There are about 10,000 principal applicants who have the chief of mission’s approval “and are basically getting ready to get their documents to be able to relocate,” the official said on a call with reporters. This number does not include approximately 40,000-50,000 family members. The SIV program for Afghan nationals has been plagued by management problems and low annual caps for years until the withdrawal of US forces. It is often a painstaking and painstaking process and can take years to complete. The official said processing of the SIV is moving faster than before, noting that the State Department has increased resources to handle the processing. Senior administration officials also announced they are eliminating one of two forms for most new applicants — a process change they say will “cut about a month off the adjudication time.” The removal of this form means that processing will be done by the State Department and no longer through USCIS. However, it will still be a very rigorous process. During the US withdrawal last year, the Biden administration faced severe criticism for its handling of SIVs who had trouble leaving the country quickly amid the chaos of the Taliban takeover. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken launched a 90-day review of the State Department’s role in withdrawing from Afghanistan late last year. This report has been completed, but none of its findings have been made public. “We don’t have an update to provide at this time, but, as we said, we will be as transparent as possible with the final report, according to classification and other considerations,” a State Department spokesperson told CNN. Blinken and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the change in a statement Monday, saying it will “simplify and streamline the application process for Afghan applicants.” “Starting this week, new applicants for the Afghan SIV Program will need to submit only one form, a revised Form DS-157, as an SIV application. New applicants will no longer need to submit Form I-360, Application for Special Immigrant Status. with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of DHS,” they said. “This new streamlined process, which is part of our ongoing efforts to make the program more efficient, will help eliminate barriers to applicants and in reducing the time of submitting applications”. “This change does not reduce or remove any of the robust security screening processes required before the benefit is granted,” they added, calling it “one of many steps we have taken to improve the SIV process while preserving national security.” . “Since the administration’s inception, we have increased resources to this vital program and reviewed every step of the statutorily required application process to streamline where possible,” Blinken and Mayorkas said.
