More visas for Afghans who helped US included in spending bill

WASHINGTON: A provision to provide 4,000 more visas for Afghans who worked with the United States was included in a massive government spending bill unveiled on Monday, along with an extension of the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program until 2024.

SIVs are available to many Afghans who aided US forces as interpreters and translators, as well as in other roles, and who fear reprisals by the Taliban, the Islamist militant group that swiftly seized the country when US forces withdrew in August 2021.

But while thousands have come to the United States under the program, many thousands more remain in the country, delayed by a complicated vetting process that can move at a snail’s pace. Advocates estimate there could be 60,000 left who worked with Americans during the 20-year occupation.