Revocation Notices Sent to Afghan SIV Holders Raise Fear of Deportation

Five years after the United States completed its 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, hundreds of Afghan nationals who entered the United States on Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and later obtained green cards have begun receiving letters from the State Department and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The letters state that the basis for their visas is being revoked or denied, prompting recipients to seek legal counsel and contact congressional offices. Advocates describe the surge in notices as unprecedented and note that the communications often lack clear explanations of next steps.

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The SIV program, authorized in 2009, was created to relocate Afghans who assisted U.S. forces—ranging from embassy custodial staff to interpreters and engineers. The State Department has issued roughly 160,000 SIVs, with more than half granted after the U.S. embassy in Kabul closed in 2021. The initial application required a “Chief of Mission” approval, including employer verification letters that became difficult to obtain after many contractors shut down following the troop withdrawal.

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Advocacy groups argue that the revocation effort reflects a broader crackdown on fraud that is now harming legitimate allies. Jennifer Patota, deputy director of U.S. Jill Marie Bussey of Global Refuge notes that recent Department communications have “decline[d] in quality and clarity,” raising questions about factual accuracy. The State Department and USCIS have not responded to requests for comment.

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• Approximately 160,000 SIVs have been issued since 2009.

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• More than half of those visas were granted after the 2021 embassy closure.

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• “Hundreds” of SIV holders have reported receiving revocation letters in the past year.

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• A separate Justice Department case resulted in a 30-month prison sentence for a scheme that sold fraudulent recommendation letters to Afghan applicants.

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• “What we have seen specifically with the SIV program is people who are issued these visas and come to the U.S. have built lives here, gotten jobs, their kids are in school, they've integrated into their communities and are living their lives,” — Jennifer Patota, deputy director of U

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• “Especially after the withdrawal of troops, many companies were shutting down, destroying all of their records, making it impossible in many cases to verify someone's employment,” — Jennifer Patota, deputy director of U

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• “When the Department of State initiated a re-review of Chief of Mission applications in 2024, we understood the importance of that effort," said Jill Marie Bussey, director for legal affairs at Global Refuge.” — Jill Marie Bussey, director for legal affairs at Global Refuge

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