I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2796 

To amend the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to make 4,000 visas 

available for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 16, 2019 

Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Mr. KINZINGER, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. STIVERS, 

Mr. NADLER, Ms. STEFANIK, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER, 

Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. MAST, Mr. CROW, Mr. WALTZ, Ms. OMAR, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. WELCH, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mr. 

HASTINGS, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. RYAN, Mr. WATKINS, Mr. 

PETERS, Mr. WRIGHT, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. WENSTRUP, Ms. NORTON, and 

Mr. GALLAGHER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to make 

4,000 visas available for the Afghan Special Immigrant 

Visa program, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Afghan Allies Protec5 tion Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISAS FOR AFGHAN ALLIES. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 602(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the 

3 Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 

4 note) is amended, in the matter preceding subclause (I), 

5 by inserting ‘‘for the first time’’ after ‘‘submitting a peti6 tion’’. 

7 (b) NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.—Section 602(b)(3) of 

8 the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 (8 U.S.C. 1101 

9 note) is amended— 

10 (1) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) FISCAL YEAR 2019.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

14 unused balance under subparagraph (F), 

15 for fiscal year 2019, not more than 4,000 

16 principal aliens may be granted special im17 migrant status under this subsection. 

18 ‘‘(ii) PERIOD OF EMPLOYMENT.—For 

19 purposes of this subparagraph, the period 

20 of employment referred to in paragraph 

21 (2)(A)(ii) shall end not later than Decem22 ber 31, 2021. 

23 ‘‘(iii) APPLICATION.—For purposes of 

24 this subparagraph, not later than Decem25 ber 31, 2021, a principal alien seeking spe26 cial immigrant status under this subsection 


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1 shall submit an application to the Chief of 

2 Mission.’’; 

3 (2) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(C) CARRY FORWARD.—If the numerical 

6 limitation described in subparagraph (A)(i) is 

7 not reached for fiscal year 2019, the numerical 

8 limitation for each subsequent fiscal year shall 

9 be established at a number equal to the dif10 ference between— 

11 ‘‘(i) the numerical limitation described 

12 in subparagraph (A)(i); and 

13 ‘‘(ii) the number of principal aliens 

14 granted special immigrant status under 

15 this subsection during each fiscal year be16 ginning in fiscal year 2019.’’; 

17 (3) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘notwith18 standing the provisions of paragraph (C),’’; and 

19 (4) in subparagraph (F), as amended by this 

20 Act,— 

21 (A) by redesignating clauses (i) through 

22 (iii) as subclauses (I) through (III), respec23 tively, and indenting appropriately; 

24 (B) in the matter preceding subclause (I) 

25 (as so redesignated), in the second sentence, by 


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1 striking ‘‘For purposes’’ and inserting the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENTS.—For pur4 poses’’; 

5 (C) in the matter preceding clause (ii) (as 

6 so designated)— 

7 (i) by striking ‘‘exhausted,,’’ and in8 serting ‘‘exhausted,’’; and 

9 (ii) by striking ‘‘In addition’’ and in10 serting the following: 

11 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In addition’’; and 

12 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(iii) UNUSED VISAS.—Any unused 

14 balance under this subparagraph shall be 

15 added to the number under subparagraph 

16 (A)(i) for use in fiscal year 2019.’’. 

17 (c) CONVERSION OF PETITIONS.—Section 2 of Public 

18 Law 110–242 (8 U.S.C. 1101 note) is amended by strik19 ing subsection (b) and inserting the following: 

20 ‘‘(b) DURATION.—The authority under subsection (a) 

21 shall expire on the date on which the numerical limitation 

22 specified under section 1244 of the National Defense Au23 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110– 

24 181; 8 U.S.C. 1157 note) is reached.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. SIV PROGRAM REPORTING REQUIREMENT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

3 date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General 

4 of the Department of State shall submit a report, with 

5 a classified annex if necessary, to— 

6 (1) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Com7 mittee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on 

8 Armed Services of the Senate; and 

9 (2) the Committee on the Judiciary, the Com10 mittee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on 

11 Armed Services of the House of Representatives. 

12 (b) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under sub13 section (a) shall evaluate the obstacles to effective protec14 tion of Afghan and Iraqi allies through the special immi15 grant visa programs and suggestions for improvements in 

16 future programs, including information relating to— 

17 (1) the hiring of locally employed staff and con18 tractors; 

19 (2) documenting the identity and employment 

20 of locally employed staff and contractors of the 

21 United States Government, including the possibility 

22 of establishing a central database of employees of 

23 the United States Government and its contractors; 

24 (3) the protection and safety of employees of lo25 cally employed staff and contractors; 


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1 (4) means of expediting processing at all stages 

2 of the process for applicants, including consideration 

3 of reducing required forms; 

4 (5) appropriate staffing levels for expedited 

5 processing domestically and abroad; 

6 (6) the effect of uncertainty of visa availability 

7 on visa processing; 

8 (7) the cost and availability of medical examina9 tions; and 

10 (8) means to reduce delays in interagency proc11 essing and security checks. 

12 (c) CONSULTATION.—In preparing the report under 

13 subsection (a), the Inspector General shall consult with— 

14 (1) the Department of State, Bureau of Con15 sular Affairs, Visa Office; 

16 (2) the Department of State, Bureau of Near 

17 Eastern Affairs and South and Central Asian Af18 fairs, Executive Office; 

19 (3) the United States embassy in Kabul, Af20 ghanistan, Consular Section; 

21 (4) the United States embassy in Baghdad, 

22 Iraq, Consular Section; 

23 (5) the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. 

24 Citizenship and Immigration Services; 

25 (6) the Department of Defense; and 


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1 (7) nongovernmental organizations providing 

2 legal aid in the special immigrant visa application 

3 process. 

4 Wherever possible, the Inspector General shall consult 

5 with both current and former employees of these offices. 

Æ 


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