Sponsors (8)
The bill expands and clarifies legal pathways, access, and resettlement support for many Afghan nationals and their families while improving vetting and oversight—but does so at significant taxpayer cost and administrative strain, with trade-offs in privacy protections, procedural safeguards, and limits that may leave some eligible people excluded.
Afghan nationals (in the U.S. and in Afghanistan), including veterans' family members and allies, gain clear legal pathways to protection and status (conditional lawful permanent residence, refugee designation, and expanded SIV eligibility), improving chances to remain in or resettle to the U.S. and access immigration protections.
Afghan applicants receive improved access and faster processing through remote processing, an embassy-like designated office, a standardized application and secure online portal, and expanded biometric submission options, reducing the need for dangerous travel and speeding adjudications.
Congress, oversight bodies, and the public receive more frequent and detailed data (quarterly/monthly reporting, case counts, and updates to Members of Congress), increasing transparency about admissions, backlogs, and program performance.
U.S. taxpayers and federal budgets will face substantial new costs for processing, staffing, resettlement services, evacuations, and the cost of waived fees over time.
Agencies may be strained—diverting personnel and resources to implement new programs, reporting, and casework—which risks slowing adjudication of other immigration cases and increasing backlogs if additional appropriations are not provided.
The bill limits procedural safeguards and public review in key places (limits on appeals, allowing final guidance to be exempt from APA rulemaking, and long executive discretion over fee policy), reducing transparency and legal recourse for applicants.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Creates conditional green-card status for certain Afghans in the U.S., expands refugee/SIV pathways and remote processing, waives related fees for a limited period, and mandates agency staffing and reports.
Introduced August 1, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress August 1, 2025
Creates multiple immigration and refugee pathways and administrative rules to help Afghans who aided the U.S. or are present in the U.S. after evacuation. It authorizes conditional lawful permanent residence for certain Afghans already in the United States, expands refugee protections and processing options for eligible Afghan allies, adds a new special immigrant visa category for certain Afghan family members of U.S. service members and veterans (with annual and total caps), allows fee waivers for Afghan-related immigrant visa processing for a limited time, requires remote processing and biometric safeguards, and imposes staffing and reporting requirements on federal agencies.