RASC News Agency: Three years after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan left many Afghanistani allies stranded, a group of Afghanistani nationals has been relocated to the Philippines to undergo processing for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) that would enable resettlement in the United States. In July of last year, the Philippines agreed to temporarily host a U.S. immigration processing center for a limited number of Afghanistani nationals seeking resettlement in the United States. According to the Associated Press, Teresita Daza, spokesperson for the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the Afghanistani nationals who arrived on Monday January 6, were granted entry visas. She emphasized that these individuals had completed rigorous security screenings and comprehensive medical examinations prior to their arrival.
Daza also stated that the U.S. government would bear all costs associated with the Afghanistanis’ stay in the Philippines, including expenses for food, housing, security, medical care, and transportation. However, she did not disclose the exact number of arrivals or the expected duration of the visa processing. Under Philippine law, visa applicants are not allowed to remain in the country for more than 59 days. A senior Philippine official previously indicated that only 150 to 300 applicants would be accommodated. The Afghanistanis eligible for resettlement primarily worked for the U.S. government in Afghanistan or qualified for U.S. Special Immigrant Visas. Many of them, however, were left behind during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, when the Taliban seized power.
It is worth noting that these individuals have endured over three years of uncertainty and displacement, highlighting the prolonged challenges faced by Afghanistani allies in the aftermath of the U.S. exit from their homeland.
