Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 3385, the Honoring Our Promises through Expedition (HOPE) for Afghan SIVs Act, which was referred to the Judiciary Committee:

"I am extremely proud that the House came together in a bipartisan fashion to pass the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act. This legislation, which proposes a small but meaningful change, would expedite the issuance of special immigrant visas (SIV) to those who served side by side with American troops in Afghanistan. As we draw down our military presence in Afghanistan, we must do right by those who have put their lives at risk in service of our country. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take up this legislation and send it to the President's desk without delay." 

The Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program allows individuals who worked for, or on behalf of the U.S. government, or for the NATO International Security Assistance Force in support of the American mission, to seek lawful permanent residence in the United States.  H.R. 3385, the HOPE for Afghan SIVs Act, would allow the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to respond to the emergency conditions in Afghanistan by authorizing a blanket waiver of the medical examination requirement for people who are otherwise eligible for special immigrant visas. Those eligible would be admitted to the United States as lawful permanent residents on a conditional basis, and conditions would be removed only when the Secretary of Homeland Security confirms that a medical examination has been completed.