AWA Quarterly Report - April 2023
Executive summary
This report documents the scale of the Special Immigrant Visa crisis facing Afghan allies after the Taliban takeover, and the downstream moral injury experienced by the veteran community. It explains how delays in the SIV pipeline translate into real, compounding risk for people who supported US and coalition forces, and it uses survey findings to describe current conditions inside Afghanistan, including food insecurity and gaps in basic medical access.
The Association of Wartime Allies provides interactive support and education to a large SIV applicant network and works directly with US government stakeholders and a broader ecosystem of legal and resettlement partners to help applicants navigate the process with fewer delays.
Collaborated with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Most compelling data points
AWA supports 20,300+ SIV principal applicants, representing an estimated 91,350 people when family members are included.
Department of State reported 131,049 principal applicants in the Afghan SIV pipeline as of Oct 2022; using the report’s assumptions, that implies an estimated 360,095 people waiting for SIV processing.
FY22 issuance pace of about 11,500 SIV visas per year implies more than 31 years to clear the backlog; clearing it in 5 years would require increasing annual throughput more than 6 times.
Since inception through end of FY2022, the US has issued 26,141 SIV visas to Afghans.
Average time in the SIV pipeline is 2.75 years, about 1000 days, with large geographic variation that can exceed 8 years in some provinces.
Food insecurity is acute: 77.3% reported skipping meals in the last month due to inability to afford food.
Medical access is failing: 81.83% reported skipping necessary medical treatment in the past month; only 54.53% reported access to diabetes medication.
Veteran impact is measurable: 48.69% reported suffering some form of trauma connected to the withdrawal experience.
When relocation succeeds, outcomes are strong: 77.2% of supported Afghans are gainfully employed and 72% are in permanent housing.