The United States has begun relocating a group of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants to Virginia. The International Rescue Committee and U.S. partner agencies will be providing services for these individuals, including reception, medical care, case management, and resettlement by a sponsoring resettlement agency. 

Robin Dunn Marcos, Senior Director for Resettlement, Asylum, and Integration at the International Rescue Committee, said: 

“The United States is meeting its commitment and moral obligation to protect its Afghan allies, who risked their lives providing critical and longstanding assistance to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Special immigrant visas protect a portion of the Afghan civilians affiliated with the U.S. mission, with thousands of other Afghan refugees also in need of urgent protection. With humanitarian and protection needs on the rise in Afghanistan, sustained aid and diplomatic support is critical. There also can be no doubt that the protection of the SIV population must be part and parcel of a robust refugee resettlement program that also protects the millions of refugees in Afghanistan and beyond in need of resettlement. The U.S. refugee admissions program is truly life-changing and life-saving.” 

The IRC has resettled more than 16,000 Afghan SIV recipients since Congress established the program in 2006, and is committed to ensuring that these families are given a chance to seek safety and rebuild their lives in the United States.