Press Release: Congressman Vela Announces House Passage of The Allies Act of 2021

Press Release

Today, Congressman Filemon Vela (TX-34) announced House passage of H.R. 3985, the Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs (ALLIES) Act of 2021. The bill makes important changes to the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program to ensure more efficient visa processing to help protect the lives of those who served alongside American troops in Afghanistan. The legislation passed with bipartisan support.

Among its key provisions, the ALLIES Act of 2021 adds an additional 8,000 visas to the SIV program, strengthens protections for surviving spouses and children of deceased SIV applicants, and streamlines SIV processing without compromising rigorous background checks.

"The brave Afghan men and women who served alongside our American troops to help enable security operations and implement U.S. funded democracy programs deserve to know our nation is grateful for their service," said Congressman Vela. "Getting this legislation across the finish line will help protect these individuals whose lives are in imminent danger due to their work for the U.S. government, as well as their families. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am proud to support this legislation that bolsters our national security interests and fulfills our nation's obligation to our Afghan allies who have already sacrificed so much."

H.R. 3985, the ALLIES Act of 2021 would:

Increase the number of Afghan SIVs by 8,000. This increase is necessary to ensure that there are enough visas to accommodate all eligible applicants who are currently in the pipeline.
Eliminate Redundant Paperwork. H.R. 3985 removes the requirement that applicants file a petition with USCIS after they receive Chief of Mission (COM) approval, thus removing duplicative processing steps and giving the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State the ability to streamline paperwork requirements as a matter of discretion.
Strengthen Protections for Surviving Spouses and Children. Currently, the spouses and children of deceased SIV applicants retain their SIV eligibility if the principal applicant died while there was a pending SIV petition with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). H.R. 3985 changes this to allow surviving spouses and children to retain eligibility if a request for COM approval is pending and the principal applicant would have been approved for an SIV had they survived.
Clarify Eligibility for Certain Afghans. H.R. 3985 makes it clear that individuals who perform work that is funded by a U.S. government cooperative agreement or grant, and that is critical to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, are deemed to be employed "on behalf of" the U.S. government for purposes of SIV eligibility.
Create a Presumption of Serious Threat. In recognition that the threat to the lives of our Afghan allies is a direct result of their work with the U.S. mission, H.R. 3985 removes the requirement that SIV applicants prove the existence of an ongoing serious threat because of their service, and instead creates a presumption that applicants with qualifying employment face such a threat.

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