IMPORTANT SIV UPDATE:

The government has paused issuing visas to Afghan SIV applicants. 

The deadline to file an application for COM approval under the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program was December 31, 2025. 

If you have a pending COM application, the U.S. government has stated that the deadline to submit any outstanding documents for your pending COM application is June 5, 2026.

If you receive a COM denial letter and you are able to appeal it, you should still have 120 days from the date the decision letter was sent to you, even if that date is after June 5, 2026. The June 5, 2026 deadline is only to submit additional documents for a pending application.

You can learn more about what this means for SIV applicants here.

This article was last updated on May 21, 2026

Summary

This article is for people who are looking for information about changes to U.S. government immigration policies announced in November and December 2025 and what they mean for people from Afghanistan. Very important additional information for people from countries listed on the travel ban, which includes Afghanistan, is available here.

This article explains what the pause on decision-making in Afghans’ applications for immigration status in the United States or visas to enter the United States means. It also explains a review of certain applications that were already granted and what that means for Afghans. For information about the re-vetting of refugees already in the United States, please see here.

What are the policy changes?

In late November and December 2025, the U.S. government announced these policy changes affecting Afghans:

• The U.S. government has stopped issuing visas for Afghan nationals.
• The U.S. government has stopped processing immigration requests for Afghan nationals.
• The U.S. government will review immigration applications that have already been approved for Afghans who came to the U.S. since 2021.

What does this mean for Afghan SIV applicants?

The government has paused issuing visas to Afghan SIV applicants. 

The deadline to file an application for COM approval under the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program was December 31, 2025. The government will not accept any new applications after December 31, 2025 unless lawmakers in the United States (“Congress”) pass a law to extend the application deadline. 

What this means for SIV applicants, at this time:

• If you have a pending COM application: you do not need to take any action at this time. The U.S. government has stated that the deadline to submit any outstanding documents for your pending COM application is June 5, 2026.
  • If you are preparing a COM appeal: you must submit it within 120 days of receiving the COM denial letter. Your appeal should still be reviewed as long as it is submitted within the 120-day deadline, even if it is sent after December 31, 2025. 
  • If you have a pending COM appeal, and it is denied after December 31, 2025: you will not be able to send in a new application.
• If you do not have a pending COM application or appeal, and the timeframe to submit your appeal has passed, you will not be permitted to start a new COM application.
  • If you have COM approval: and you are currently outside of the U.S., you will need to continue the remaining steps of the SIV application process at a U.S. Embassy outside of Afghanistan. As of December 1, 2025, we understand that visa interviews will continue for SIV applicants, but that applications which would otherwise be approved will now be denied under “221(g)” or “212(f)”, which are sections of the U.S. immigration laws. Please see below for more information about how these changes affect Afghans applying for visas.

What does this mean for Afghans applying for a visa to enter the U.S.?

On November 27, 2025, the government announced that it will stop issuing visas to people with Afghan passports. This includes Afghan SIV applicants. This means that even if your case is approved and you are waiting for your visa to be issued, the U.S. Embassy may deny your visa under something called “221(g)”. This refers to a section of the U.S. laws regarding immigration. 

A denial under 221(g) is not a final denial – it just means that your visa cannot be approved until the pause is over and you have cleared security checks. If you are waiting for a visa interview at a U.S. Embassy, you may still have an interview scheduled. However, the embassy will not issue your visa after the interview. We do not know when, or if, the government will end this pause. It is also possible there will be lawsuits in court that could force the government to begin processing again; however, we do not know if they will be successful.

Additionally, beginning on January 1, 2026 the expanded travel ban took effect. The expanded travel ban says that Afghan SIV applicants cannot be issued visas or enter the United States. As of January 1, 2026, even if your case is approved and you are waiting for your visa to be issued, the U.S. embassy may deny your visa under something called “212(f)” instead of “221(g).” This refers to another section of the U.S. immigration laws, and this is a final denial.

If your visa is denied under 212(f), you may have to re-apply for a visa if and when the travel ban is lifted. Therefore, you may want to postpone your visa interview. This is a complicated issue, and you may want to speak with an immigration attorney about your options before making a decision. If your visa is denied under 212(f) this should not affect the validity of the underlying petition (such as the COM approval or the I-130 or I-730 approval).

If you choose to postpone your visa interview, you may want to take steps to avoid your case being deemed “inactive.” IRAP has information here about how to keep your case active until you are ready for the visa interview.

What does this mean for Afghans with pending USCIS applications (I-130, I-730, Parole, I-485)?

On November 26, 2025, U.S. Immigration (USCIS) announced that all decisions on immigration applications by Afghan nationals will be stopped while the government reviews its security process. If you are an Afghan with a pending I-130, I-730, I-485, or parole or naturalization application this means that your pending application is paused and will not move forward at this time. We do not know when, or if, the government will end this pause. It is also possible there will be lawsuits in court that could force the government to begin processing again; however, we do not know if they will be successful.

USCIS also issued a new policy which allows the government to consider where someone is from as a “significant negative factor” when deciding applications from people from the 19 countries in President Trump’s travel ban, including Afghanistan. This means that USCIS may consider the country that you are from as a strong negative factor when deciding your application even if the pause is lifted. Because they can now consider this new negative factor, they will have an easier time denying applications from Afghans. 

It is possible there will be lawsuits in court that could force the government to end this policy; however, we do not know if they will be successful. Some examples of discretionary applications that could be affected by this policy include asylum, green cards for asylees, humanitarian parole (including re-parole). Refugee green card applications are not discretionary and should not be affected by this policy. 

If you choose to postpone your visa interview, you may want to take steps to avoid your case being deemed “inactive.” At least once per year, you should contact the government to request that your case remain open while you wait for the travel ban to be lifted. If your case is still at the National Visa Center (NVC) and has not yet been transferred to a U.S. Embassy, you should use the NVC Public Inquiry Form to make that request. If your case has already been transferred to a U.S. Embassy, you should use that Embassy’s visa navigator to make that request. Make sure to keep a copy of your request and the government’s response, including any automatic replies confirming that your request was received.

If you receive a notification from NVC that your visa is being cancelled because you have not taken action on your case in one year, please see IRAP’s information here about how to respond to the cancellation letter and keep your case active until you are ready for the visa interview.

What does this mean for Afghans in the U.S. who arrived under the Biden Administration?

On November 27, 2025, President Trump made a statement that the U.S. would “re-examine” every Afghan who entered the United States under President Biden (from January 2021 to February 20, 2025). While we don’t yet know exactly what this means for all Afghans who entered during that time period, we do know that the government has announced plans to re-evaluate all refugees who arrived in the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program under President Biden (from January 2021 to February 20, 2025). USCIS will be “re-examining” all immigration benefits approved for immigrants who entered the United States since January 20, 2021 from Afghanistan and other countries listed in the travel ban. This re-examination could apply to anyone born in Afghanistan who entered the U.S. since 2021. The government also says it could re-review benefits for people who entered before that time.

What a re-review would look like for you depends on your immigration status. For many people, USCIS may conduct new interviews. If the government thinks they have a legal reason to deport you, they can begin hearings before a judge to deport you to Afghanistan or another country. If you receive any notice about a government interview, you should contact an immigration lawyer right away. 

Lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or “green card holders,” have particular rights under U.S. law. If you are a lawful permanent resident in this country, this is what you might expect: 

• If you applied for your green card while in the U.S. and received it within the last five years: USCIS has the ability to take away your green card if they believe you were ineligible at the time you got your green card. To do this, USCIS must first notify you that they are taking away your green card. If this happens then you have the right to ask an immigration judge to review this decision. 

• If you applied for and received your green card in the U.S. more than five years ago or entered the U.S. as a permanent resident (on an immigrant visa): In order to try and take away your green card, the government must start removal proceedings against you in immigration court. Through this process, you will be able to present your case in front of an immigration judge. You will keep your green card throughout the immigration court process unless a judge decides to take away your green card and orders that you need to leave the U.S.

What does this mean for future applications by Afghans?

On November 27, 2025, U.S. Immigration (USCIS) issued new guidance which allows it to consider country-specific factors as “significant negative factors” when deciding applications by people from the 19 countries in President Trump’s travel ban, including Afghanistan. 

This means that USCIS may consider being born in Afghanistan as a strong “negative factor” when deciding your application, even if the pause is lifted. Because they can now consider this new negative factor, they will have an easier time denying applications by people from Afghanistan. It is possible there will be lawsuits in court that could force the government to end this policy; however, we do not know if they will be successful. Some examples of discretionary applications that could be affected by this policy include asylum, green cards for asylees, and humanitarian parole (including re-parole). Refugee green card applications are not discretionary and should not be affected by this policy.