The United States has established the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) program for its Afghan partners. The SIV program allows eligible Afghan citizens to immigrate to the United States for permanent and lawful residence.
As of July 20, 2022, some changes and improvements to the U.S. special immigrant visa program were announced. A special article on the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) for Afghan citizens has been published on the "Beporsed" website, outlining the program based on information available on the U.S. Department of State's website and the experiences of SIV applicants in Afghanistan. This guide is presented in 10 concise steps.
Step 1: Prepare Your Application
First, prepare the required documents according to the criteria for the Special Immigration Visa (SIV). The necessary documents are as follows:
- Employment Verification Letter;
- Recommendation Letter;
- Form DS-157;
- Passport and Tazkera (national ID);
- Badge Number;
Prepare the five documents separately in PDF format, with each file being 5 megabytes (MB) or less.
Step 2: Submit Your Application
After gathering and preparing the above seven documents, go to your personal email page, open a new email, and follow the guidelines below:
- In the email subject, include your name, surname, and date of birth (For example, Ahmad Ahmadi – Date of Birth: 22/12/1992);
- In the body of the email, express your intent to apply for the Special Immigration Visa (SIV);
- Attach all seven completed documents to the email;
- Send the email to AfghanSIVApplication@state.gov.
Step 3: Application Review
- After submitting your application, you will receive a case number (Case Number) within a week;
- If your application documents comply with the SIV program guidelines, you will be assured that you submitted all the necessary documents for the Special Immigration Visa (SIV);
- Your case will be under review;
- Your request will be forwarded for a decision to the Chief of Mission (COM).
Step 4: Chief of Mission (COM) Approval
- The Chief of Mission (COM), composed of several staff members from the U.S. National Visa Center under the Department of State, will review your application;
- The COM will ensure you are eligible for the SIV program;
- They will verify your employment verification letters and recommendation letters with the issuers;
- Each case review is unique; therefore, the COM Approval process may take anywhere from 1 month to 1 year; and
- After positive consideration from the COM, you will receive a COM Approval notification via email.
Step 5: Welcome Letter
- Once you receive the COM approval, you will do nothing and wait for the Welcome Letter to be sent to you;
- The Welcome Letter is typically sent 14 days to about 3 months after receiving the approval and contains instructions on how to continue processing your case;
- The Welcome Letter will include your KBL number and Invoice ID.
Step 6: Complete and Submit DS-260 Online Visa Application
Online Form DS-260:
- Visit the Electronic Visa Application Center website;
- Use the KBL number and Invoice ID to open and complete Form DS-260;
- You can enter your information, save it, and continue adding information on subsequent days;
- You have one year to complete and submit Form DS-260.
Civil Document Submission:
After completing Form DS-260, you and each family member migrating with you must send civil documents (supporting documents for the visa application) to the National Visa Center. The civil documents you must prepare include:
- Passport for each family member;
- Birth certificates or electronic Tazkera or translated English Tazkera for each family member;
- Marriage certificate (if the primary applicant is married);
- Badge Number;
- The Refugee Benefits Form and DS-234 are optional but better to include; even if not sent, you can complete and submit them when you go to the U.S.
Arrange all the above documents in separate PDF files, ensuring each file is less than four megabytes (MB). After gathering and preparing the civil documents, go to your personal email page, open a new email, and follow the instructions below:
- In the email subject, include your KBL number, name, surname, and date of birth (e.g., KBL2023123456 - Ahmad Ahmadi - Date of Birth: 22/12/1992);
- In the body of the email, express your intent to submit civil documents;
- Attach all the civil documents mentioned above to the email;
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Send the email to NVCSIV@state.gov; and
- After about 45 days, you will receive confirmation that all the documents for the Special Immigration Visa have been received, and you will wait for the interview.
Step 7: Transfer to a Third Country for an Interview
If you are in Afghanistan, you will need to wait for the Coordinator for Afghanistan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to transfer you to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Albania, or any other country for your interview. CARE transfers applicants to third countries only after they have received at least a preliminary approval of their civil documents. Typically, within 1 month to 1 year after completing the civil documents, the transfer process for applicants from Afghanistan is arranged through three separate emails.
If you are in danger, you can expedite your case for the interview and subsequent processing by sending an email to NVCExpedite@state.gov to request your transfer to one of the U.S. embassies or consulates.
Step 8: Interview
You must go to the relevant embassy or consulate at the designated time. Before attending the interview, be sure to review the U.S. embassy interview preparation guidelines. Typically, you should bring the following documents to your interview location:
- A copy of the invitation from NVC;
- Your original passport and the passports of your family members, which must be valid for at least six months, along with a copy of the page that includes your name and photo;
- Two color photos for each individual applying for the visa, including family members listed in your case. Review the photo guidelines on the U.S. Department of State website;
- Your birth certificate or original Tazkera (national ID) that demonstrates your identity;
- The confirmation page of the DS-260 form you completed online;
- An original marriage certificate and an officially translated English copy, along with one photocopy if you are married;
- It is advisable to also bring additional documents such as your badge, office contract, copies of recommendation letters, employment confirmation letters, and any other documents submitted during the COM request process.
For interviews held at U.S. embassies, applicants are generally required to have all family members present at the visa interview.
Step 9: Visa Issuance
- If everything goes well, you provide all necessary information and satisfy the consular officer or embassy officer;
- You complete a medical exam;
- After a series of administrative steps, you will be issued a U.S. visa;
- Whenever your visa is issued or when requested, you should submit your passports to the embassy; and
- Receiving the Special Immigration Visa means that you have fulfilled all entry requirements for the United States.
Step 10: Entering the United States
From this point on, applicants can immigrate to the U.S. with a reserved flight ticket without any restrictions. You can also get assistance with flight tickets, resettlement support, and travel guidelines to the U.S. through the International Organization for Migration (IOM). You must complete and sign the following forms:
- Complete and sign Form DS-234 for each family member;
- Complete and sign the Refugee Benefits form for one case or family;
- Copies of passports and visas for all family members.
Send the above documents to the email address siv_ope@iom.int, which is related to IOM. Generally, this organization processes applicants' requests in about one month and facilitates the travel of all family members.
In the forms, you tell IOM in which U.S. state you wish to be resettled. If there are openings in that state or if your brother, sister, mother, or father lives there, you will be automatically resettled there. If the quota in your chosen state is filled, you will need to select another city in the U.S. for resettlement. Additionally, IOM may coordinate with you to decide which state you will be moved to. In some cases, you may have no choice but to comply with IOM's request and decision.
Upon your arrival in the U.S., necessary resettlement arrangements are made under the management of the U.S. government. You can be assured that you and your family will receive comprehensive care from an agency responsible for facilitating your relocation and resettlement. Moreover, adequate information and necessary guidelines regarding your resettlement will be provided both before and after your entry into the U.S.
Checking Case Status in CEAC
Upon receiving your Welcome Letter, you will be able to check the status of your SIV case. To check your case status, go to the Electronic Visa Application Center website and enter your KBL number and the information provided in the Welcome Letter to log into your account. The statuses of cases are displayed differently, which are outlined below:
- AT NVC: If your documents have been completed and your case has not been scheduled for an interview at one of the embassies or consulates, your case status will show AT NVC on the Electronic Visa Application Center website.
- READY: Whenever you are given an interview date, your case status will change from AT NVC to READY. Additionally, if you are transferred to a third country by the CARE team, your case status will also change to READY.
- Administrative Process: If your interview is successfully conducted, your case will be in the Administrative Process status.
- Refused: If your interview is unsuccessful or if you have not provided necessary information on Form DS-260, your case status will be marked as Refused. In this case, you will be requested to submit a Bio Data form to provide additional information. After submitting the Bio Data form to the relevant embassy, your case status will change from Refused to Administrative Process after a few days.
Ask for help from "Beporsed"
For those Afghans seeking specific information, "Beporsed" is here to help. You can reach our information center through WhatsApp (+93729807235), Facebook Messenger, or our website's Messenger to ask our online information desk officer for assistance.
For more information
For more information on immigration, resettlement, education and scholarship programs, and other opportunities available to Afghans worldwide, as well as details on the humanitarian services provided by international organizations in Afghanistan and procedures for obtaining civil documents from governmental institutions, please visit Beporsed's website and social media pages.