Shaheen Secures Landmark Victory for Afghan SIV Program
**Amendment represents the largest visa increase in history for program supporting Afghans who served alongside U.S. troops and diplomats in Afghanistan**
(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations, Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, announced a landmark victory for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, securing the largest one-time visa increase in program history. Shaheen, who has championed efforts in the Senate to keep the promises the U.S. made to those who supported the mission in Afghanistan, secured inclusion of the additional visas in the Senate’s Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations bill.
“The United States made a commitment to the brave Afghans who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with American troops throughout 20 years of war. We promised to protect them, just as they did for us. They held up their end of the bargain – today we are one step closer to ensuring the same for every one of them,” said Senator Shaheen. “This amendment ensures the program will continue to be available as a lifeline to support our allies. Every day these brave individuals remain in Afghanistan under Taliban rule is another day that their lives – and the lives of their families – hang in the balance. This is about keeping our word to our allies and maintaining our position as a trusted partner. The full Senate must approve this legislation to ensure we deliver on our promises and promote our national security interests.”
In addition to increasing the visas allocated under the SIV program by 20,000, the largest one-time increase to the visa allocation in the program’s history, the amendment also extends the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program for five years, through 2029. The amendment responds directly to findings Shaheen released in a comprehensive report on the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program last year.
Senator Shaheen has long led on efforts to reform and improve the Afghan SIV program, having partnered with the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to protect Afghans who risked their lives to support the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Shaheen has a history of breaking through Senate gridlock to support the Afghan SIV program, ending a standstill over its authorization last year when she fought to secure an extension of the program and to procure additional visas in the government funding bill for fiscal year 2023 that was signed into law. She has led bipartisan efforts in Congress to reauthorize additional Afghan SIVs, including working with Senator Wicker (R-MS) to reintroduce the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2023 and her bipartisan legislation with Senator Ernst (R-IA) that was signed into law in 2021 amid U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan following consistent calls from Shaheen to improve the pathway to safety for Afghan allies.
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