10/22/21 to present) from Vecina/VIISTA
• Terrorism Bars to Asylum and the Taliban (Free Recording, November 16, 2021) - Watch the Recording Now
• DOS Provides Diversity Visa Reassignment Procedures for Kabul and Baghdad – January 5, 2022

Legislation

• Evacuate Our Allies Talking Points on the Afghan Adjustment Act – March 4, 2022
• H.R. 5168 (the WELCOME Act): to authorize resettlement benefits for certain nationals of Afghanistan, and for other purposes.
  
  • AILA Member Talking Points on the WELCOMED Act of 2021 (Members Only)
  • Refugee Council USA provides fact sheet on the FY2022 Continuing Resolution proposals on Afghan evacuees

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Cite as AILA Doc. No. 21081935.