How to Help Afghan Refugees

Photo Credit: Pro Bono Australia

The Taliban have recently seized power in Afghanistan, following the departure of U.S. military personnel from the region. Thousands of Afghan citizens now fear for their safety and wish to leave Afghanistan.

Over the years, many Afghans have resettled in the United States via the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. Individuals who have received these visas, whose applications are currently being processed, and others, may all need assistance in the days and weeks to come.

What can you do to help?

1) Donate or Volunteer

Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service (LIRS) is a national non-profit organization with a local presence here in the Seattle area. They are currently accepting donations and volunteer services for those wishing to help Afghan refugees coming to the United States:

https://www.lirs.org/help-our-afghan-allies/

2) Learn More

LIRS is also hosting a webinar on Tuesday, August 24th 2021 at 1:00 PM Pacific Standard Time to discuss the current situation in Kabul and the tangible support that can be offered to Afghan refugees.

The webinar will be held on Zoom, and the registration page can be found here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pKlxenydTLeEyVhGmkLg6w

3) Advocate

The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) is a non-profit organization that provides legal support and advocacy for immigrant populations in the U.S.

They are currently encouraging the Biden Administration to expedite and expand the visa application process for Afghan refugees. You can learn more and join their campaign here:

https://www.raicestexas.org/2021/08/18/afghanistan/

You can also read about LIRS’s Special Immigrant Visa advocacy efforts and contact your elected leaders here:

https://www.lirs.org/emergency-evacuation-afghan-allies-action-alert

If you or someone you know would like to schedule an immigration consultation with attorneys Brittan or Mary Beth, please call our office at (425) 374-1681.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are conducting consultations via telephone or video conferencing at this time.

Refugee Cap Increased to 62,500

President Biden has increased the annual refugee cap for the United States to 62,500 individuals per year.

This change comes after several immigrant and refugee advocacy groups put pressure on the president to follow through on his campaign promise to increase the maximum number of refugees who may be admitted to the United States each year.

The cap had previously been set at 15,000 by the Trump Administration – a historically low number. President Biden has now increased that number to 62,500.

In an encouraging statement, President Biden also expressed that he would like to increase the refugee cap next year to 125,000 people. This would represent a slight increase over the maximum number of refugees allowed to be admitted to the United States during the final year of the Obama Administration, when the cap was 100,000.

Increasing the refugee cap is one of many necessary steps towards creating a just, compassionate, and functional immigration system in the United States. We celebrate this change and proudly support the refugee community here in Washington State.

If you or a loved one would like to begin an immigration case, or discuss your current immigration status, please call our office at (425) 374-1681 to schedule a consultation with Brittan or Mary Beth.

We are currently conducting consultations via telephone and video conferencing in order to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Photo Credit: Redbubble.com