U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during a weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 24, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong | Getty Images
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The House on Tuesday approved legislation that will speed up the visa process for Afghans who have worked for the U.S. military or NATO coming to the United States
the measured passed by 366-46 and will now go to the Senate.
Under the legislation, Afghans who have worked with US troops as interpreters, drivers and other positions will no longer have to undergo a medical examination in Afghanistan to qualify for a special immigrant visa, or SIV. Instead, they will be allowed to take an exam in the United States within 30 days of arrival.
Many Afghans have been forced to travel long distances to take the medical examination at a single clinic in Kabul, which is expensive, dangerous and a “serious delay” in the visa process, according to a statement presenting the legislation in May. Lifting the requirement in Afghanistan should speed up the SIV process and ensure that Afghans can safely pass a medical examination.
The legislation is the first in a series of bipartisan bills that aim to ease the visa process under the Afghan SIV program established in 2009 and protect Afghans and their families facing the threat of retaliation from the Taliban . Representatives Jason Crow, D-Colo., And Brad Wenstrup, RO.H., introduced the legislation in May.
“We cannot allow a slow bureaucracy to cost the lives of Afghans who served alongside our men and women. … In combat and in a war zone, every hour counts. Minutes seem like hours, days like a week. One month will save many, many lives, ”Crow said in a statement on Tuesday.
A separate invoice presented by Crow and members of the Honoring Our Promises task force earlier this month would increase the Afghan SIV cap by 8,000 visas and remove some application requirements, including the “credible affidavit” that requires applicants to they prove that they are threatened with working for the US government. The bill is expected to be voted on in the House as early as this week.
Earlier this month, the United States Embassy in Kabul was quarantined as Covid cases increase in Afghanistan, pushing the country’s fragile health system to its limits and hampering visa status for thousands of Afghans who assisted the US military during the conflict.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have previously expressed concern over whether the backlog of more than 10,000 Afghan translators and their families will be cleared before the remaining US troops withdraw from the war-weary country.
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A US Navy stands guard outside the US Embassy December 21, 2001 in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Paula Bronstein | Getty Images
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Last week, the Pentagon said it was past the midpoint of its task of withdrawing troops and equipment from Afghanistan.
The US military has removed the equivalent of about 896 loads of material carried out of the country by large cargo planes, according to an update from US Central Command.
About 15,900 pieces of equipment that will not be left with the Afghan army were also turned over to the Defense Logistics Agency for destruction. The United States has officially handed over six facilities to the Afghan military.
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Handover ceremony at Camp Anthonic, U.S. Army, to Afghan Defense Forces in Helmand province, Afghanistan, May 2, 2021.
Press office of the Ministry of Defense | Reuters
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Biden announced in April a complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11, which would end America’s longest war.
Biden’s withdrawal schedule breaks with a proposed deadline negotiated last year by the Trump administration with the Taliban. According to this agreement, all foreign forces should have left Afghanistan by May 1.
The withdrawal of around 3,000 US military personnel coincides with the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, which sparked America’s entry into long wars in the Middle East and Central Asia.
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Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 17 that “planning is underway” to protect Afghans who served alongside US troops and NATO.
The country’s senior military officer added that the US military is able to accommodate any request as the State Department handles the extensive visa process for eligible Afghans.
—CNBC’s Amanda Macias contributed reporting.
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