Hundreds of Afghan nationals, including children, arrived in Manila to complete their special immigrant visa (SIV) processing, facilitating their relocation to the United States.
Up to 300 Afghans — half of them children — arrived in Manila on Monday to complete the processing of their special immigrant visas (SIVs) required for their immigration to the United States, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. The Afghans, who arrived in one batch, will be temporarily housed in an undisclosed US-funded facility. They were supposed to arrive on Saturday, Jan. 4, but bad weather in Kabul delayed their flight to Manila.
The plane that transported the Afghans landed at Clark International Airport in Pampanga, sources told The Manila Times. 'This is a long standing commitment we made during the official visit of President Marcos to Washington D.C. in May 2022 that we will do what we can to help in the relocation of Afghan nationals to the United States,' Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said. This is 'almost similar to what we did for Vietnamese refugees in the late seventies,' Romualdez said in a text message. 'It's the right thing to do,' he added. DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza, in a statement, said the government 'issued the appropriate Philippine entry visa to these applicants in line with current rules and regulations.' 'All applicants completed extensive security vetting by Philippines national security agencies. They also underwent full medical screening prior to their arrival in the Philippines,' Daza said. A US State Department official and a senior Philippine government official, who both requested anonymity, shared the information about Manila's hosting of the concerned individuals from Afghanistan during a briefing in December 2024. The State Department's Office of Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) will operate the housing facility. The Afghans are not allowed to leave the CARE facility. The only time they can leave the CARE facility is when they need to travel to the US Embassy in Manila for their visa processin
AFGHANISTAN IMMIGRATION SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS MANILA PHILIPPINES UNITED STATES RELOCATION US EMBASSY
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