Please see the attached announcements from our USCIS colleagues. These items announce some of the new fee exemptions and streamline processing that will impact our Afghan populations.
The notable process changes include a separate filing address for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization and the Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status:
- Form I-485 filing information: https://www.uscis.gov/green-card-for-an-afghan-employed-behalf-us-government
- Form I-765 filing information: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765-addresses
Please note that the attached communications also indicate streamlined processing for I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal. However, we do not know of any changes to the processing as far as applicants and stakeholders are concerned.
DHS Announces Fee Exemptions, Streamlined Processing for Afghan Nationals as They Resettle in the U.S.
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will exempt filing fees and streamline application processing for Afghan nationals who were paroled into the United States for humanitarian reasons on or after July 30, 2021. These actions will help facilitate their resettlement in the U.S. by streamlining the processing of requests for work authorization, Green Cards, and associated services. DHS is the lead federal agency coordinating Operation Allies Welcome, the ongoing all-of-government effort to resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked on behalf of the United States.
“By providing these evacuees with access to streamlined processing and fee exemptions, we will open doors of opportunity for our Afghan allies and help them begin to rebuild their lives in communities across our country more quickly,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “These actions demonstrate our ongoing commitment to Afghan nationals who provided valuable assistance to the United States over the past two decades as well as other Afghans at risk.”
Approximately 70,000 Afghans have arrived in the United States as part of Operation Allies Welcome. Following the biggest airlift in U.S. history, DHS exercised its discretion to parole many Afghan nationals, on a case-by-case basis, into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons. Parolees may apply for work authorization using Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, on the basis of their parole. Afghan nationals will also have the opportunity to apply for immigration benefits such as Afghan special immigrant status, lawful permanent residence, and asylum.
Additional information for Afghans can be found on USCIS’s website.
Afghan nationals who were paroled into the United States on or after July 30, 2021 are eligible for the following fee exemptions and streamlined processing:
Fee Exemptions
- An initial Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization;
- Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (if filing Form I-485 as an Afghan special immigrant) or an associated Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility;
- Associated biometric services.
Streamlined Processing
- An initial Form I-765 for those applying for work authorization on the basis of parole (eligibility category (c)(11));
- Form I-485, for applicants seeking to adjust status as an Afghan special immigrant, and any associated Form I-601; or
- Form I-589, filed by certain Afghan parolees as described in Section 2502(a) of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act
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Afghan Nationals Applying for Adjustment of Status Based on Employment by or on Behalf of the U.S. Government or by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan
Afghan nationals who have an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, as an Afghan employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government or ISAF in Afghanistan and intend to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, must be physically present in the United States and provide a U.S. address on their Form I-485. If you do not provide a U.S. address, USCIS will be unable to send you correspondence and approved documents.
Remember, each time you move, you must notify USCIS within 10 days of any change in your address to ensure timely and accurate delivery of USCIS information and documents, including Green Cards. The fastest and easiest way to notify us of an address change is to file the Form AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card, (link is external)online. We also recommend you update your address with the U.S. Postal Service either online or in person at your local post office.
You do not have to pay the filing or biometric services fees for Form I-485 if you were paroled into the United States due to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and are applying for adjustment on the basis of an Afghan Special Immigrant.
You can find special filing instructions for Afghan Special Immigrants filing Form I-485 at the Green Card for an Afghan Who Was Employed by or on Behalf of the U.S. Government or Green Card for an Afghan or Iraqi Translator or Interpreter webpages. Form I-485 is used by a person in the United States to apply for lawful permanent residence (a Green Card).
Visit our Information for Afghans webpage to learn more about USCIS support of Operation Allies Welcome.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Fee Exemptions and Streamlined Processing for Afghan Nationals as They Resettle into the U.S.
Afghan nationals paroled into the United States on or after July 30, 2021, due to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan are eligible for the following fee exemptions and streamlined processing:
Fee Exemptions
- An initial Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization;
- Afghan nationals filing Form I-765 on U.S. military installations (safe havens) are exempt from paying the form filing fee or biometric services fee.
- Afghan nationals filing Form I-765 off military installations will receive the same fee exemptions.
- Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (if filing Form I-485 as an Afghan special immigrant) and an associated Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility; and
- Associated biometric services.
Streamlined Processing
- An initial Form I-765 for those applying for work authorization on the basis of parole (eligibility category (c)(11));
- Form I-485, for applicants seeking to adjust status as an Afghan special immigrant, and any associated Form I-601; and
- Form I-589, filed by certain Afghan parolees as described in Section 2502(a) of the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act.
All Afghan nationals in the United States must have an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) before they can legally work in the United States.
Additional information for Afghan parolees on working in the U.S. is on the USCIS Information for Afghans page, including information on completing and submitting Form I-765.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.