Sponsors (8)
I'll give you the short version of this bill.
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Creates new and expanded pathways, processing rules, staffing, reporting, and fee waivers to admit and adjust status for certain Afghan nationals, at‑risk Afghan allies, and qualifying Afghan family members of U.S. service members and veterans. It requires remote and expedited processing options, interagency coordination and oversight, funding authorization, and repeated reports to Congress on arrivals, vetting, removals, and program metrics.
Unless the Act expressly says otherwise, nothing in this Act or any amendment made by this Act may be interpreted to modify, expand, or limit the laws or authority to process or admit refugees under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act or to process applicants for an immigrant visa under the immigration laws.
Appropriate committees of Congress means the following congressional committees: (A) Senate Committee on the Judiciary; (B) Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; (C) Senate Committee on Armed Services; (D) Senate Committee on Appropriations; (E) Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; (F) House Committee on the Judiciary; (G) House Committee on Foreign Affairs; (H) House Committee on Armed Services; (I) House Committee on Appropriations; and (J) House Committee on Homeland Security.
Immigration laws has the meaning given in section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Special immigrant status means the special immigrant status provided under: (A) the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009; (B) section 1059 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006; or (C) subparagraph (N) of section 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as added by section 7(a).
Primary beneficiaries are Afghan nationals: (1) Afghans already in the United States who may qualify for conditional adjustment to lawful permanent resident status; (2) at‑risk Afghan allies abroad who may be referred and processed as refugees under a new humanitarian referral system; and (3) parents, brothers, and sisters of U.S. service members and veterans eligible for a new SIV category. The legislation affects federal agencies (Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, and Justice) by requiring new consular operations where embassies are nonoperational, expanded vetting and adjudication capacity, acceptance of remote/biometric processing, creation of an interagency task force, and repeated reporting to Congress. Resettlement agencies and state/local service providers will see increased referrals and need to scale housing, benefits enrollment, healthcare, and integration services. Fee waivers reduce cost barriers for applicants but shift some administrative burdens to federal budgets. The required staffing, IT upgrades, and reporting improve transparency but impose operational and budgetary requirements on agencies; authorized funding is included, but significant implementation planning and sustained coordination will be necessary. Politically, the bill targets a humanitarian and veterans‑connected population, likely producing strong advocacy support from refugee and veterans groups, while raising typical policy debates about immigration pathways, vetting, and resource allocation.
Amends section 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality Act by inserting a new subparagraph (N) expanding special immigrant visa eligibility to certain Afghan relatives of members of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans, and adjusts punctuation in existing subparagraphs to accommodate the insertion.
Declares that persons classified as 'Afghan allies' under this section shall be treated as 'refugees of special humanitarian concern' under 8 U.S.C. 1157 until the later of 10 years after enactment or a determination by the Secretary of State (in consultation) that the designation is no longer in the U.S. interest.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced August 1, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress August 1, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate